"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "It's getting late and I... Wiles. I'm sorry. May I visit you again in a few days?
It was as if he hadn't spoken to her. He nodded, said "Good night" and turned to go.
Sharon Bostwick said in a high, shrill voice without intonation: "When I was a little girl, about six, I could play the piano, I liked to draw and I was very shy, so my mother sent me to Miss Thorndyke's School for Girls in St Louis. I was the youngest there but that was fine because Daddy was on the board and arranged it. I didn't like it at first, but eventually I just loved it. They were all very nice girls and wealthy, and I made some lifelong friends there, and—"
Smith had turned as she spoke and was looking at her with an astonishment that didn't show on his face. Her eyes were
