George pulled himself together.
"Hello!" he said.
"Why do you say 'Hello'?"
"I forgot I was in London. I should have said 'Are you there?'"
"Yes, I'm here."
"Well, then, what does it all mean?"
"What does what mean?"
"What you've been saying—about butter and pompanos and wall-paper and my den and all that? I don't understand."
"How stupid of you! I was asking you what sort of wall-paper you would like in your den after we were married and settled down."
George dropped the receiver. It clashed against the side of the table. He groped for it blindly.