[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Leone also preferred her favourite seat on the fireside stool, burying her nose in a
thriller or setting stitches into a piece of embroidery. Leone was a talented
embroideress. Carline could not see why she did not take her work down to
Christopher's room and keep him company, but Leone, like Mrs. Burdock, seemed to
think Chris didn't like people to be with him for more than a few minutes at a time and
that it was best for his nerves to be left in solitude.
Carline did not agree. It troubled her sorely to think of Chris alone in his cheerless
room on these cold evenings of early spring while they sat in the comfort of a glowing
coal fire. Yet she herself could not intrude upon him without invitation. She could,
however, withdraw herself from the general company, and betake herself to her own
rooms, by way of a salve to her own uneasiness and a silent protest to the others.
This she did on the Saturday evening, only to be disturbed some ten minutes later by
the sound of firm footsteps upon the stairs and a tap upon the door of her sitting room.
She guessed who her caller was and went to the door and opened it.
"I hoped you would ask me to come in," said Aldin.
Carline gave no invitation. She stood in the doorway, hesitating, while Aldin glanced
past her into the room.
"You have a pretty touch with flowers," he said. "Will you come and do flower
arrangements in my flat when I give a party?"
It wasn't the first time Aldin had hinted that he would like to entertain Carline in his own
bachelor quarters near Belgrave Square, described by Leone as being super-
sumptuous.
"You could engage a girl from a flower shop," said Carline.
"So I could," said Aldin, and he looked at her fiercely. "Am I so utterly revolting to you,
Carline, that you won't ever do a thing I want you to do? I meant that I wanted to give a
party for you."
He lowered his voice, a tinge of red shading his cheeks.
"Carline, you must have discovered by now that I like the slant of your eyebrows and
the way you do your hair and everything about you. That being so, I naturally want to
please you. Isn't there anything I could do to please you a very little?"
Until this moment Carline had thought Aldin's self-assurance invulnerable, but now she
sensed a chink in his armor. It was a genuine chink, and therefore appealing. It
seemed to her that it wouldn't be difficult to like Aldin, quite considerably, as a friend. It
also occurred to her, urgently, that he had offered the opening she was looking for.
"There is something you could do for me, Aldin," she said.
"What is it?"
"Teach me to play bridge. I played a little overseas, but not enough to be able to take a
hand with average good players. I have two packs of cards."
"There are cards downstairs." Aldin looked eager. "The trouble is we need a foursome.
Leone is pretty good, but Emily can't even remember her trumps."
"What about Chris?" Carline said casually. "Chris plays. I don't know if he'd want to be
bothered though, Carline."
"Let's bother him. I'm keen to begin. Aldin, this is very nice of you. Leone told me you
are a crack player."
Carline led the way downstairs, turning her head to smile at Aldin as they stepped into
the hall. Instantly he put a detaining hand upon her sleeve.
"You needn't think I don't know what's behind all this," he said. "It's the angel touch, of
course."
The angel touch! Aldin had guessed then, that her zeal for instruction in bridge sprang
from a desire to provide entertainment for Christopher. It didn't matter, so long as Aldin
co-operated, so long as her plan worked.
It did work. When the game was mooted, Christopher wheeled his chair over to his
desk with alacrity and produced playing cards. Aldin hunted out score-blocks from the
sitting room, and Leone hastened upstairs to drape her shoulders with a wide, blue,
fleecy wool scarf, ostensibly because she thought the basement room chilly, though
the scarf intensified the color of her eyes and made her look more incredibly ethereal
than ever.
They cut for partners. Aldin played with Carline, Chris partnered Leone, as was fitting.
Leone was a clever bridge player and her handling of the cards was enchanting to
watch. To Carline's regret, she would not let Chris deal in his turn, but gathered up the
cards in her slim, supple fingers and shuffled and dealt with a legerdemain that would
have graced a conjuror's performance. She spoke her calls sweetly, and while she was
playing the hand the little smile about her lips held the innocent absorption of a child
engaged upon a game of its own fanciful imagination. Leone would have made a poker
player.
"No post-mortems," she said when Aldin wanted to talk over the hand and give Carline
a few hints, Leone insisted upon playing for money. There wasn't any thrill if you didn't
play for money, however trifling the amount, she said. She and Chris won the rubber.
Aldin paid Chris and Carline took her purse from her handbag and put one shilling and
eightpence on the table for Leone.
Leone gathered up the coins with unconcealed delight. Carline was delighted, too,
because Chris had been amused and interested and taken out of himself. Veller was
pleased also. He had made tea for them earlier in the evening, and didn't mind being
kept after eleven so long as his master had company.
Leone put her arms round Christopher's neck and kissed him goodnight.
"What about me, partner?" said Aldin, glancing at Carline. "Do I get a like reward?"
"I'm afraid not." Carline smiled at Aldin. She was grateful to him, and she hoped the
bridge evenings down there with Chris would become a regular thing. She tossed a
gay "Goodnight" to Chris and went off upstairs. Aldin hadn't brought his car, but he
telephoned for a taxi.
"Wait and see me off, Carline," he said.
"All right."
She felt she owed him that much courtesy, after being so agreeable to her wishes.
There was a small, narrow-seated oak settle in the hall. She sat down in one corner to
wait and Aldin seated himself in the other.
