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probably got a lot of pride and doesn't want to feel

like some kind of failure. My father has never made a

mistake in twenty years of practicing law."

"Really?"

"That's what he makes it sound like, and

everyone who works for my mother is a half-wit." He

smiled. "I come from a pair of regular geniuses." He made me laugh. Clarence is handsome. I

thought. He has a twinkle in his eye that gets pretty

sexy sometimes, whether he knows it or not. He acts

like he doesn't. but I was always suspicious of people,

especially boys. Their smiles and words were like

little balls in the hands of a magician: now you see

them, now you don't.

When I finished eating. I paid the check and

lingered for a few moments.

"Now what do we do?" he asked.

"I want to be sure he's upstairs at his desk. I'll

call and pretend I'm a client and ask for him," I said.

"Afterward, we can go to the magazine and

newspaper shop and then we'll hang out and wait until

the market closes to see what he does. We've just got

to keep inconspicuous."

He went to the bank of pay phones in the lobby

and I dialed Daddy's number. His secretary answered

and I asked for him.

"Oh," she said. "he's just this moment left. Can I switch you to Mr. Posner who's handling his

accounts in the interim?"

"No," I said and hung up quickly.

"He left," I told Clarence excitedly. "Just now!" We hurried back to the lobby and went into the

newspaper and magazine store, pretending to be