Point Counter Point - Aldous Huxley [158]
Philip was lying on the sofa, book in hand. ‘Very remarkable,’ he read, ‘is Mr. Tate Regan’s account of pigmy parasitic males in three species of Cerativid Anglerfishes. In the Arctic Ceratias holbolli a female about eight inches in length carried on her ventral surface two males of about two-and-a-half inches. The snout and chin region of the dwarf malewas permanently attached to a papilla of the female’s skin, and the bloodvessels of the two were confluent. The male is without teeth; the mouth is useless; the alimentary canal is degenerate. In photocarynus spiniceps the female, about two-and-a-half inches in length bore a male under half an inch long on the top of her head in front of her right eye. In Edriolychnus schmidti the dimensions were about the same as in the last case, and the female carried the pigmy male upside down on the inner surface of her gill-cover.’
Philip put down the book and feeling in his breast pocket pulled out his pocket diary and his fountain-pen. ‘Female Anglerfishes,’ he wrote, ‘carry dwarf parasitic males attached to their bodies. Draw the obvious comparison, when my Walter rushes after his Lucy. What about a scene at an aquarium? They go in with a scientific friend who shows them the female Anglers and their husbands. The twilight, the fishes—perfect background.’ He was just putting his diary away, when another thought occurred to him. He reopened it. ‘Make it the aquarium at Monaco and describe Monte Carlo and the whole Riviera in terms of deep-sea monstrosity.’ He lit a cigarette and went on with his book.
There was a rap at the door. He got up and opened; it was Elinor.
‘What an afternoon!’ She dropped into a chair.
‘Well, what news of Marjorie?’ he asked.
‘No news,’ she sighed, as she took off her hat. ‘The poor creature’s as dreary as ever. But I’m very sorry for her.’
‘What did you advise her to do?’
‘Nothing. What else could she do? And Walter?’ she asked in her turn. ‘Did you get a chance to be the heavy father?’
‘The middle-weight father, shall we say. I persuaded him to come down to Chamford with Marjorie.’
‘Did you? That was a real triumph.’
‘Not quite such a triumph as you think. I had no enemy to fight with. Lucy’s going to Paris next Saturday.’
‘Let’s hope she’ll stay there. Poor Walter!’
‘Yes, poor Walter. But I must tell you about Anglerfishes.’ He told her. ‘One of these days,’ he concluded,’ I shall really have to write a modem Bestiary. Such moral lessons! But tell me, how was Everard? I quite forgot you’d seen him.’
‘You would have forgotten,’ she answered scornfully.
‘Would I? I don’t know why.’
‘No, you wouldn’t.’
‘I’m crushed,’ said Philip with a mock humility. There was a silence.
‘Everard’s in love with me,’ said Elinor at last without looking at her husband and in the flattest, most matter-of-fact of voices.
‘Is that news?’ asked Philip. ‘I thought he was an old admirer.’
‘But it’s serious,’ Elinor went on.’very serious.’ She waited anxiously for his comment. It came, after a little pause.
‘That must be less amusing.’
Less amusing! Couldn’t he understand? After all, he wasn’t a fool. Or perhaps he did understand and was only pretending not to; perhaps he was secretly glad about Everard. Or was it just indifference that made him blind? Nobody understands what he does not feel. Philip couldn’t understand her because he didn’t feel as she felt. He was confident in the belief that other people were as reasonably lukewarm as he was himself. ‘But I like him,’ she said aloud in a last desperate attempt to provoke him into at least a semblance of caring. If only he’d show himself jealous, or sad, or angry, how happy she’d be, how grateful! ‘Very much,