"I'm too sleepy to talk," she told him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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Leone also preferred her favourite seat on the fireside stool, burying her nose in a
thriller or setting stitches into a piece of embroidery. Leone was a talented
embroideress. Carline could not see why she did not take her work down to
Christopher's room and keep him company, but Leone, like Mrs. Burdock, seemed to
think Chris didn't like people to be with him for more than a few minutes at a time and
that it was best for his nerves to be left in solitude.
Carline did not agree. It troubled her sorely to think of Chris alone in his cheerless
room on these cold evenings of early spring while they sat in the comfort of a glowing
coal fire. Yet she herself could not intrude upon him without invitation. She could,
however, withdraw herself from the general company, and betake herself to her own
rooms, by way of a salve to her own uneasiness and a silent protest to the others.
This she did on the Saturday evening, only to be disturbed some ten minutes later by
the sound of firm footsteps upon the stairs and a tap upon the door of her sitting room.
She guessed who her caller was and went to the door and opened it.
"I hoped you would ask me to come in," said Aldin.
Carline gave no invitation. She stood in the doorway, hesitating, while Aldin glanced
past her into the room.
"You have a pretty touch with flowers," he said. "Will you come and do flower
arrangements in my flat when I give a party?"
It wasn't the first time Aldin had hinted that he would like to entertain Carline in his own
bachelor quarters near Belgrave Square, described by Leone as being super-
sumptuous.
"You could engage a girl from a flower shop," said Carline.
"So I could," said Aldin, and he looked at her fiercely. "Am I so utterly revolting to you,
Carline, that you won't ever do a thing I want you to do? I meant that I wanted to give a
party for you."
He lowered his voice, a tinge of red shading his cheeks.
"Carline, you must have discovered by now that I like the slant of your eyebrows and
the way you do your hair and everything about you. That being so, I naturally want to
please you. Isn't there anything I could do to please you a very little?"
Until this moment Carline had thought Aldin's self-assurance invulnerable, but now she
sensed a chink in his armor. It was a genuine chink, and therefore appealing. It
seemed to her that it wouldn't be difficult to like Aldin, quite considerably, as a friend. It
also occurred to her, urgently, that he had offered the opening she was looking for.
"There is something you could do for me, Aldin," she said.
"What is it?"
"Teach me to play bridge. I played a little overseas, but not enough to be able to take a
hand with average good players. I have two packs of cards."
"There are cards downstairs." Aldin looked eager. "The trouble is we need a foursome.
Leone is pretty good, but Emily can't even remember her trumps."
"What about Chris?" Carline said casually. "Chris plays. I don't know if he'd want to be
bothered though, Carline."
"Let's bother him. I'm keen to begin. Aldin, this is very nice of you. Leone told me you
are a crack player."
Carline led the way downstairs, turning her head to smile at Aldin as they stepped into
the hall. Instantly he put a detaining hand upon her sleeve.
"You needn't think I don't know what's behind all this," he said. "It's the angel touch, of
course."
The angel touch! Aldin had guessed then, that her zeal for instruction in bridge sprang
from a desire to provide entertainment for Christopher. It didn't matter, so long as Aldin
co-operated, so long as her plan worked.
It did work. When the game was mooted, Christopher wheeled his chair over to his
desk with alacrity and produced playing cards. Aldin hunted out score-blocks from the
sitting room, and Leone hastened upstairs to drape her shoulders with a wide, blue,
fleecy wool scarf, ostensibly because she thought the basement room chilly, though
the scarf intensified the color of her eyes and made her look more incredibly ethereal
than ever.
They cut for partners. Aldin played with Carline, Chris partnered Leone, as was fitting.
Leone was a clever bridge player and her handling of the cards was enchanting to
watch. To Carline's regret, she would not let Chris deal in his turn, but gathered up the
cards in her slim, supple fingers and shuffled and dealt with a legerdemain that would
have graced a conjuror's performance. She spoke her calls sweetly, and while she was
playing the hand the little smile about her lips held the innocent absorption of a child
engaged upon a game of its own fanciful imagination. Leone would have made a poker
player.
"No post-mortems," she said when Aldin wanted to talk over the hand and give Carline
a few hints, Leone insisted upon playing for money. There wasn't any thrill if you didn't
play for money, however trifling the amount, she said. She and Chris won the rubber.
Aldin paid Chris and Carline took her purse from her handbag and put one shilling and
eightpence on the table for Leone.
Leone gathered up the coins with unconcealed delight. Carline was delighted, too,
because Chris had been amused and interested and taken out of himself. Veller was
pleased also. He had made tea for them earlier in the evening, and didn't mind being
kept after eleven so long as his master had company.
Leone put her arms round Christopher's neck and kissed him goodnight.
"What about me, partner?" said Aldin, glancing at Carline. "Do I get a like reward?"
"I'm afraid not." Carline smiled at Aldin. She was grateful to him, and she hoped the
bridge evenings down there with Chris would become a regular thing. She tossed a
gay "Goodnight" to Chris and went off upstairs. Aldin hadn't brought his car, but he
telephoned for a taxi.
"Wait and see me off, Carline," he said.
"All right."
She felt she owed him that much courtesy, after being so agreeable to her wishes.
There was a small, narrow-seated oak settle in the hall. She sat down in one corner to
wait and Aldin seated himself in the other.
"I'm too sleepy to talk," she told him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]