I never gave Berry and the others a thought till I had eaten my lunch
and was musing over my coffee with a cigarette. They were coming in
the car from Salzburg, and were going to join me this evening at a farm
called Poganec, where I had slept last night and where we were all
going to stay. We had told people we were going to fish. I think
Jonah meant it. We others were going to sleep and watch him and sleep
again. Now, Poganec and Savavic were only seven miles apart, and were
served by the same post office. In fact, they were at opposite ends of
the same valley, in the midst of which, half-way between the two, our
common village slept in the hot sun. It was in the course of my first
walk that I had come upon Savavic. And now, instead of being at
Poganec to welcome them this afternoon, here was I at Laipnik
pretending to be a chauffeur. What did it matter? I should be back
that evening. Only seven miles...
At half-past two I was at the office, and at twenty-nine minutes to
three my lady appeared in the hall. I went to her, cap in hand. She
turned and walked to a little lounge-place out of sight of the office.
I followed her there. For a moment she did not speak. Then:
"Oh, I feel such a beast!" she said passionately. "Such a beast!
Don't take your cap off to me. Put it on. For heaven's sake, put it
on! And sit down. Sprawl about. Light a cigarette. Shake me. Kiss
me, if you like. Anything to show you're my own class and not a
servant." She stopped and passed a hand over her eyes. Then she spoke
hopelessly. "And all the time it's no good. You've got to take us out
for a drive, and I've got to treat you--you like a servant. And you've
got to say 'Yes, madam,' and 'No, madam,' and have your tea alone,
and--Oh, what on earth did I do it for?"
She was on the verge of tears. I put my hands on her shoulders and
looked into her eyes.
"My dear beautiful doll, don't take it all so seriously. It's only a
game. We're both play-acting. You've just got to keep it up and order
me about in the most monstrously imperious manner this afternoon, and
then in the evening we're going to drive home together. And I'm going
to get some of my own back then, I don't mind telling you. I'll sprawl
and smoke cigarettes and shake you, and--What else was it you said? I
haven't forgotten that you agreed to 'all found,' you know. You wait.
And I think your eyes are absolutely wonderful. How did it go?
'I thought they were stars,
And I know they were shining.'"
She looked me full in the eyes now, and a grand smile swept into her
face. Then she put her arms round my neck and kissed me. The next
moment she was half-way up the broad stairs.
Ten minutes later I brought the car round to the door. Niece and uncle
and aunt all sat together on the back seat. As I shut the door:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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