"Hamilton," said the receiver dryly. "I hope you aren't getting me up."
"This was your idea," said the Saint. "I have cased the joint, as we used to say in the soap operas. I have inspected your creeps. I'm busy."
"What else?"
"I met the most wonderful girl in the world."
"You do that every week."
"This is a different week."
"This is a priority, line. You can tell me about your love life in a letter."
"Her name is Avalon Dexter, and she's in the directory. She's a singer, and until the small hours of this morning she was working for Cookie."
"Which side is she on?"
"I only just met her," said the Saint, with unreal impersonality. "But they saw her with me. Will you remember that, if anything funny happens to me — or to her?... I met Zellermann, too. Rather violently, I'm afraid. But he's a sweet and forgiving soul. He wants to buy me a lunch."