Chapter Nine
The Falling of a Footman
“Ours is not to question why but to tuck in before we die.” —The Chief’s Assistant
After several futile discussions, followed by incomprehensible directions from one of the footmen, it was agreed that the footman with the incomprehensible directions should accompany Operator Four and the secretary to the basement.
He was a man of annoying comments and squeaky farts who moved with a shuffle that exasperated the two women. They followed with suppressed impatience as the footman dawdled through several corridors, various doors, sharp turns, and a tunnel, frequently stopping to catch his breath. Finally arriving at a door with a red light above and “The Basement” scrawled across, they stopped.
The footman, with a grunt, attempted to push the door open
