"Er – is ColonelLuscombe –?"
The woman in the violet hat was at the desk. MissGorringe smiled in a welcoming manner and a page, who had been standing at the ready, wasimmediately dispatched but had no need to fulfil his errand, as Colonel Luscombe himselfentered the lounge at that moment and came quickly across to the desk.
"How do you do, Mrs. Carpenter." He shook hands politely, then turned to the girl. "My dear Elvira." He took both her handsaffectionately in his. "Well, well, this is nice. Splendid –splendid. Come and let's sit down."He led them to chairs, established them. "Well,well," he repeated, "this is nice."
The effort he made was somewhat palpable as was hislack of ease. He could hardly go on saying how nice this was. The two ladies were not veryhelpful. Elvira smiled very sweetly. Mrs. Carpenter gave a meaningless little laugh, andsmoothed her gloves.
"A good journey, eh?"
"Yes, thank you," saidElvira.
"No fog. Nothing like that?"
"Oh no."
"Our flight was five minutes ahead of time,"said Mrs. Carpenter.
"Yes, yes. Good, very good." He took a pull upon himself. "I hope this placewill be all right for you?"
"Oh, I'm sure it's very nice," said Mrs. Carpenter warmly,glancing round her. "Very comfortable."
"Rather old-fashioned, I'm afraid," said the Colonel apologetically. "Rather a lot of old fogies. No – er – dancing, anything like that."
"No, I suppose not," agreedElvira.
She glanced round in an expressionless manner. Itcertainly seemed impossible to connect Bertram's with dancing.
"Lot of old fogies here, I'm afraid," said Colonel Luscombe repeatinghimself. "Ought, perhaps, to have taken you somewhere moremodern. Not very well up in these things, you see."
"This is very nice," saidElvira politely.
"It's only for acouple of nights," went on Colonel Luscombe. "I thought we'd go to a show this evening. Amusical –」 he said the word rather doubtfully, as though notsure he was using the right term. "Let Down Your Hair Girls. Ihope that will be all right?"
"How delightful," exclaimedMrs. Carpenter. "That will be a treat, won't it, Elvira?"
"Lovely," said Elvira,tonelessly.
"And then supper afterwards? At the Savoy?"
Fresh exclamations from Mrs. Carpenter. ColonelLuscombe, stealing a glance at Elvira, cheered up a little. He thought that Elvira waspleased, though quite determined to express nothing more than polite approval in front ofMrs. Carpenter. "And I don't blameher," he said to himself.
He said to Mrs. Carpenter:
"Perhaps you'd like tosee your rooms – see they're allright and all that –」
"Oh, I'm sure theywill be."
"Well, if there'sanything you don't like about them, we'll make them change it. They know me here very well."
Miss Gorringe, in charge at the desk, was pleasantlywelcoming. Nos. 28 and 29 on the second floor with an adjoining bathroom.
"I'll go up and getthings unpacked," said Mrs. Carpenter. "Perhaps, Elvira, you and Colonel Luscombe would like to have a little gossip."
Tact, thought Colonel Luscombe. A bit obvious,perhaps, but anyway it would get rid of her for a bit. Though what he was going to gossipabout to Elvira, her really didn't know. A very nice-manneredgirl, but her wasn't used to girls. His wife had died inchildbirth and the baby, a boy, had been brought up by his wife's family whilst an elder sister had come to keep house for him. His son hadmarried and gone to live in Kenya, and his grandchildren were eleven, five and two and ahalf and had been entertained on their last visit by football and space science talk,electric trains, and a ride on his foot. Easy! But young girls!
He asked Elvira if she would like a drink. He wasabout to propose a bitter lemon, ginger ale, or orangeade, but Elvira forestalled him.
"Thank you. I should like a gin and vermouth."
Colonel Luscombe looked at her rather doubtfully. Hesupposed girls of – what was she? – Sixteen? Seventeen? – did drink gin and vermouth.But he reassured himself that Elvira knew, so to speak, correct Greenwich social time. Heordered a gin and vermouth and a dry sherry.
He cleared his throat and asked:
"How was Italy?"
"Very nice, thank you."
"And the place you were at, the Contessa what's-her-name? Not too grim?"
"She is rather strict. But I didn't let that worry me."
He looked at her, not quite sure whether the replywas not slightly ambiguous.
He said, stammering a little, but with a morenatural manner than he had been able to manage before:
"I'm afraid we don't know each other as well as we ought to, seeing I'm your guardian as well as your godfather. Difficult for me, you know –difficult for a man who's an old bufferlike me – to know what a girl wants – at least – I mean to know what a girl ought tohave. Schools and then after school – what they used to callfinishing in my day. But now, I suppose it's all more serious.Careers eh? Jobs? All that? We'll have to have talk about allthat sometimes. Anything in particular you want to do?"
