boucher book oct28.pdf - Index of

42 Anthony Boucher
“This is terrible. Please get out of here!”
“Gloria—”
“Get out of here, or I’ll sick my dog on you. Wolfie— Here, nice Wolfie!”
“I’m sorry, Gloria. But Wolfie won’t answer you.”
“Oh, you beast! Have you hurt Wolfie? Have you—”
“I wouldn’t touch a hair on his pelt. Because, you see, Gloria darling, I am
Wolfie.”
“What on earth do you—” Gloria stared around the room. It was undeniable
that there was no trace of the presence of a wolf dog. And here was a man dressed
only in one of her robes and no sign of his own clothes. And after that funny little
man and the rope …
“You thought I was drab and dull,” Wolf went on. “You thought I’d sunk into an
academic rut. You’d sooner have an actor or a G-man. But I, Gloria, am something
more exciting than you’ve ever dreamed of. There’s not another soul on earth I’d tell
this to, but I, Gloria, am a werewolf.”
Gloria gasped. “That isn’t possible! But it does all fit in. When I heard about
you on campus, and your friend with the funny beard and how he vanished,
and, of course, it explains how you did tricks that any real dog couldn’t possibly
do—”
“Don’t you believe me, darling?”
Gloria rose from the dresser chair and went into his arms. “I believe you, dear.
And it’s wonderful! I’ll bet there’s not another woman in all Hollywood that was
ever married to a werewolf!”
“Then you will—”
“But of course, dear. We can work it out beautifully. We’ll hire a stooge to be
your trainer on the lot. You can work daytimes, and come home at night and I’ll
say that word for you. It’ll be perfect.”
“Gloria …” Wolf murmured with tender reverence.
“One thing, dear. Just a little thing. Would you do Gloria a favor?”
“Anything!”
“Show me how you change. Change for me now. Then I’ll change you back
right away.”
Wolf said The Word. He was in such ecstatic bliss that he hardly felt the pang
this time. He capered about the room with all the litheness of his fine wolfish legs,
and ended up before Gloria, wagging his tail and looking for approval.
Gloria patted his head. “Good boy, Wolfie. And now, darling, you can just
damned well stay that way.”
Wolf let out a yelp of amazement.
“You heard me, Wolfie. You’re staying that way. You didn’t happen to believe any
of that guff I was feeding the detective, did you? Love you? I should waste my time!
But this way you can be very useful to me. With your trainer gone, I can take charge
of you and pick up an extra thousand a week or so. I won’t mind that. And Professor
Wolfe Wolf will have vanished forever, which fits right in with my plans.”
Wolf snarled.
“Now, don’t try to get nasty, Wolfie darling. Um wouldn’t threaten ums darling
Gloria, would ums? Remember what I can do for you. I’m the only person that can