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I'm lying?" Gertrude flushed with anger and shame. |
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"Good God, no!" Peter exclaimed. "Of course not. I'm sure someone called you. Why the hell should you tell such a stupid lie, and right to my face? All I'm saying is that I didn't phone." |
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"But Peter"Linda's voice sounded odd to her and she swallowed"that means that someone deliberately phoned to get Gertrude to leave the suite." |
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"Yes." Peter's face was now totally expressionless, and the glance he turned on Linda was forbidding. |
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Her lips had parted to speculate on the reason anyone should want to get Gertrude out of the way, but she didn't utter the words. When Peter wanted, he could be remarkably formidable. |
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Gertrude had paid little attention to this exchange. She was frowning in concentration and finally said, "I guess it wasn't you, Mr. Peter. Now I think back, the voice was funny and the words weren't the way you say them, not the way I'm used to. But you know I don't like the telephone. I'll tell you one thing sure, though. It wasn't Mr. Sotheby playing one of his tricks. He says his words like madam." |
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"She means," Peter said with a smile, "that Donald speaks like an English gentleman and I don't." |
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"That's right," Gertrude said. "Oh, I don't mean you aren't a gentleman, Mr. Peter, but your voice is foreign, deep like, and you say 'here' and 'I' different." |
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