But I didn't do it. I said I would wait a week, anyhow.
March 20th.
I don't know what in the world to make of it.
The week ended to-day, and nothing yet; and I hit upon another scheme, I went to the publishers. I said: “I will ask them, and he needn't know anything about it and it won't bother him.” So I went in and they referred me to the manuscript clerk. She said she had never heard of The Captive.
“But it's here somewhere,” I said, “the editor brought it here.”
“There is no manuscript ever comes here,” she answered, “that is not entered on my books.”
“But,” I said, “some member of the firm must have it.”
“If any member of the firm got it,” she said, smiling, “the first thing he would do would be to bring it to me to enter in the books.”
I insisted. I wanted to see somebody in the firm, but she answered me there was no use. Finally she suggested that they might know something about it up in the offices of the magazine. I went there, but no, no one had ever heard of it there.