And Nell faced the fellow, annoyed.

"Well?" she icily said. The man bobbed his head.

"A visiphone call on the rack."

Nell sighed as she rose. "Some friend, I suppose.

Wait, Dougal; I'll hurry right back."

An expression surprisingly soft in her eyes,

She answered the visiphone.

Her caller, however (the cradle-monk), never

Detected her altered tone.

"Hey, Nell, there's a chump on his way to your dump,