Part 4 (1/2)

The girl fixed her large dark eyes upon him in amazement. ”Mais non!”

she exclaimed. ”He has the red hair: he like joking and running about.”

She sat herself down beside him, and made a pretence to touch his hip-pocket.

”Why you carry a pistol?” she asked.

Daniel looked at her with mild amus.e.m.e.nt. Her profession was evident, but it did not shock him.

”Because I'm a wild man,” he answered, with a smile.

”You not live in Cairo?” she queried.

”No fear!” he replied.

There was silence for some moments, while Daniel, smoking his cigar, endeavoured to ignore her existence. Once or twice she looked expectantly at him: it was evident that she could not quite cla.s.sify him. Then she rose to her feet, and, with a little friendly nod to him, walked towards the swinging doors.

Daniel suddenly felt lonely, felt that he would like to have somebody to talk to, felt that he could keep any situation within bounds, felt that he did not much mind whether he could do so or not. He took the cigar out of his mouth, forming an instant resolution: ”Hi!” he called out.

She turned round. ”Why you call me 'Hi'?” she asked. ”I'm Lizette.”

”I beg your pardon,” he answered, gravely. ”Will you have supper with me, Lizette?”

”Have you got enough money?” she asked.

”Plenty,” he laughed. ”Shall we have supper here?”

She shook her head, ”Oh, no,” she replied frankly. ”The Manager not like me, because I'm not good girl. Everybody know Lizette-very bad, very wicked girl. Everybody are shocked for Lizette.”

”I'm not shocked,” said Daniel. ”I like your face. You look truthful.”

He got up, and followed her into the bar, and, crossing it, made for the street-entrance.

”You give me supper at Berto's?” she said, putting her hand lightly upon his arm, and looking up at him, as they stood upon the pavement outside.

”Anywhere you like,” he answered; and thus it came about that a few minutes later he found himself seated before her at a small table in a quiet restaurant. She was decidedly attractive. Her grey eyes were tender and sympathetic; the expression of her mouth was kindly; and her dark hair, which was drawn down over her ears, was soft and alluring.

She was wearing a low-necked black-velvet dress, and her slender throat and shoulders by contrast seemed to be very white.

Her broken English, however, was her chiefest charm; and Daniel listened with pleasure as she talked away, candidly answering his somewhat direct questions in regard to her early life and adventures. She hailed originally, she told him, from Ma.r.s.eilles; but when her widowed mother had died she had found herself at the age of seventeen, alone and penniless. She had got into bad company, and at length had been advised by a well-meaning young British guardsman, on his way to Egypt, to ply her trade in Cairo. Here she had become a great favourite with his particular battalion, and in fact, was so monopolized by them that when she was seen in the company of a civilian her action was said to be ”by kind permission of the Colonel and officers” of the regiment in question.

”Good Lord, what a life!” said Daniel.

”But what else can a girl do,” she asked, ”after the little first mistake, eh? I get plenty good food; I not work eight hours, ten hours, every day to get thirty francs the week; I not live in the little top one room and cry: no, I have the beautiful _appartements au premier etage_, and I laugh always-plenty friends, plenty dresses, plenty sun.”

At a table at the other side of the room, Daniel had noticed, while she was talking, a heavy-jowled, red-faced young officer who was seated alone, and whose sullen eyes appeared to be fixed upon him. The girl's back was turned to this man; but presently she observed that her companion was not paying attention to her remarks, and, wondering what had attracted his attention, she looked behind her. Immediately she uttered a little angry exclamation, and made an impatient shrug with her shoulders.

”That is a beast,” she said.

”He's drunk, I think,” Daniel remarked. ”Is he a friend of yours?”