Knight Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

clearly intended tokeep his concerns to himself, but Arthur caught the gesture and scowled darkly. It was enough to cause Sidney to tremble slightly from the look. “Come now, sir. If you have something to say, say it. Screw your courage to the sticking point.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Nothing,” said Sidney quickly. “I was just … well ...” He thought for something to say that wasn’t inflammatory. He didn’t want to bring up the issue of money. That could cause a ruckus, and again, he knew the mind-set of the owners. “Arthur’s Court” was a gentlemen’s establishment, and the owners would frown mightily upon news stories relating to the armored man who had shown up out of nowhere in the store. Undoubtedly the papers would make great hay of it, having fun with the entire connection between a “knight” and a place called “Arthur’s Court” in obvious reference to the legendary king of the Britons. A gentlemen’s establishment did not have its name bandied about in garish tabloids. And if it did, the owners would have something very profound to say to the manager. The manager, for his part, did not want to hear it. So if it meant swallowing the expense of a suit, then Sidney would open wide. So often people had to worry about spending money to obtain publicity; well, Sidney was willing to spend it in order to avoid publicity. “It’s just that it’s getting late, and I have things I have to do, including get home ...”
    Â Â Â Â  “Oh, but I haven’t settled with you yet.”
    Â Â Â Â  Sidney’s voice was a mouselike squeak. “Par-par-pardon?”
    Â Â Â Â  “Why, yes,” Arthur said mildly. He held out either side of the jacket carefully. “I assume this suit costs money, and your door that I accidentally destroyed also would amount to a sum.”
    Â Â Â Â  “Oh, no. No, that won’t be necessary. Obviously this was an emergency situation, and as such, I hardly think it fair to take advantage of—”
    Â Â Â Â  Arthur waved a hand in peremptory dismissal. “Iwouldn’t hear of it.” He began to pat the pockets of the suit, as if looking for a wallet. This, thought Sidney Krell-man, was rapidly degenerating into the ridiculous. How could this lunatic possibly think that he could check the pockets of a brand new suit and find a wallet in it? Then again, what other behavior could one possibly expect from a lunatic? But then Arthur’s probing hand stopped at a vest pocket and a slow smile spread across his pleasant features. From the inside pocket he produced a small wallet, and from that he extracted a familiar platinum card. “Do you take American Express?” he asked.
    Â Â Â Â  Sidney snatched it away, scowling, and studied it. His eyebrows knit and he stared, squinting, at the card. Quigley looked over his shoulder. The date of issue was the current month. They stared at the name, and Quigley looked up. “Well, Mr. Penn ...”
    Â Â Â Â  Arthur looked at him in befuddlement. “Who’s ‘Mr. Penn’ ... ?”
    Â Â Â Â  “According to this card, you are.” He held it up and Arthur leaned forward, looking at the name in the embossed letters.
    Â Â Â Â  “Ah. So I am.” He sounded a bit sheepish about it. “Arthur Penn. Yes, that would be me.”
    Â Â Â Â  For a moment Sidney wondered if the card was stolen, and then decided that it would be far better if such concerns were American Express’s rather than his. He quickly processed the card for the cost of the suit, not even bothering to add in the cost of the door (still preferring to stick to his story about vandals). He handed it back to Arthur, who was watching with amusement Quigley’s attempts to stuff the pieces of armor into a variety of different boxes and bags.
    Â Â Â Â