“Who is it?”
“Mr. De Medici. Will you tell Miss Ballau I want to see her for a moment?”
“Miss Ballau is asleep.”
“Wake her up, please. Tell her it’s imperative. I must see her.”
A pause during which De Medici heard muffled whisperings. Then Florence’s voice came faintly:
“Please excuse me, Julien. I can’t see you.”
He tried the door-knob desperately as he answered:
“It’s important, Florence. Please ... I must tell you something.”
The door was locked. De Medici rattled the knob again.
“I can’t.... Julien. I can’t see you now.”