Part 86 (1/2)
”She's a oner,” said Crayford. ”And so are you to keep a woman like that quiet all these hours. My boy, I'm empty, I can tell you.”
He said not a word to Alston about the opera that night, and Alston did not attempt to make him talk.
When Charmian arrived at Djenan-el-Maqui she found Claude in the little dining-room with Caroline, who was seated beside him on a chair, leaning her lemon-colored chin upon the table, and gazing with pathetic eyes at the cold chicken he was eating.
”O Claude!” she said, as he looked round. ”Such a day! Well?”
She came to the table, pushed Caroline ruthlessly to the floor, took the dog's chair, and repeated, ”Well?”
Claude's face was flushed, his short hair was untidy, and the eyes which he fixed upon her looked excited, tired, and, she thought, something else.
”Is anything the matter?”
”No, why should there be? Where have you been?”
”With Alston. He insisted on my keeping out of the way. Crayford I mean, of course. Has it gone well? Did you play the whole of it; all you've composed, I mean?”
”Yes.”
”What did he say? What did he think of it?”
”It isn't easy to know exactly what that kind of man thinks.”
”Was he disagreeable? Didn't you get on?”
”Oh, I suppose we did.”
”What did he say, then?”
”All sorts of things.”
”Go on eating. You look dreadfully tired. Tell me some of the things.”
”Well, he liked some of it.”
”Only some?”
”He seemed to like a good deal. But he suggested quant.i.ties of alterations.”
”Where? Which part?”
”I should have to show you.”
”Drink some wine. I'm sure you need it. Give me some idea. You can easily do that without showing me to-night.”
”He says a march should be introduced. You know, in that scene--”
”I know, the soldiers, the Foreign Legion. Well, that would be easy enough. You could do that in a day.”
”Do you think one has only to sit down?”
”Two days, then; a week if you like! You have wonderful facility when you choose. And what else? Here, I'll pour out the wine. What else?”