Part 27 (2/2)

He seized me by the arm and dragged me inside.

”This is fine. I never thought you'd be back as quick as this. Are things all right?”

”I should hardly go as far as that,” I said. ”But we seem to be getting along quite nicely.”

He nodded. ”Good! I just want a wash, and then we'll go right in to Joyce's place. We are going to have supper there, and you can tell us all about it while we're feeding.”

He splashed out some water into a basin in the corner of the studio, and made his ablutions with a swiftness that reminded me of some of my own toilets in the grey twilight of a Dartmoor dawn. Tommy was never a man who wasted much trouble over the accessories of life.

”Come along,” he said, flinging down the towel on the sofa. ”Joyce will be dying to hear what's happened!”

I turned towards the hall, but he suddenly put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me back.

”Not that way. We've a private road now--runs along the back of the studios.”

He crossed the room, and opened a door which led out into a narrow stone pa.s.sage roofed in by gla.s.s.

I followed him along this till we came to another door, on which Tommy tapped twice with his knuckles. In a moment we heard a key turn and Joyce was standing on the threshold. When she saw who it was she gave a little cry of welcome and held out both her hands.

”But how nice!” she exclaimed. ”I never thought you'd be here so soon.”

We had each taken a hand, and talking and laughing at the same time, she pulled us in after her and shut the door.

”At last!” she cried softly; ”at last!” And for a second or two we all three stood there just gripping each other's hands and not saying a word. It certainly was rather a good feeling.

Tommy was the first to break the silence. ”d.a.m.n it,” he said huskily, ”if Neil didn't look so exactly like a brigand chief I believe I should blubber. Eh, Joyce--how do you feel?”

”I feel all right,” said Joyce. ”And he doesn't look a bit like a brigand chief. He looks splendid.” She stood back and surveyed me with a sort of tender proprietors.h.i.+p.

”I suppose we shall get used to it,” remarked Tommy. ”It nearly gave me heart disease to begin with.” Then, going and locking the side door, he added cheerfully, ”I vote we have supper at once. I've had nothing except whisky since I came off the boat.”

”Well, there's heaps to eat,” said Joyce. ”I've been out marketing in the King's Road.”

”What have you got?” demanded Tommy hungrily.

Joyce ticked them off with her fingers. ”There's a cold chicken and salad, some stuffed olives--those are for you, Neil, you always used to like them--a piece of Stilton cheese and a couple of bottles of champagne. They're all in the kitchen, so come along both of you and help me get them.”

”Where's the faithful Clara?” asked Tommy.

”I've sent her out for the evening. I didn't want any one to be here except just us three.”

We all trooped into Joyce's tiny kitchen and proceeded to carry back our supper into the studio, where we set it out on the table in the centre. We were so ridiculously happy that for some little time our conversation was inclined to be a trifle incoherent: indeed, it was not until we had settled down round the table and Tommy had knocked the head off the first bottle of champagne with the back of his knife that we in any way got back to our real environment.

It was Joyce who brought about the change. ”I keep on feeling I shall wake up in a minute,” she said, ”and find out that it's all a dream.”

”Put it off as long as possible,” said Tommy gravely. ”It would be rotten for Neil to find himself back in Dartmoor before he'd finished his champagne.”

”I don't know when I shall get any more as it is,” I said. ”I've got to start work the day after tomorrow.”

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