in it. You’ll get more liberty that way. I think you’ll enjoy getting out of this boring old bedroom and I think you’re up to it. But first”—he glanced at his watch—“I think you ought to have a little sleep now. To freshen you up, marshal your strength.”
“I was wondering whether I should have given him a pill,” murmured Mrs. Friend. She moved towards the tray of medicine.
“Don’t bother. I’ve got one here. It’ll work fast and wear off soon.” Dr. Croft produced a little box from the pocket of his jacket. Mrs. Friend brought a glass of water. Dr. Croft handed me a capsule.
“Here, Gordy.”
If I refused it, I would show I didn’t trust them and would lose the slight advantage I’d gained. I took the pill. I took the glass from Mrs. Friend. While they watched, smiling, I swallowed the pill.
They left me then. Dr. Croft was right about the fast action of the drug. Almost immediately I felt thick drowsiness blurring me. The drowsiness made me more conscious than usual of my amnesia. With all the detail fading from my thoughts, there was a great blank left where my name and my memories should be. Gradually a vision of Netti, dim as the image on a myopic’s retina, rose to fill the empty space. I had fooled them into believing they had fooled me. I had won the first round. Now if I could get Netti to smuggle Emma up to my room. Or if I could get Netti to tell me the truth about that old woman!…
They had tried to take everything from me but they hadn’t taken Netti.
Netti’s red-veined gums… Netti’s white cap… Netti’s sour gin breath… Netti’s hip jutting out…
I awoke feeling alert and rested. The travelling clock on the bedside table pointed to one. There was sunlight everywhere.
A warm vigorous breeze blew through the open windows, stirring the heavy drapes. It was a wonderful room, gay, uninhabited, part of the summer outside. For a moment I had a pang of longing for Selena. Selena who was summer, who was all a man could want. Selena with the liquid hair and the warm, generous lips.
But the clock said one. One meant lunch. And lunch meant Netti. I quivered with anticipation at the prospect of Netti.
Exactly at one fifteen the door opened. Selena came in. She was wearing a white swimming suit, a scrap of a swimming suit.
She was carrying a tray.
“Your lunch, baby.”
She brought the tray to me and arranged it on the invalid bed-table. She sat down by my side, her blue eyes laughing, the skin of her bare arm, brushing mine, warm from the sun.
“Sweet, darling Gordy. He just sleeps and eats and sleeps and eats without a care in the world.”
She kissed me, her hair tumbling forward, brushing my cheek.
“Where’s Netti?” I said.
“Netti? Darling, that dreary Netti. What would you want with her?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I just wondered where she was.”
“Then, darling, I’m afraid you’ll never know.” Selena’s smile was sweet as syringa. “No one will ever know, except maybe a couple of sailors who keep telephone numbers.”
I knew then what she was going to say and I almost hated her.
“Really, she was a frightful girl. Always stealing our liquor. And then, bringing you up a jigger of gin. Gordy, darling, with Mr. Moffat coming and everything, you don’t imagine we’d put up with that, do you?”
Selena patted my hand. She rose from the bed and strolled to the window, leaning on the sill and gazing out.
“Mimsey was awfully nice to her. Nicer than she deserved. She gave Netti a whole month’s salary when she fired her.”
Chapter 10
After lunch Jan brought in the wheel chair. Like everything else produced by the Friends, it was the most luxurious of its kind, self-propelling with deep rubber tires and gaily chintzed overstuffed upholstery.
Jan was both proud and proprietary about it. He seemed to think it was his toy and that I was just another prop to make the game more amusing. Tenderly, like a little girl
“I was wondering whether I should have given him a pill,” murmured Mrs. Friend. She moved towards the tray of medicine.
“Don’t bother. I’ve got one here. It’ll work fast and wear off soon.” Dr. Croft produced a little box from the pocket of his jacket. Mrs. Friend brought a glass of water. Dr. Croft handed me a capsule.
“Here, Gordy.”
If I refused it, I would show I didn’t trust them and would lose the slight advantage I’d gained. I took the pill. I took the glass from Mrs. Friend. While they watched, smiling, I swallowed the pill.
They left me then. Dr. Croft was right about the fast action of the drug. Almost immediately I felt thick drowsiness blurring me. The drowsiness made me more conscious than usual of my amnesia. With all the detail fading from my thoughts, there was a great blank left where my name and my memories should be. Gradually a vision of Netti, dim as the image on a myopic’s retina, rose to fill the empty space. I had fooled them into believing they had fooled me. I had won the first round. Now if I could get Netti to smuggle Emma up to my room. Or if I could get Netti to tell me the truth about that old woman!…
They had tried to take everything from me but they hadn’t taken Netti.
Netti’s red-veined gums… Netti’s white cap… Netti’s sour gin breath… Netti’s hip jutting out…
I awoke feeling alert and rested. The travelling clock on the bedside table pointed to one. There was sunlight everywhere.
A warm vigorous breeze blew through the open windows, stirring the heavy drapes. It was a wonderful room, gay, uninhabited, part of the summer outside. For a moment I had a pang of longing for Selena. Selena who was summer, who was all a man could want. Selena with the liquid hair and the warm, generous lips.
But the clock said one. One meant lunch. And lunch meant Netti. I quivered with anticipation at the prospect of Netti.
Exactly at one fifteen the door opened. Selena came in. She was wearing a white swimming suit, a scrap of a swimming suit.
She was carrying a tray.
“Your lunch, baby.”
She brought the tray to me and arranged it on the invalid bed-table. She sat down by my side, her blue eyes laughing, the skin of her bare arm, brushing mine, warm from the sun.
“Sweet, darling Gordy. He just sleeps and eats and sleeps and eats without a care in the world.”
She kissed me, her hair tumbling forward, brushing my cheek.
“Where’s Netti?” I said.
“Netti? Darling, that dreary Netti. What would you want with her?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I just wondered where she was.”
“Then, darling, I’m afraid you’ll never know.” Selena’s smile was sweet as syringa. “No one will ever know, except maybe a couple of sailors who keep telephone numbers.”
I knew then what she was going to say and I almost hated her.
“Really, she was a frightful girl. Always stealing our liquor. And then, bringing you up a jigger of gin. Gordy, darling, with Mr. Moffat coming and everything, you don’t imagine we’d put up with that, do you?”
Selena patted my hand. She rose from the bed and strolled to the window, leaning on the sill and gazing out.
“Mimsey was awfully nice to her. Nicer than she deserved. She gave Netti a whole month’s salary when she fired her.”
Chapter 10
After lunch Jan brought in the wheel chair. Like everything else produced by the Friends, it was the most luxurious of its kind, self-propelling with deep rubber tires and gaily chintzed overstuffed upholstery.
Jan was both proud and proprietary about it. He seemed to think it was his toy and that I was just another prop to make the game more amusing. Tenderly, like a little girl
Similar Books
