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He sighed back to the front.
    “You are speaking to the Duchess Magda!” Rudolph thundered. Only it came out a squeak not a thunder. “Who is this oaf, Magda?”
    “I’m no oaf.” Johnnie swung back again with his fist doubled. “I’m Johnnie Brown of Texas and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll button up your lip with that oaf stuff. Before I paste you one—”
    Janssen had swung to face him. His hand might have been on a gun. It was in his pocket.
    Magda spoke quietly. “No violence, Janssen. Remember, we’re in New York.”
    Rudolph squeaked, “This fellow—he is threatening me—me!”
    Magda apologized. “It is unfortunate. I will tell Dorp. So many new men, untrained. He will be disciplined.”
    Johnnie had a mouthful more to say but the car was turning in a gate now. Two men on guard were talking to the chauffeur. Johnnie looked out the window. He could see the silver of a river below. Must be Riverside Drive, he figured. He’d seen pictures of it in the New York Sunday papers. This big house set back from the street was evidently one of the few relics of days when New Yorkers lived in homes. All around it were towering apartments.
    The car passed inspection. It followed the smaller lead sedan up to the porte-cochere. Magda spoke to Johnnie as he waited to help her out of the car. Her face was frozen. “If you have any sense at all, you will keep quiet.”
    Johnnie put out his chin which was far from chinless. “I’ll keep quiet so long as that false alarm doesn’t start any more of that oaf business. I’m an American and no tin horn prince is going to shove—”
    She didn’t wait for him to finish. Rudolph had been unpacked by then. She left Johnnie with only a baleful green glare to remember her by. He took a lungful of air and followed.
    A real butler opened the door, knee britches, silver tray on his hand, and all the fixings. Dorp must have arranged things. The butler didn’t ask for tickets. The entrance hall was massive with broad marble stairs leading to a marble balcony. Johnnie goggled. He’d never even imagined anything like this. It was a regular palace. From above there was music and chitter chatter. The butler took all the wraps, handed them around to a flock of knee-britched assistants. He led the way up the marble stairs.
    Johnnie was right on Magda’s heels. He hoped there would be a place to sit down upstairs. He was getting tired of standing on his feet. Enough of that at camp without wasting a free night that way. The butler disappeared when they reached the balcony. Some of the party milling about there looked pretty curious at them. Johnnie didn’t wonder. It wasn’t a fancy dress ball but this bunch looked it. He eyed the marble benches along the wall but he couldn’t make a break for it as yet. The yellow velvet cushions were tempting.
    The man who came out of the ballroom door weighed about two hundred and ninety pounds, but he stood six feet two in his stocking feet. He was that much taller than Johnnie. He had a face all pouches, a prissy mouth, thin brown hair and a voice like a high school girl’s. “My dear Rudolph,” he burbled. “This is an honor.” He fussed with his white tie while he talked. “Magda, my love, how sweet of you to decide to come!”
    “Ruprecht invited me,” Rudolph said nastily. “The others insisted on coming too.”
    “But I wanted them. I love them.” His great arm enveloped Rudolph’s shoulders. “Now where can Ruprecht be?”
    “He’s over there, Ferenz,” Trudy pointed.
    The guy at the end of her finger was on a bench at the far corner of the balcony. He was the one doing a little smooching with the platinum blonde babe.
    “That’s Ruprecht,” Magda agreed with acidity.
    “Let me fetch him.” Ferenz’s tails switched half way to the bench before Ruprecht looked up. When he looked up, he grinned. He was one of the best-looking guys Johnnie had ever seen. He looked like a movie actor, the kind the babes went