Berin wasn't there, so apparently they had got down to him on the tasting list. I covered a yawn, and stretched without putting my arms out, and arose and moseyed over to the corner where Nero Wolfe was talking with Pierre Mondor and Lawrence Coyne. There was an extra chair, and I took it.
Pretty soon Berin entered from the dining room and crossed the room to our corner. I saw Servan, without interrupting his dancing, make a sign to Vukcic that he was next, and Vukcic nodded back but showed no inclination to break his clinch with Dina. Berin was scowling. Coyne asked him:
'How about it, Jerome'We've both been in. Number 3 is shallots. No?'
Mondor protested, 'Mr. Wolfe hasn't tried it yet. He goes last.'
Berin growled, 'I don't remember the numbers. Louis has my slip. God above, it was an effort I tell you, with that dog of a Laszio standing there smirking at me.' He shook himself. 'I ignored him. I didn't speak to him.'
They talked. I listened with only one ear, because of a play I was enjoying out front. Servan had highballed Vukcic twice more to remind him it was his turn to taste, without any result. I could see Dina smile into Vukcic's face, and I noticed that Mamma Mondor was also seeing it and was losing interest in her knitting. Finally Servan parted from Constanza, bowed to her, and approached the other couple. He was too polite and dignified to grab, so he just got in their way and they had to stop. They untwined.
Servan said, 'Please. It is best to keep the order of the list. If you don't mind.'
Apparently Vukcic was no longer lit, and anyway he wouldn't have been rude to Servan. With a toss of his head he shook his hair-tangle back, and laughed. 'But I think I won't do it. I think I shall join the revolt of Leon Blanc.' He had to speak loud on account of the radio.
'My dear Vukcic!' Servan was mild. 'We are civilized people, are we not'We are not children.'
Vukcic shrugged. Then he turned to his dancing partner. 'Shall I do it, Dina?' Her eyes were up to him, and her lips moved, but in too low a voice for me to catch it. He shrugged again, and turned and headed for the dining room door and opened it and went in, with her watching his back. She went back to the stool by the radio, and Servan resumed with Constanza. Pretty soon, at eleven-thirty, there was a program change and the radio began telling about chewing gum, and Dina switched it off.
She asked, 'Shall I try another station?'
Apparently they had had enough, so she left it dead. In our corner, Wolfe was leaning back with his eyes shut and Coyne was telling Berin about San Francisco Bay, when his Chinese wife entered from the hall, looked around and saw us and trotted over, and stuck her right forefinger into Coyne's face and told him to kiss it because she had got it caught in a door and it hurt.
He kissed it. 'But I thought you were outside looking at the night.'
'I was. But the door caught me. Look! It hurts.'
He kissed the finger again. 'My poor little blossom!' More kisses. 'My flower of Asia! Now we're talking, run away and let us alone.'
She went off pouting.
Vukcic entered from the dining room, and came straight across to Dina Laszio. Servan told Vallenko he was next. Vukcic turned to him:
'Here's my slip. I tasted each dish once. That's the rule, eh'Laszio isn't there.'
Servan's brows went up. 'Not there'Where is he?'
Vukcic shrugged. 'I didn't look for him. Perhaps in the kitchen.'
Servan called to Keith: 'Ramsey! Phillip has left his post! Only Vallenko and Rossi and Mr. Wolfe are left. What about it?'
Keith said he would trust them if Servan would, and Vallenko went in. In due time he was back, and it was Rossi's turn. Rossi hadn't been in a scrap for over three hours, and I pricked my ears in expectation of hearing through the closed door some hot remarks about sons-in-law, in case Laszio had got back on the job, but there was so much jabber in the parlor that I wouldn't have heard it anyway. When Rossi returned he announced
Pretty soon Berin entered from the dining room and crossed the room to our corner. I saw Servan, without interrupting his dancing, make a sign to Vukcic that he was next, and Vukcic nodded back but showed no inclination to break his clinch with Dina. Berin was scowling. Coyne asked him:
'How about it, Jerome'We've both been in. Number 3 is shallots. No?'
Mondor protested, 'Mr. Wolfe hasn't tried it yet. He goes last.'
Berin growled, 'I don't remember the numbers. Louis has my slip. God above, it was an effort I tell you, with that dog of a Laszio standing there smirking at me.' He shook himself. 'I ignored him. I didn't speak to him.'
They talked. I listened with only one ear, because of a play I was enjoying out front. Servan had highballed Vukcic twice more to remind him it was his turn to taste, without any result. I could see Dina smile into Vukcic's face, and I noticed that Mamma Mondor was also seeing it and was losing interest in her knitting. Finally Servan parted from Constanza, bowed to her, and approached the other couple. He was too polite and dignified to grab, so he just got in their way and they had to stop. They untwined.
Servan said, 'Please. It is best to keep the order of the list. If you don't mind.'
Apparently Vukcic was no longer lit, and anyway he wouldn't have been rude to Servan. With a toss of his head he shook his hair-tangle back, and laughed. 'But I think I won't do it. I think I shall join the revolt of Leon Blanc.' He had to speak loud on account of the radio.
'My dear Vukcic!' Servan was mild. 'We are civilized people, are we not'We are not children.'
Vukcic shrugged. Then he turned to his dancing partner. 'Shall I do it, Dina?' Her eyes were up to him, and her lips moved, but in too low a voice for me to catch it. He shrugged again, and turned and headed for the dining room door and opened it and went in, with her watching his back. She went back to the stool by the radio, and Servan resumed with Constanza. Pretty soon, at eleven-thirty, there was a program change and the radio began telling about chewing gum, and Dina switched it off.
She asked, 'Shall I try another station?'
Apparently they had had enough, so she left it dead. In our corner, Wolfe was leaning back with his eyes shut and Coyne was telling Berin about San Francisco Bay, when his Chinese wife entered from the hall, looked around and saw us and trotted over, and stuck her right forefinger into Coyne's face and told him to kiss it because she had got it caught in a door and it hurt.
He kissed it. 'But I thought you were outside looking at the night.'
'I was. But the door caught me. Look! It hurts.'
He kissed the finger again. 'My poor little blossom!' More kisses. 'My flower of Asia! Now we're talking, run away and let us alone.'
She went off pouting.
Vukcic entered from the dining room, and came straight across to Dina Laszio. Servan told Vallenko he was next. Vukcic turned to him:
'Here's my slip. I tasted each dish once. That's the rule, eh'Laszio isn't there.'
Servan's brows went up. 'Not there'Where is he?'
Vukcic shrugged. 'I didn't look for him. Perhaps in the kitchen.'
Servan called to Keith: 'Ramsey! Phillip has left his post! Only Vallenko and Rossi and Mr. Wolfe are left. What about it?'
Keith said he would trust them if Servan would, and Vallenko went in. In due time he was back, and it was Rossi's turn. Rossi hadn't been in a scrap for over three hours, and I pricked my ears in expectation of hearing through the closed door some hot remarks about sons-in-law, in case Laszio had got back on the job, but there was so much jabber in the parlor that I wouldn't have heard it anyway. When Rossi returned he announced
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