“The breaks!” Bertha snorted with sarcastic emphasis.
“That’s what I said.”
“I heard you the first time.”
“You just heard the words. You didn’t get the idea.”
The situation remained static for another half-hour and then the man began to grow more communicative. “Saturday afternoon,” he said. “I was due to have a half-day off. This isn’t any treat for me. I’ve been taking a cold all day, too.”
“As far as I’m concerned you can go now,” Bertha told him.
He grinned, said abruptly, “This man Belder seems to have cut a pretty wide swath.”
Bertha didn’t say anything.
“That last letter sure gave the Sarge a kick. I’ll bet it was a load off your mind.”
Bertha picked up a pencil and started making aimless lines on a scratch-pad, giving her an excuse to lower her eyes so he might not read the expression in them. “You mean that third letter?” she asked.