ear Club didnt know such things existed in the
heart of Hollywood. "It's no better than I live in myself," he added.

He whistled at the dismal livingroom and raised his eyebrows at the
kitchen. Before I could mutter an introduction, Miss Francis growled
without turning around, "If youve come about the icebox--"

"Zounds!" exclaimed Gootes. "A female Linnaeus. Shades of Dorothy Dix!"

"I don't know who you are, young man, but youre extremely impudent to
come tramping into my kitchen, adding nothing to the sum of knowledge
but a confirmation of my sex which would be plain to any mammal. If
youve--"

"Nein, Fraeulein Doktor," said Gootes hastily, "about z' kelvinators I
know nossing. I represent, Fraeulein Doktor, z' _Daily Intelligencer_
zeitung--"

Miss Francis pierced his turgid explanation with a sharp spate of words
in what I took to be German. Gootes answered with difficult slowness,
but he fumbled and halted before long and abandoning the Central
European, became again the Southern Gentleman. "I quite understand, mam,
how any delicately reared gentlewoman would resent having her privacy
intruded upon by rude agents of the yellow press. But consider, mam: we
live in a progressive age and having made a great contribution to
Science you can hardly escape the fame rightfully yours. You are a
public figure now and must stand in the light. Would it not be
preferable, mam, to talk as lady to gentleman (I am related to the
Taliaferros of Ruffin County on the distaff side) than to be badgered by
some hack journalist?"

Miss Francis squatted ungracefully on her heels and looked up from the
flowerpot she had been engaged with. "I havent any objection to
publicity, hack or otherwise," she said mildly. "I am merely impressed
again by the invulnerability of newspapers to thousands of important
discoveries and inventions, newsworthy 'contributions to Science' as you
call them in your bland ignorance of semantics, in contrast to their
acute, almost painful sensitivity to any mischance."

Gootes, unjointing disproportioned length carelessly against the sink to
the peril of several jars of specimens, didnt reply. Instead he
fluttered his arms and produced a halfdollar, apparently from Miss
Francis' hair, which after exhibiting he prudently pocketed.

"Tell me, Dr Francis--"

"Miss. Show me how you did that trick."

"In a minute, Miss Francis. It's a honey, isnt it? Paid fourbits to a
funhouse in Utica, New York, for it.