Laura sat down shaking. She began to cry. Burr watched her in silent fury for a moment. Then he said, “I thought that’d get you, you bitch.” His voice was low and dry. “I came here to talk to you like a human being, to give you a chance. But you act like a God-damn queen. You act like I was in the wrong, not you! Like I was an animal. Well, you’re no better. You’re a pervert, Laura. And I’m going to get Marcie away from you if I have to call out the cops to do it. You’re not going to touch her again.” He turned sharply and started out. “Burr! Burr! My God, wait! What did she say? What did she tell you?” “Can’t you guess?” “She made it up, Burr, believe me. Please believe me.” She was begging him now. “You know how she is.” “Yeah, I know how she is. She didn’t make this up.” “She did! She’s lying.” “She’s telling the truth. You’re perverting her. It’s obvious, even I can see it. Perverting her! My Marcie!” He almost wept when he said it, and Laura instinctively put a hand to her throat as if to protect herself. “Burr,” she said and her voice was deeply intense and quiet, “I swear to you by God and Heaven and everything I hold sacred, I never—” “You hold nothing sacred! You’re a walking profanity! You’re a mockery of womanhood. You’re queer. _Queer!_ And you’re infecting Marcie. I’m going to get her away from you. Now. Tonight!” And he turned on his heel and walked out. Laura called after him until he walked into the last operating elevator and disappeared. She sobbed wildly for a minute, collapsed in her chair. Then, as if electrified, she picked up the phone and dialed the penthouse, as fast as her trembling fingers would let her. She almost died of impatience before Marcie answered. “Hello?” Marcie said. “Marcie! Marcie, what have you done to me? Answer me!” “Laur?” Marcie’s voice sounded small and frightened. “What’s the matter, honey?” “Burr just left me. I thought he was going to kill me. Marcie, what did you tell him?” “Oh, Laura.” Marcie’s voice was only the faintest whisper. “I had no idea he’d—I didn’t think he’d bother you. I didn’t think he’d even mention it.” “What did you tell him, Marcie?” Laura’s voice sounded almost hysterical. “I—we quarreled.” Marcie was crying quietly while she talked. “We quarreled, for the first time in weeks. It was terrible. As if to make up for all those weeks when we didn’t fight at all. He accused me of—forgive me, Laura, I’m ashamed to say these words—of falling in love with you.” Laura groaned despairingly. “Laur, I’m so sorry. I guess I talked about you all the time. I get interested in somebody, or something and I just don’t talk about anything else for a while. I talked about you because I admire you so much. I—well, you know. He got the wrong idea, that’s all. But I didn’t realize it, I swear I didn’t, Laur. I would have stopped him if I had. And then we had this quarrel tonight and I said some things I shouldn’t have.” “What things? _What things_, Marcie?”