"I suppose I shall take a secretarial course,"said Elvira without enthusiasm.
"Oh. You want to be a secretary?"
"Not particularly –」
"Oh – well, then –」
"It's just what youstart with," Elvira explained.
Colonel Luscombe had an odd feeling of beingrelegated to his place.
"These cousins of mine, the Melfords. You thinkyou'll like living with them? If not –」
"Oh I think so. I like Nancy quite well. AndCousin Mildred is rather a dear."
"That's all rightthen?"
"Quite, for the present."
Luscombe did not know what to say to that. Whilst hewas considering what next to say, Elvira spoke. Her words were simple and direct.
"Have I any money?"
Again he took his time before answering, studyingher thoughtfully. Then he said:
"Yes. You've got quitea lot of money. That is to say, you will have when you are twenty-one."
"Who has got it now?"
He smiled. "It's held in trust for you; a certain amount is deducted each year from theincome to pay for your maintenance and education.
"And you are the trustee?"
"One of them. There are three."
"What happens if I die?"
"Come, come, Elvira, you're not going to die. What nonsense!"
"I hope not – but onenever knows, does one? An airline crashed only last week and everyone was killed. 「
"Well, it's not goingto happen to you," said Luscombe firmly.
"You can't really knowthat," said Elvira. "I was justwondering who would get my money if I died?"
"I haven't the leastidea," said the Colonel irritably. "Why do you ask?"
"It might be interesting," said Elvira thoughtfully. "I wondered if it wouldbe worth anyone's while to kill me."
"Really, Elvira! This is a most unprofitableconversation. I can't understand why your mind dwells on suchthings."
"Oh. Just ideas. One wants to know what the factsreally are."
"You're not thinkingof the Mafia – or something like that?"
"Oh no. That would be silly. Who would get mymoney if I was married?"
"Your husband, I suppose. But really –」
"Are you sure of that?"
"No, I'm not in theleast sure. It depends on the wording of the Trust. But you'renot married, so why worry?"
Elvira did not reply. She seemed lost in thought.Finally she came out of her trance and asked:
"Do you ever see my mother?"
"Sometimes. Not very often."
"Where is she now?"
"Oh – abroad."
"Where abroad?"
"France – Portugal. Idon't really know."
"Does she ever want to see me?"
Her limpid gaze met his. He didn't know what to reply. Was this a moment for truth? Or for vagueness? Or for agood thumping lie? What could you say to a girl who asked a question of such simplicit
en the answer was of great complexity? He said unhappily:
"I don't know."
Her eyes searched him gravely. Luscombe feltthoroughly ill at ease. He was making a mess of this. The girl must wonder – clearly was wondering. Any girl would.
He said, "You mustn't think – I mean it'sdifficult to explain. Your mother is, well, rather different from –」 Elvira was nodding energetically.
"I know. I'm alwaysreading about her in the papers. She's something ratherspecial, isn't she? In fact, she'srather a wonderful person."
"Yes," agreed theColonel. "That's exactly right.She's a wonderful person. He paused and then went on. But awonderful person is very often –」 He stopped and startedagain – "it's not always a happything to have a wonderful person for a mother. You can take that from me because it's the truth."
"You don't likespeaking the truth very much, do you? But I think what you'vejust said is the truth."
They both sat staring towards the big brass boundswing doors that led to the world outside.
Suddenly the doors were pushed open with violence –a violence quite unusual in Bertram's Hotel – and a young man strode in and went straight across to the desk. He wore ablack leather jacket. His vitality was such that Bertram's Hotel took on the atmosphere ofa museum by way of contrast. The people were the dust-encrusted relics of a past age. Hebent towards Miss Gorringe and asked:
"Is lady Sedgwick staying here?"
Miss Gorringe on this occasion had no welcomingsmile. Her eyes were flinty. She said:
"Yes." Then, withdefinite unwillingness, she stretched out her hand towards the telephone. "Do you want to –?"
"No," said the youngman. "I just want to leave a note for her."
He produced it from a pocket of his leather coat andslid it across the mahogany counter.
"I only wanted to be sure this was the righthotel."
There might have been some slight incredulity in hisvoice as he looked round him, then turned back towards the entrance. His eyes passedindifferently over the people sitting round him. They passed over Luscombe and Elvira inthe same way, and Luscombe felt a sudden unsuspected anger. "Dammitall," he thought to himself, "Elvira's a pretty girl. When I was a young chap I'd havenoticed a pretty girl, especially among all these fossils." Butthe young man seemed to have no interested eyes to spare for pretty girls. He turned backto the desk and asked, raising his voice slightly as thought to call Miss Gorringe's attention:
"What's the telephonenumber here? 1129 isn't it?"
