Feeling the effects of his day outside the law, and of a tumbler full of Berners’ brandy, Pat sat in Bee McIlvaine’s office.

‘We’ve got to get a title,’ said Bee gloomily.

She handed Pat the mimeograph offering fifty dollars reward and put a pencil in his hand. Pat stared at the paper unseeingly.

‘How about it?’ she asked. ‘Who’s got a title?’

There was a long silence.

‘Test Pilot’s been used, hasn’t it?’ he said with a vague tone.

‘Wake up! This isn’t about aviation.’

‘Well, I was just thinking it was a good title.’

‘So’s The Birth of a Nation.’

‘But not for this picture,’ Pat muttered. ‘Birth of a Nation wouldn’t suit this picture.’

‘But not for this picture,’ Pat muttered. ‘Birth of a Nation wouldn’t suit this picture.’

‘Are you ribbing me?’ demanded Bee. ‘Or are you losing your mind? This is serious.’

‘Sure — I know.’ Feebly he scrawled² words at the bottom of the page. ‘I’ve had a couple of drinks that’s all. My head’ll clear up in a minute. I’m trying to think what have been the most successful titles. The trouble is they’ve all been used, like It Happened One Night.’

Bee looked at him uneasily. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open and she did not want him to pass out in her office. After a minute she called Jack³ Berners.

‘Could you possibly come up? I’ve got some title ideas.’

Jack arrived with a sheaf of suggestions sent in from here and there in the studio, but digging through them yielded no ore.

‘How about it, Pat? Got anything?’

Pat braced⁴ himself to an effort.

‘I like It Happened One Morning,’ he said — then looked desperately⁵ at his scrawl¹ on the mimeograph paper, ‘or else — Grand Motel.’

Berners smiled.

‘Grand Motel,’ he repeated. ‘By God! I think you’ve got something. Grand Motel.’

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