"Suppose I am?" she demands, eyin' me suspicious.
"Tut, tut, now!" says I. "You're the one that's occupyin' the witness stand, you know. You were about to tell why you came."
"Was I?" says she. "You might guess that: you've had a man pryin' and snoopin' around my flat for two days."
I gawps at her for a second, and then chuckles. "You mean a classy-dressed gent with whiskers?" says I.
She nods.
"Mr. J. Bayard Steele," says I. "He's the one to see. He'll give you all the partic'lars."
"Humph!" says she, sniffin'. "What does he want of Josie Vernon? What's his game?"
"Deeds of kindness, that's all," says I.
Mrs. Shaw indulges in a hard, throaty cackle. "There ain't no such animal," says she. "Come now, you're in on this with him. He said so. What's it all about?"
"Mrs. Shaw," says I, "you've heard all I got to say on the subject. I'm more or less busy too, and——"