Part 35 (1/2)
”No!” the eyegla.s.s agreed languidly. ”Pity they give you such a beastly dinner!”
And Denry agreed hastily that it was.
Soon they were chatting of places, and somehow it came out of Denry that he was going to Montreux. The eyegla.s.s professed its indifference to Montreux in winter, but said the resorts above Montreux were all right, such as Caux or Pridoux.
And Denry said:
”Well, of course, should n't think of stopping in Montreux. Going to try Pridoux.”
The eyegla.s.s said it wasn't going so far as Switzerland yet; it meant to stop in the Jura.
”Geneva's a pretty deadly place, ain't it?” said the eyegla.s.s after a pause.
”Ye-es,” said Denry.
”Been there since that new esplanade was finished?”
”No,” said Denry. ”I saw nothing of it.”
”When were you there?”
”Oh! A couple of years ago.”
”Ah! It was n't started then. Comic thing! Of course they 're awfully proud in Geneva of the view of Mont Blanc.”
”Yes,” said Denry.
”Ever noticed how queer women are about that view? They 're no end keen on it at first, but after a day or two it gets on their nerves.”
”Yes,” said Denry. ”I 've noticed that myself. My wife...”
He stopped because he did n't know what he was going to say.
The eyegla.s.s nodded understandingly. ”All alike,” it said. ”Odd thing!”
When Denry introduced himself into the two-berth compartment which he had managed to secure at the end of the carriage for himself and Nellie, the poor tired child was as wakeful as an owl.
”Who have you been talking to?” she yawned.
”The eyegla.s.s johnny.”
”Oh! Really!” Nellie murmured, interested and impressed. ”With him, have you? I could hear voices. What sort of a man is he?”
”He seems to be an a.s.s,” said Denry. ”Fearfully haw-haw. Could n't stand him for long. I 've made him believe we 've been married for two years.”
II
They stood on the balcony of the Hotel Beau-Site of Mont Pridoux. A little below, to the right, was the other hotel, the Metropole, with the red-and-white Swiss flag waving over its central tower. A little below that was the terminal station of the funicular railway from Montreux.
The railway ran down the sheer of the mountain into the roofs of Montreux, like a wire. On it, two toy trains crawled towards each other, like flies climbing and descending a wall. Beyond the fringe of hotels that const.i.tuted Montreux was a strip of water, and beyond the water a range of hills white at the top.