Port took Bellamy to Ward Nine and when he picked up Shelly he even took him upstairs. Shelly's smile dropped off fast when she saw him, making Bellamy take a short step back.
-He came to drive us,- said Port, -so me and you can sit in the back.- They grinned at each other and Bellamy went down the stairs ahead of them. Ramon didn't show up. He had stayed in bed, smoking.
Bellamy's driveway had two entrances and there were two policemen at each. They had nothing to do but stand there, tip their hats regardless of which party affiliation drove through, and at the end of the evening there was an envelope waiting for them in the kitchen. The two at the entrance gate were kept busy saluting and waving the cars through to avoid a traffic problem, while the two at the exit gate just stood around, bored with each other. Every so often one of them took off for the kitchen, the old one for beer and little caviar canapes, the younger one to drink coffee and watch the maids. At the house another uniform waited. This one had been hired from one of the clubs, epauletted and braided like a South American general. He opened car doors and helped riders get to the curb safely, and then he blew his whistle to make the chauffeur drive on. Port and Shelly stood by the curb and waited for the general to blow his whistle, except this time he didn't know what to do.
-Tell Mr. Bellamy to park the oar,- said Port. -And tell him we'll wait for him here.-
The general did that. After the car had torn off to the parking area the general came back to the curb. -He says not to wait for him. He says he'll meet you inside.-
Port and Shelly went up the stairs, laughing, but they would have been sorry had they known what they missed. When Bellamy tried to sneak into a side entrance he got stopped by one of the exit cops who was just on his way back from the kitchen. Bellamy's evil mood, his torn vest, and his haste in general meant a long delay while the cop decided to check with some guests whether it was all right to let Bellamy in. It made a spectacle which left the main hall deserted, except for Bellamy's daughter, who was doing the hostessing. Even the butler had left.
Janice Bellamy had her father's light hair and reddish complexion, but where he was heavy she was dry and thin. She looked up when Port and Shelly came in and said, -Mr. Port!-
-Miss Bellamy. May I present Miss Ramon.-
Miss Bellamy stared, being short-sighted but without glasses on gala occasions, and when she recognized Shelly she just managed to say, -How unusual--
Shelly smiled at her and made the mistake of slipping her cape off her shoulders. It showed the long evening dress which was designed to make broad lights over the hips and to reveal the bareness on top.
-Well,- said Miss Bellamy. -It looks positively new.-
-It is.-
