A man’s voice stammered drowsily his number.
“Yes,” he almost shouted. “Yes—Mr. Staff at the ’phone. Who wants me?”
“Hold the wire.”
He heard a buzzing, a click; then silence; a prolonged brrrrp and another click.
“Hello?” he called. “Hello?”
His heart jumped: the voice was Miss Searle’s.
“Mr. Staff?”
It seemed to him that he could detect a tremor in her accents, as if she were both weary and frightened.
“Yes, Miss Searle. What is it?”
“I wanted to reassure you—I’ve had a terrible experience, but I’m all right now—safe. I started—”