Casanova's Chinese Restaurant - Anthony Powell [67]
‘Certainly I do. Was Carolo like that – jealous in that way?’
‘A bit. But Carolo’s chief interest is in making conquests, he doesn’t much mind who it is. I shouldn’t wonder if he doesn’t run after Audrey Maclintick. Probably Maclintick would be glad of someone to keep her quiet and take her off his hands. What a bitch she is.’
‘All the same, there is a difference between being fed up with your wife and wanting another man to take her off your hands.’
‘There wasn’t in Carolo’s case. He was thankful when I fixed myself up. That is part of his simple nature, which is his chief charm. I had really left Donners by the time I met Hugh. What do you think about Hugh?’
‘I should guess that he was not particularly jealous as men go.’
‘Oh, I don’t mean that. He isn’t. I mean what do you think of him as a man?’
‘You know quite well, Matilda, that he is a great friend of mine.’
‘But his work … I do think he is … frightfully intelligent … a great man … whatever you like. Everything one says of that sort always sounds silly about someone you know – certainly someone you are married to. I had quite enough of being told my husband was a genius when I was Carolo’s wife. But you do agree about Hugh, don’t you, Nick?’
‘Yes, I do, as a matter of fact.’
‘That is why I am so worried about the symphony. You see, I am sure it will not be properly appreciated. People are so stupid.’
I longed to hear more about Sir Magnus Donners; whether some of the very circumstantial, very highly coloured stories that circulated about the elaboration of his idiosyncrasies, were at all near the truth. However, the moment to acquire such information, the moment for such frivolities, if it had ever existed, was now past. The tone had become too serious I could not imagine what the next revelation would be; certainly nothing so light-hearted as a first-hand account of a millionaire’s sexual fantasies.
‘Then there is this business of both of us having a career.’
‘That is always difficult.’
‘I don’t want never to act again.’
‘Of course not.’
‘After all, if Hugh wanted to marry a squaw, he could easily have found a squaw. They abound in musical circles. It is the answer for lots of artists.’
‘Hugh has always been against squaws. Rightly, I think. In the long run, in my opinion, a squaw is even more nuisance than her antithesis – and often cooks worse too.’
‘Then why do Hugh and I find it so difficult to get on together?’
‘But you always seem to get on a treat.’
‘That’s what you think.’
‘Well, don’t you – when you look at the Maclinticks, for example?’
‘And then …’
I thought for a moment she was going to speak of the child’s death, which I now saw had dislocated their marriage more seriously than anyone had supposed from the outside. Instead, she returned to her earlier theme.
‘And now he has gone and fallen in love with your sister-in-law, Priscilla.’
‘But—’
Matilda laughed at the way in which I failed to find any answer. There was really nothing for me to say. If it was true, it was true. From one point of view, I felt it unjust that I should be visited in this manner with Matilda’s mortification; from another, well deserved, in that I had not already acquainted myself with what was going on round me.
‘Of course it is all quite innocent,’ said Matilda. ‘That is the worst thing about it from my point of view. It would be much easier if he had fallen for some old tart like myself he could sleep with for a spell, then leave when he was bored.’
‘When did all this start up?’
In asking the question, I committed myself in some degree to acceptance of her premises about Moreland and Priscilla. There seemed no alternative.
‘Oh, I don’t know. A month or two ago. They met at that office where she works. I knew something of the sort had happened when he came home that day.’
‘But they met first at our flat.’
‘They’d met before you produced her at your flat. They kept quiet about knowing each other when they met there.’
I spared a passing thought for the slyness of Priscilla; also for Matilda’s all-embracing information service. Before more could be said about this uncomfortable subject, two things happened to break up our conversation. First of all the distinguished conductor