Telephone exchange/inquiries

Hi

Harmless and bumbling Miss Mayfield made her way

into the Post Office, went with a sudden briskness to the

row of telephone booths and shut herself in and asked for

the Yarmouth Telephone Exchange. Does it mean it is a telephone exchange situtated in Yarmouth? And who did she ask for it?

A male voice answered, and immediately she was harmless

and bumbling again. She was a silly old lady who had

been told that a Miss Bedfellow took paying guests in

Yarmouth, but she ’d forgotten the address. Could they

help?Did they have a street directory? She was so sorry to

be a bother.

The male voice said quite kindly that what she needed

was Inquiries. I understand that the man told her that she needs to get in touch with the "information office" not with them?

Inquiries was female, with a brisk voice which said that it had an idea that Miss Bedfellow was on

the telephone; it was a name one noticed, wasn’t it? Well, that is the part I don't get at all! "Inquiries was female" - what does it mean? I suppose that the person working in the information office was female and she had a brisk voice and said to Miss Mayfield that she thought she's speaking to Miss Bedfellow?

Yes, Inquiries was quite right. It read out, in a clear distinct way,

both the address and the telephone number.

Miss Mayfield said some hasty words of thanks, found

some money, gave Miss Bedfellow’s number and waited,

feeling the sweat break out on her neck.

Thanks