Don’t wait up, I shan’t be long.’
Moon took two purposeful steps towards her and cut his foot on a piece of mirror on the floor. He sat down on the bed and wrapped the wound in the hem of his towel.
Lord Malquist tapped Moon with his stick.
‘Well Mr Moon, I think we may congratulate each other on our first day’s collaboration. I look forward to reading your journal. Come round to my house in the morning, would you, and bring the Saviour with you. Perhaps you would let him have a bath first. If he objects baptise him by total immersion in hot soapy water. Come along, Jane.’
Moon mopped blood from his foot and rocked himself in his towel. Jane patted him on the head and he saw that Lord Malquist and the General had gone.
‘Jane … don’t go now. Let’s leave them.’
‘Now cheer up, darling, and don’t mope. I shan’t be long.’
‘Why can’t I come then?’
‘Darling, are you
jealous?’
‘Yes,’ Moon said.
‘Why darling, how perfectly sweet.’
She kissed him on his head.
‘I do love you, Jane. It’s so awful.’
‘I know, darling, I know.’
‘Stay … I’ll be gentle with you.’
‘Not yet, darling. Not now. Soon.’
‘Promise?’
‘Promise. And darling—?’
‘Yes?’ said Moon.
‘Would you do something for me?’ She crouched against him, scented and warm.
‘I’d do anything for you, Jane.’
‘Sack Marie.’
Moon said carefully: ‘Sack her?’
‘Get rid of her. Before I come back, will you, darling? I find it all so distressing. She won’t be here when I come back, will she?’
Moon hugged himself and rocked his body into a nod.
‘You are a sweet, you’re such a dear.’
The scented warmth went away from him.
‘Jane – what was it about her modelling and giving French lessons and everything – I didn’t know anything about it.’
‘Well, you’re always at the library all day, aren’t you? – you’re never here… Marie had many friends who visited her and I never interfered with what she did in her own time.’
‘There was a man on the phone,’ Moon said. ‘He seemed to think that you – Jane you don’t know any French, do you?’
‘Oh darling, don’t be so stuffy. I didn’t do anything, you know me. I only watched.’
She kissed him again and went out. Moon sat quite still watching the blood leak out of his foot. He tried to lick it but couldn’t reach. He heard the front door slam and shortly afterwards the coach creaked and shook itself along the mews.
When everything was quiet Moon got up and found a clean handkerchief. He took it to the bathroom and soaked it under the tap and tied it round his foot. The bathroom walls ran with sweat but the surfaces had no life in them now that could touch him. The foam had reduced itself to a frothy scum on the dead water. He went out and limped to Marie’s room and went in. It was dark and the switch bythe door clicked up and down and up without result. Moon went forward slowly until he fell across the bed, and lay there until the dark paled enough for him to see the lamp beside him. He turned it on and sat up.
He had not been in the room since Marie had moved into it. He knew it slightly as a maid’s room which belonged at various times to various girls none of whom had much to do with him. They were called Christine and Mabel and Joan, and some others before them. Marie’s room, however, enchanted him. It was untidy but decorated by its untidiness – there were colours tossed around everywhere, pink and blue wisps of nylon, two blue shoes and a white one on the bed, gaudy books scattered about, a scarlet silk cord hanging over a chair, clothes of all kinds half in and out of drawers and cupboards. A cane-handled butterfly net and a white fur-trimmed slipper lay together mismatched on the dressing-table amid coloured bottles. Moon picked up the slipper and rubbed the fur over his face. It came away tinged with blood, and all at once he started to cry.
He looked at himself in the
Moon took two purposeful steps towards her and cut his foot on a piece of mirror on the floor. He sat down on the bed and wrapped the wound in the hem of his towel.
Lord Malquist tapped Moon with his stick.
‘Well Mr Moon, I think we may congratulate each other on our first day’s collaboration. I look forward to reading your journal. Come round to my house in the morning, would you, and bring the Saviour with you. Perhaps you would let him have a bath first. If he objects baptise him by total immersion in hot soapy water. Come along, Jane.’
Moon mopped blood from his foot and rocked himself in his towel. Jane patted him on the head and he saw that Lord Malquist and the General had gone.
‘Jane … don’t go now. Let’s leave them.’
‘Now cheer up, darling, and don’t mope. I shan’t be long.’
‘Why can’t I come then?’
‘Darling, are you
jealous?’
‘Yes,’ Moon said.
‘Why darling, how perfectly sweet.’
She kissed him on his head.
‘I do love you, Jane. It’s so awful.’
‘I know, darling, I know.’
‘Stay … I’ll be gentle with you.’
‘Not yet, darling. Not now. Soon.’
‘Promise?’
‘Promise. And darling—?’
‘Yes?’ said Moon.
‘Would you do something for me?’ She crouched against him, scented and warm.
‘I’d do anything for you, Jane.’
‘Sack Marie.’
Moon said carefully: ‘Sack her?’
‘Get rid of her. Before I come back, will you, darling? I find it all so distressing. She won’t be here when I come back, will she?’
Moon hugged himself and rocked his body into a nod.
‘You are a sweet, you’re such a dear.’
The scented warmth went away from him.
‘Jane – what was it about her modelling and giving French lessons and everything – I didn’t know anything about it.’
‘Well, you’re always at the library all day, aren’t you? – you’re never here… Marie had many friends who visited her and I never interfered with what she did in her own time.’
‘There was a man on the phone,’ Moon said. ‘He seemed to think that you – Jane you don’t know any French, do you?’
‘Oh darling, don’t be so stuffy. I didn’t do anything, you know me. I only watched.’
She kissed him again and went out. Moon sat quite still watching the blood leak out of his foot. He tried to lick it but couldn’t reach. He heard the front door slam and shortly afterwards the coach creaked and shook itself along the mews.
When everything was quiet Moon got up and found a clean handkerchief. He took it to the bathroom and soaked it under the tap and tied it round his foot. The bathroom walls ran with sweat but the surfaces had no life in them now that could touch him. The foam had reduced itself to a frothy scum on the dead water. He went out and limped to Marie’s room and went in. It was dark and the switch bythe door clicked up and down and up without result. Moon went forward slowly until he fell across the bed, and lay there until the dark paled enough for him to see the lamp beside him. He turned it on and sat up.
He had not been in the room since Marie had moved into it. He knew it slightly as a maid’s room which belonged at various times to various girls none of whom had much to do with him. They were called Christine and Mabel and Joan, and some others before them. Marie’s room, however, enchanted him. It was untidy but decorated by its untidiness – there were colours tossed around everywhere, pink and blue wisps of nylon, two blue shoes and a white one on the bed, gaudy books scattered about, a scarlet silk cord hanging over a chair, clothes of all kinds half in and out of drawers and cupboards. A cane-handled butterfly net and a white fur-trimmed slipper lay together mismatched on the dressing-table amid coloured bottles. Moon picked up the slipper and rubbed the fur over his face. It came away tinged with blood, and all at once he started to cry.
He looked at himself in the
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