In the silence which fell as this curious group came into the room I heard a voice (M. Béguin’s I expect) saying something about ‘cet individu à mine patibulaire’ and another (Charles-Edouard de Valhubert probably), ‘pas mal, la petite.’
I am always pleased when my children turn up. The sight of them rejoices me, I rush forward, I smile and I embrace. I did so now. David and the girl dumped the cradle on a precious piece by Weisweiller. He kissed me warmly (oh horrid, scrubbing-brush beard) and said, ‘Ma, this is Dawn.’
Alfred’s reactions were not as immediately enthusiastic as mine. With him it is not so much a physical instinct as a matter of principle that makes him welcome the boys whatever the circumstances of their arrival. Our house is their home, their shelter from the stormy blast. If they are naked they must be clothed; if hungry, fed; if the police of five nations are hot on their heels they must be hidden. No questions must ever be asked. Now he came forward and shook hands with his son, giving him a stern, grave, penetrating look. ‘This is Dawn, Father.’
‘How do you do?’
Alfred led Dawn and David round the room, introducing them, while I held a hurried consultation with Philip about fitting them in to our dinner.
He said, ‘Do you really think it’s a good idea? They are so travel-stained –’
Unfortunately I knew my David far too well to think that the stains had anything to do with travel.
‘We can’t possibly send them out when they have just arrived,’ I said. ‘Alfred wouldn’t hear of it.’
‘There’s no room for them here. The table only holds fifty – it would take at least an hour to put in another leaf and re-do it.’
‘Oh dear, oh dear,’ I considered a moment. ‘In that case, Philip, I’m most dreadfully afraid, and too sorry, that you’ll have to take Northey out to dinner. Go to the Cremaillere – on the house of course. Do you mind?’
‘Yes,’ said Philip, displeased at this turn of affairs. Though he had not been able to arrange the seating so that he would be next to Grace (he was between Northey and Mrs Jungfleisch) he had been placed exactly opposite her so that he would be able to look at her all the time and occasionally lean over and exchange a remark. ‘I mind but I bow to the inevitable.’
‘What a funny little person,’ I said, ‘who do you imagine she is?’
‘An heiress, by the look of her.’
‘How too splendid that would be. Northey – come here – Philip is going to take you to dine at the Cremaillere to make room for David and the young lady.’
‘Oh goody gum trees!’ said Northey, eyes shooting out electricity.
‘Yes, darling. And before you go, will you give that baby to Mrs Trott and ask her to keep an eye on it and also say I want two bedrooms got ready. Then come straight back after dinner, won’t you?’
‘We will,’ said Philip.
Northey picked up the cradle, swung it round her, performed a pirouette and said, ‘Come on, worshipful, let’s bugger –’
The spontaneous sound of discontent rising from a dozen French throats as Northey left the room was silenced by the announcement of dinner. When at last I had got the women through the dining-room doors – all holding back politely and saying ‘passez – passez’ to each other – I led David and the young lady to the places designed for Philip and Northey.
‘Why do you put me next my wife?’ he said angrily. ‘This seems most unusual.’
‘But, dear duck, I’m not a fortune teller. How am I expected to know that she is your wife?’ I said to Dawn: ‘Please forgive me, but we can’t do the table all over again. You must simply try and imagine that you are at a city banquet.’
She looked at me with huge, terrified, grey eyes, and I saw, what the extraordinary clothes had hitherto prevented me from realizing, that she was very pretty. I also noticed that she was pregnant.
I went to my place between Bouche-Bontemps and Béguin. They were already plunged in a violent political discussion; seeing that I was not really present in the spirit they continued it across me. David had Mrs Jungfleisch on his right. We had asked her because Philip had asserted that it was impossible to give a dinner party in Paris without her; how thankful I felt now that she had accepted. With a lack of inhibition which no European woman would have exhibited under the circumstances, she went straight to the point. I strained my ears and listened as hard as I could; this was made possible by the fact that, except for my two neighbours, everybody else was doing likewise.
‘Your wife is quite beautiful,’ she said, ‘is she a model?’
‘No. She’s a student.’
‘Indeed. And what does she study?’
‘Modern languages.’
‘How old is the baby?’
‘I’m not sure. Not old at all.’
‘Are you staying here long?’ I held my breath at this.
‘No. We are on our way to the East.’
‘I envy you that. Provins and Nancy are at their best in the fall. Such interesting towns. Try and go to Cirey, it’s well worth it, and just outside Paris don’t forget to stop your car at Grosbois –’
‘We haven’t got a car. We are walking.’
‘Walking to Provins? With the baby?’
‘The baby? Oh yes, he’s coming too. Not to Provins, to China.’
‘My! That’s quite some walk. China – let me see now – after Provins and Nancy – don’t miss the Place Stanislas – you can take in Munich and Nuremberg and Prague.
