Casanova's Chinese Restaurant - Anthony Powell [77]
Miss Weedon looked at Stringham without a trace of surprise or disapproval; just a request for confirmation.
‘That was the suggestion, Tuffy.’
He laughed again. He must have known by experience that in the end Miss Weedon would turn out to hold all the cards, but he showed no sign yet of capitulation.
‘The doctor begged you not to stay up too late, Charles,’ said Miss Weedon, also smiling.
She was in no degree behind Stringham where keeping one’s head was concerned.
‘My medical adviser did indeed prescribe early hours,’ said Stringham. ‘You are right there, Tuffy. I distinctly recollect his words. But I was turning over in my mind the possibility of disregarding such advice. Ted Jeavons was speaking recently of some night haunt he once visited where he had all kind of unusual adventures. A place run by one, Dicky Umfraville, a bad character whom I used to see in my Kenya days and have probably spoken of. Something about the sound of the joint attracted me. I offered to take Mrs Maclintick there. I can hardly go back on my promise. Of course, the club has no doubt closed down by now. Nothing Dicky Umfraville puts his hand to lasts very long. Besides, Ted was a little vague about the year his adventure happened – it might have been during the war, when he was a gallant soldier on leave from the trenches. That all came in when he told the story. However, if defunct, we could always visit the Bag of Nails.’
Mrs Maclintick snatched facetiously at him.
‘You know perfectly well I should hate any of those places,’ she said gaily, ‘and I believe you are only trying to get me there to make me feel uncomfortable.’
Miss Weedon remained unruffled.
‘I had no idea you were planning anything like that, Charles.’
‘It wasn’t exactly planned,’ said Stringham. ‘Just one of those brilliant improvisations that come to me of a sudden. My career has been built up on them. One of them brought me here tonight.’
‘But I haven’t agreed to come with you yet,’ said Mrs Maclintick, with some archness. ‘Don’t be too sure of that.’
‘I recognise, Madam, I can have no guarantee of such an honour,’ said Stringham, momentarily returning to his former tone. ‘I was not so presumptuous as to take your company for granted. It may even be that I shall venture forth into the night – by no means for the first time in my chequered career – on a lonely search for pleasure.’
‘Wouldn’t it really be easier to accept my offer of a lift?’ said Miss Weedon.
She spoke so lightly, so indifferently, that no one could possibly have guessed that in uttering those words she was issuing an order. There was no display of power. Even Stringham must have been aware that Miss Weedon was showing a respect for his own situation that was impeccable.
‘Much, much easier, Tuffy,’ he said. ‘But who am I to be given a life of ease?
Not for ever by still waters
Would we idly rest and stay …
I feel just like the hymn. Tonight I must take the hard road that leads to pleasure.’
‘We could give this lady a lift home too, if she liked,’ said Miss Weedon.
She glanced at Mrs Maclintick as if prepared to accept the conveyance of her body at whatever the cost. It was a handsome offer on Miss Weedon’s part, a very handsome offer. No just person could have denied that.
‘But I am not much in the mood for going home, Tuffy,’ said Stringham, ‘and I am not sure that Mrs Maclintick is either, in spite of her protests to the contrary. We are young. We want to see life. We feel we ought not to limit our experience to musical parties, however edifying.’
There was a short pause.
‘If only I had known this, Charles,’ said Miss Weedon.
She spoke sadly, almost as if she were deprecating her own powers of dominion, trying to minimise them because their very hugeness embarrassed her; like the dictator of some absolutist state who assures journalists that his most imperative decrees have to take an outwardly parliamentary form.
‘If only I had known,’ she said, ‘I could have brought your notecase. It was lying on the table in your room.’
Stringham laughed outright.
‘Correct, as usual, Tuffy,