There was a sudden clatter. The receiver had been put back. Some one had interrupted her.
I tapped the little lever of the instrument repeatedly.
“Number, please,” a monotonous voice asked.
“What number was I talking to this instant?” I said, almost trembling with anxiety.
“I’m sure I don’t know. What number do you want?”
“The number I’ve been talking to.”
“I tell you I don’t know it,” replied the female operator.
“Can’t you find it out?”
“I’ll try. Hold the line, please.”
After a brief interval, the voice said—