`` no , nobody could have seen this coming . he just stood there , frowning , as if he were listening to things i could n't hear . i could hear the muffled response of the caller , but could n't make out what was being said . i wanted to tell you in person , but it seems somebody already did . '' 'the bug-people are streaming out of the breast-works we abandoned last night like something awful was about to happen to them . ' `` you 're forgetting who you 're speaking to , boy . '' 