"Still down there?" exclaimed Alfred into the 'phone.
Jimmy began to wriggle with a vague uneasiness.
"Well," continued Alfred at the 'phone, "that woman has the wrong
number." Then with a peremptory "Wait a minute," he turned to
Zoie, "The hall boy says that woman who called a while ago is
still down stairs and she won't go away until she has seen you,
Zoie. She has some kind of an idiotic idea that you know where
her baby is."
"How absurd," sneered Zoie.
"How silly," added Aggie.
"How foolish," grunted Jimmy.
"Well," decided Alfred, "I'd better go down stairs and see what's
the matter with her," and he turned toward the door to carry out
his intention.
"Alfred!" called Zoie sharply. She was half out of bed in her
anxiety. "You'll do no such thing. 'Phone down to the boy to
send her away. She's crazy."
"Oh," said Alfred, "then she's been here before? Who is she?"
"Who is she?" answered Zoie, trying to gain time for a new
inspiration. "Why, she's-- she's----" her face lit up with
satisfaction--the idea had arrived. "She's the nurse," she
concluded emphatically.
"The nurse?" repeated Alfred, a bit confused.
"Yes," answered Zoie, pretending to be annoyed with his dull
memory. "She's the one I told you about, the one I had to
discharge."
"Oh," said Alfred, with the relief of sudden comprehension; "the
crazy one?"
Aggie and Zoie nodded their heads and smiled at him tolerantly,
then Zoie continued to elaborate.
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