“Could you possibly tell me where Mr. Charles Houseman has gone?”
“Certainly!” answered an equally polite voice at the other end of the wire. “Just a moment, please! You mean Mr. Houseman, second officer on the Mazell?”
“I don’t know,” said Lexy, surprised. “Has he blue eyes?”
There was an instant’s silence. Then the voice spoke again, a little unsteadily.
“I—I believe so.”
“He’s laughing at me!” thought Lexy indignantly, and her voice became severely dignified.
“Can you tell me where the—the Mazell has gone?”
“Lisbon and Gibraltar. We expect her back in about five weeks.”
“Thank you!” said Lexy. “And that’s that!” she added, to herself. “So he’s a sailor! I rather like sailors. Well, anyhow, he’s gone.” She sighed. “Carry on!” she said.
She went into a tea room on Forty-Second Street and ordered herself a very good lunch.