"No," said MissGorringe, "3925."
"Regent?"
"No. Mayfair."
He nodded. Then swiftly he strode across to the doorand passed out, swinging the doors to behind him with something of the same explosivequality he had shown on entering.
Everybody seemed to draw a deep breath; to finddifficulty in resuming their interrupted conversations.
"Well," said ColonelLuscombe, rather inadequately, as if at a loss for words. "Well,really! These young fellows nowadays…」
Elvira was smiling.
"You recognised him, didn't you?" she said. "Youknow who he is?" She spoke in a slightly awe voice. Sheproceeded to enlighten him. "Ladislaus Malinowski."
"Oh, that chap." Thename was indeed faintly familiar to Colonel Luscombe. "Racingdriver."
"Yes. He was world champion two years running. Hehad a bad crash a year ago. Broke lots of things. But I believe he's driving again now." She raised her head tolisten. "That's a racing car he's driving now."
The roar of the engine had penetrated through toBertram's Hotel from the street outside. Colonel Luscombe perceived that LadislausMalinowski was one of Elvira's heroes. "Well," he thought to himself, "better that than of those pop singers or crooners or long-haired Beatles orwhatever they call themselves." Luscombe was old-fashioned inhis views of young men.
The swing doors opened again. Both Elvira andColonel Luscombe looked at them expectantly but Bertram's Hotel had reverted to normal. Itwas merely a white-haired elderly cleric who came in. he stood for a moment looking roundhim with a slightly puzzled air as of one who fails to understand where he was or how hehad come there. Such an experience was no novelty to Canon Pennyfather. It came to him intrains when he did not remember where he had come from, where he was going, or why! Itcame to him when he was walking along the street, it came to him when he found himselfsitting on a committee. It had come to him before now when he was in his cathedral stall,and did not know whether he had already preached his sermon or was about to do so.
"I believe I know that old boy," said Luscombe, peering at him. "Who is he now?Stays here fairly often, I believe. Abercrombie? Archdeacon Abercrombie – no, it's not Abercrombie, though he's rather like Abercrombie."
Elvira glanced round at Canon Pennyfather withoutinterest. Compared with a racing driver he had no appeal at all. She was not interested inecclesiastics of any kind although, since being in Italy, she admitted to a mildadmiration for Cardinals whom she considered as at any rate properly picturesque.
Canon Pennyfather's facecleared and he nodded his head appreciatively. He had recognised where he was. InBertram's Hotel, of course; where h was going to spend the night on his way to – now where was he on his way to? Chadminster? No, no, he had just come fromChadminster. He was going to – of course – to the Congress at Lucerne. He stepped forward, beaming, to the receptiondesk and was greeted warmly by Miss Gorringe.
"So glad to see you, Canon Pennyfather. How wellyou are looking."
"Thank you – thank you– I had a severe cold last week but I've got over it now. You have a room for me. I did write?"
Miss Gorringe reassured him.
"Oh yes, Canon Pennyfather, we got your letter. We've reserved No.19 for you, the room you had last time."
"Thank you – thankyou. For – let me see – I shallwant it for four days. Actually I am going to Lucerne and shall be away for one night, butplease keep the room. I shall leave most of my things here and only take a small bag toSwitzerland. There won't be any difficulty over that?"
Again Miss Gorringe reassured him.
"Everything's going tobe quite all right. You explained very clearly in your letter."
Other people might not have used the word "clearly." "Fully" wouldhave been better, since he had certainly written at length.
All anxieties set at rest, Canon Pennyfatherbreathed a sigh of relief and was conveyed, together with his baggage, to Room 19.
In Room 28 Mrs. Carpenter had removed her crown ofviolets from her head and was carefully adjusting her nightdress on the pillow of her bed.She looked up as Elvira entered.
"Ah, there you are, my dear. Would you like me tohelp you with your unpacking?"
"No, thank you," saidElvira politely. "I shan't unpackvery much, you know."
"Which of the bedrooms would you like to have? Thebathroom is between them. I told them to put your luggage in the far one. I thought thisroom might be a little noisy."
"That was very kind of you," said Elvira in her expressionless voice.
"You're sure youwouldn't like me to help you?"
"No, thanks, really I wouldn't. I think I might perhaps have a bath."
"Yes, I think that's avery good idea. Would you like to have the first bath? I'drather finish putting my things away."
Elvira nodded. She went into the adjoining bathroom,shut the door behind her and pushed the bolts across. She went into her own room, openedher suitcase and flung a few things on the bed. Then she undressed, put on a dressinggown, went into the bathroom and turned the taps on. She went back into her own room andsat down on the bed by the telephone. She listened a moment or two in case ofinterruption, then lifted the receiver.
"This is Room 29. Can you give me Regent 1129please?"
|
|
