Two men came into the bar, and it seemed the moment to leave. Joe Bell followedme to the door. He caught my wrist again. "Do you believe it?"

"That you didnt want to touch her?"

"I mean about Africa."

At that moment I couldnt seem to remember the story, only the image of herriding away on a horse. "Anyway, shes gone."

"Yeah," he said, opening the door. "Just gone."

Outside, the rain had stopped, there was only a mist of it in the air, so I turnedthe corner and walked along the street where the brownstone 九九藏书ber still lives there except Madame Sapphia Spanella, ahusky coloratura who every afternoon went roller-skating in Central Park. I knowshes still there because I went up the steps and looked at the mailboxes. It was oneof these mailboxes that had first made me aware of Holly Golightly.

Id been living in the house about a week when I noticed that the mailboxbelonging to Apt. 2 had a name-slot fitted with a curious card. Printed, ratherCartier-formal, it read: Miss Holiday Golightly; and, underneath, in the corner,Traveling. It nagged me like a tune: Miss Holiday Golightly, Traveling.

One night, it was long past twelve, I woke up at the sound of Mr. Yunioshi callingdown the stairs. Since he lived on the top floor, his voice fell through the wholehouse, exasperated and stern. "Miss Golightly! I must protest!"

The voice that came back, welling up from the bottom of the stairs, was sillyyoungand self-amused. "Oh, darling, I am sorry. I lost the goddamn key."

"You cannot go on ringing my bell. You must please, please have yourself a keymade."

"But I lose them all."

"I work, I have to sleep," Mr. Yunioshi shouted. "But always you are ringing mybell…"

"Oh, dont be angry, you dear little man: I wont do it again. And if you promisenot to be angry" -- her voice was coming nearer, she was climbing the stairs -- "Imight let you take those pictures we mentioned."

By now Id left my bed and opened the door an inch. I could hear Mr. Yunioshissilence: hear, because it was accompanied by an audible change of breath.

"When?" he said.

The girl laughed. "Sometime," she answered, slurring the word.