When he reached the street, however, the girls had disappeared. He
hailed a carriage. “Drive!” he called to the man, with a flourish of his
stick, and as soon as the wheels had begun to clatter on the stones he
leaned back, looking sharply to right and left. He soon had to give
up thought of finding them, but made the coachman turn round and round
again. All day he drove about, far into the country, and kept urging
the driver to use greater speed. He was in a strange state of hurry and
elation. Finally, he dined at a little country inn; and this gave the
measure of his disturbance—the dinner was atrocious.
Returning late in the evening he found a note written by Traquair.
“Are you in your senses, man?” it asked; “we have no more time to waste
idling about here. If you want to rejoin us, come on to Danielli's
Hotel, Venice.” Swithin chuckled when he read it, and feeling
frightfully tired, went to bed and slept like a log.
VI
Three weeks later he was still in Salzburg, no longer at the Goldene
Alp, but in rooms over a shop near the Boleskeys'. He had spent a small
fortune in the purchase of flowers. Margit would croon over them, but
Rozsi, with a sober “Many tanks!” as if they were her right, would look
long at herself in the glass, and pin one into her hair. Swithin ceased
to wonder; he ceased to wonder at anything they did. One evening he
found Boleskey deep in conversation with a pale, dishevelled-looking
person.
“Our friend Mr. Forsyte—Count D....,” said Boleskey.
Swithin experienced a faint, unavoidable emotion; but looking at the
Count's trousers, he thought: 'Doesn't look much like one!' And with an
ironic bow to the silent girls, he turned, and took his hat. But when he
had reached the bottom of the dark stairs he heard footsteps. Rozsi came
running down, looked out at the door, and put her hands up to her breast
as if disappointed; suddenly with a quick glance round she saw him.
Swithin caught her arm. She slipped away, and her face seemed to bubble
with defiance or laughter; she ran up three steps, stopped, looked at
him across her shoulder, and fled on up the stairs. Swithin went out
bewildered and annoyed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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