"And we've lived here ever since Clark was a baby!" "Now, now, let's not get excited over this," soothed Baumberger, getting out of his chair slowly, like the overfed glutton he was.

He picked up a crisp fragment of biscuit, crunched it between his teeth, and chewed it slowly.

"Can't be anything serious--and if it is, why--I'm here.

A lawyer right on the spot may save a lot of trouble.

The main thing is, let's not get excited and do something rash.