"Not yet," said the senator quietly. "And say nothing, please. You see, Mrs. Treed and I just returned from a vacation in Wisconsin and we had a large number of packing cases delivered to our suite. It is more than possible that we included a few field mice. I'd hate to be held responsible for bringing mice into the Wardman Park."
The clerk grinned. "Mice in the Wardman Park. That's a national calamity, isn't it?"
Senator Treed scowled. "Young man, this rat plague is a national calamity. You do not realize how bad it really is. An outbreak caused by the war."
"Come now, senator. Don't blame everything on the war."
Senator Treed shook his head. "I try to be level headed and as honest as I can," he said. "But how many mousetraps have you had in the place since Pearl Harbor?"
"Not many," admitted the clerk.
"Freedom from rodent pests is a warfare that must be constantly and ruthlessly waged," replied the senator. "Otherwise, they overwhelm us. We stopped fighting rats to fight another kind. We licked the other kind, but there's this kind still. Now, what's new in mousetraps?"
"Here's a new number. It's called the Better Mousetrap. A new company started about a week ago and we accepted one on consignment."
"How much is it?" asked the senator.
"It's not for sale."