Lehal Library

coffee. The twin spent about ten minutes carefully surveying the Goods of people in the terminus. Finally he gave me a slight nod, and headed in an easterly direction of the arcade away from the great hall. I gathered I was to follow. He went down one of the corridors leading to Lexington Avenue. There were, and still are, some stairs leading down to a subway entrance inside this corridor. Making sure I was in tow, down them he went. I followed. Z next caught sight of him standing near to a bank of telephone booths (which don't exist today.) He stepped into one stepped and I could see him through the glass dialing a number (these were the days when telephone booths with doors still existed). I kept at a distance, but I am sure he never said a word into the receiver. He then put the receiver down on the small counter inside the booth, and moved away. I gathered I was supposed to go into the booth and pick up the receiver. At the other end was a little static, and not knowing what else to say I said "Hello." "Mr. Swann?" It was the same cheery female who had telephoned me at home. "Yes." "What is that thing on your right hand?" "Oh, you mean my tattoo?" "What is its color?" "Mostly green," I replied. "Good, then. Please wait until you are linked." Linked? What did THAT mean? After which followed several beeps and noises and different forms of static. Finally, Mr. Axelrod came on. "I'm sorry to have to do it this way," he began, "but we had to get you to a telephone which scrambles our conversation, and where you can be watched." I was about to say hello, but Axelrod's voice became very firm. "Do not say anything except answers to my questions." So knowing he was going to yell at me because of my inadvertent encounter in LA LA Land, I remained quiet as a mouse. "I may seem a little aggressive," Axel said, "but we would like to know why you were in that Los Angeles supermarket?" "I was staying with some friends, and we decided to cook dinner. I wanted orange aspic with lamb chops and T wanted to stuff artichokes. We didn't have any." Silence, Then: "There was no other reason?