"Yes, ma'am."
"And you didn't see your friend come out of the restaurant while you were there?"
"Who, Tweet? No, ma'am—I didn't."
"Well, he did. He'd been in talking with me. I didn't know his name, though. Is that it? Tweet? Heavens above! Say, he's a funny guy. Well, he'd been in talking about you. He said you were out in front of the jeweler's shop and wondered if he could get out without you seeing him."
Hiram only stared and waited.
"He told me your name was Hiram Hooker, and that you had just come from Mendocino County. That's how I knew."
For quite a time she was silent. Then she said:
"He appears to be sort of butting in, it seems to me."
Hiram waited again.
"He came in and says: 'Say, Lucy, your lifeline and mine are getting tangled. You're crossing my path and frustrating my plans.' You know how he talks!