"Pietro," he said, "give me now Doctor Barrington's office. And tell the operator to put me through to his private wire. It's urgent. I do not want the nurse in the anteroom. When you ring for me I want Dr. Barrington ready at the other end and I want you yourself, Pietro, to be sure he's there."
"Frank?" Hot relief surged in Kenny's heart at the chance ease of connection. "Kenny speaking."
"Hello, Kenny. Nothing doing for me tonight, old man. I've got to sleep."
"I need you, Frank. Brian has been injured--badly--in a quarry explosion."
"A chance of skull fracture," said Kenny steadily. "That means?"
"Can you leave with me at eleven o'clock to-night, Pennsylvania Terminal? It will mean at least two days. He's at Finlake, Pennsylvania, barely conscious--in the hands of a country doctor."
The brilliant industrious young surgeon on the other end gasped and whistled. He worked and played at heavy pressure.
"Kenny, old man," he said, "nothing is impossible. Almost this is. But it's you and Brian and that's enough, I'll meet you at quarter of eleven. I'll go--thoroughly prepared. Do you feel like telling me more?"
Two receivers clicked and Kenny, remembering that he could not definitely locate Joan until six, felt the tautness of his control slip dangerously.
Eleven o'clock. . . . How could he wait? He paced the floor, his mind in its chaotic desperation, numb and inelastic. With his glance upon the psaltery stick, a dim notion of accounting filtered curiously into his mind and became obsessional. He went shaking to Brian's room and put the key of the chiffonier in his pocket. Thank God the studio was in order, save a chair or two. Brian . . . would . . . be . . . pleased. Kenny stared at the withered fern and blinked. An augury? God forbid! Then he flung the bill-file with its heterogeneous collection of receipted I.O.U.'s into his bulging suit case and called up Simon Meyer.
"Simon," he said, "whatever I happen to have there--there's a shotgun, I know, and a tennis racket and some fishing rods. . . . The rest for the moment I can't recall. . . . I want you to put all of it in a bundle and send it here at once by special messenger. I have the tickets here. . . . I'll have them ready. . . . Yes, I'll give him a check. . . . No, Simon, it won't be certified and he'll take it as it is."