— Yes, well meanwhile you can go in and see if Oscar's getting anywhere before the Lord calls all of us, I mean you'd think he could simply pick up the phone and tell me what's going on, I am his wife aren't I? Driving out of here like a madman for some kind of showdown with Bill Peyton you can never have a showdown with Bill Peyton, are we out of milk again? I mean that's why he's their managing partner, pats you on the back, tells you a joke, you're off for a chat with the firm's psychiatrist and suddenly you realize he's thrown you both ends of the rope up there on the bridge waving goodbye while you're not waving you're drowning, now where are you going.
— In to see whether Oscar…
— Never mind, I'll do it myself like everything else here, and those crumbs and God knows what under the table when you sweep up? already through the door with — Oscar? and up the hall — where are you! but here before her loomed only the solitary figure seated in the halo of the screen busied just then with a woman gnashing gleaming dentures with her secret for keeping them in place taken up, as though on cue, in a grimace of clamping in the real thing that stopped her dead. — But, but where's Oscar? At this a hand came up to flutter fingers stained with a generation of Picayunes off in the direction of the pond, the sea, the tired waves vainly breaking, where hopes were dupes fears might be liars, could they turn this thing off so they could get down to business? breaking through the mists of God only knew what lost soliloquy still trembling on his lips to bring him forward gasping over the gaping Gladstone and hand over a clutch of letters in a faded hand bound up with twine which she thrust aside with the emptied Black Bean Nacho Chips bag from the floor, he'd brought some papers up here for them to sign hadn't he? her free hand scribbling a lavish signature on the air but wait, those letters? The Judge had wrenched them away from those old biddies at the historical society, threatened them with perdition if they didn't hand them over when some black showed up down there trying to register them for copyright, maybe should have burned them like the rest of the Judge's papers but once they'd burned the Judge himself they weren't rightly his anymore but the survivors', looked up the law on it right there in 17 U.S. Code 201(d)(l) where copyright ownership may be bequeathed by will or pass as personal property, couldn't copyright them once he'd burned them up could they? right there in Section 203(a)(2)(c) where the rights of the author's children and grandchildren are in all cases divided among them and exercised on a per stirpes basis just thought he ought to explain it doing his duty as executor right to the letter, those old biddies had already let some outsider in to read them where they had no business to was when the Judge read them the riot act and — Please! she beseeched him, half across the room now to toss the packet on the heap of bills and brochures, threats and glossy invitations to prospects of still further threats crowding the sideboard — you, thank you you, thank you for taking such care but, yes but now what you want us to sign and get it over with so you can get back to your, to get home we can take you to the airport or whatever you, or the bus if you…
— Christina?
— Well my God Oscar where have you been! I thought you, who's that.
— Yes it's Mrs, it's that real estate woman Christina, she's got a prospect waiting out in her car and I've tried to tell her there's some misunderstanding because when I called her we…
— This is ridiculous, I mean why on earth did you let her in.
— I thought it was somebody answering my ad for a secretary and…
— I just said ridiculous didn't I? and she turned on the woman with — what made you think the place was for sale?
— Why, I've been here before you know, and when your husband called I thought the first thing I could do was to…
— He is not my husband! and the second thing you can do is to be on your way.
— No that's quite all right, I've plenty of time and it's such a beautiful day. You don't mind if I look around a little do you? smiling the lipstick on her teeth — such a charming site, and just look at the view! flinging a handful of red nails at the pond out there as though already embarked on a sale — or if you're only thinking of renting? Because you'd need a good deal of work done wouldn't you, that front porch to start with it's positively dangerous and old Mister Paintbrush to brighten things up, it's a little gloomy in here isn't it but…
— It is not for rent! now…
— Oh I understand perfectly, and for a sale of course you wouldn't need to bother, buyers always have their own ideas it would just be throwing your money away and I wouldn't let that happen to you would I.
— God knows what you'd let happen to us, Oscar you started all this now do something!
— Yes I tried to explain, when I called we just wanted some sort of appraisal because the property belonged to my father and…
— And this is Dad? she swooped at him red in tooth and claw cowering there in the armchair, life preserver muffled in a much darned brown sock in his lap at the ready — I, I should have known yes it's, the nose? she backed off warily — I'd say, I'd say a whisker over three million? out of harm's way now, — yes, say three million two with this sweeping view over the pond and the swans, look at them! You can't find this anymore with these wetland setbacks, this four acre piece right up here across your driveway that just went for two million six with no view at all, did you know the people?
— We did not, why in God's name would anyone pay two and a half million the house is a perfect rats' nest.
— Oh it's not for the house they'll tear that down in a wink, it's for the site, it's quite an exclusive area here and fight on the pond even if it's only a cove there where they can't take the trees down for the hundred and fifty foot setback and all they'd see is a mudflat even if they could but they'll cut down everything else, they'll have to for the house they've planned by this famous post modern architect, a regular showplace, they're very wealthy needless to say I think they made it in parking garages and…
— But those were probably the men I saw in the trees there Christina, they must have been surveyors and…
— It all sounds perfectly revolting, I mean you don't become wealthy building parking garages you simply get rich there's quite a difference, chopping down everything in sight to build a showplace out here it sounds quite sickening, you can find your way out can't you?
— Oh they're going to landscape, I've heard they've put aside a million just for landscaping it should give real estate values here a real boost and, oh! It's been such a pleasure talking to you I almost forgot my poor client sitting out there in the car, you don't mind if I bring him in just for a moment to see your lovely view? It's such a beautiful day and…
— I do mind! Oscar for God's sake will you see her to the door?
— Oh no, no, I can find my way, another time then? Such a pleasure meeting you, you have my number yes and while I think of it you'll want to do something about your driveway out there won't you, I almost hit a deer coming in they are such pests, they'll chew up everything in sight till not a tree's left standing.
— Now where was I! She stood with her fingertips pressed to her temples until the doors up the hall clattered closed — my God, such a beautiful day! Just to get that odious woman's voice out of my head, now where was I.
— I thought you were finding these papers for us to sign and…
— I thought that's why I sent you in here an hour ago, now will you sit right down there with him and get it over with before I come back? I'm going out for a walk.