FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105  
106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   >>   >|  
egress entered, dressed in the most tawdry tinsel. She was talkative as a magpie, but at first I did not understand a word in the interminable string she unwound, while she took first my hands, then my feet, and polished the nails with determined grimaces. Another stroke on the gong. The old woman gave place to another Negro, grave, this time, and dressed all in white with a knitted skull cap on his oblong head. It was the barber, and a remarkably dexterous one. He quickly trimmed my hair, and, on my word, it was well done. Then, without asking me what style I preferred, he shaved me clean. I looked with pleasure at my face, once more visible. "Antinea must like the American type," I thought. "What an affront to the memory of her worthy grandfather, Neptune!" The gay Negro entered and placed a package on the divan. The barber disappeared. I was somewhat astonished to observe that the package, which my new valet opened carefully, contained a suit of white flannels exactly like those French officers wear in Algeria in summer. The wide trousers seemed made to my measure. The tunic fitted without a wrinkle, and my astonishment was unbounded at observing that it even had two gilt _galons_, the insignia of my rank, braided on the cuffs. For shoes, there were slippers of red Morocco leather, with gold ornaments. The underwear, all of silk, seemed to have come straight from the rue de la Paix. "Dinner was excellent," I murmured, looking at myself in the mirror with satisfaction. "The apartment is perfectly arranged. Yes, but...." I could not repress a shudder when I suddenly recalled that room of red marble. The clock struck half past four. Someone rapped gently on the door. The tall white Targa, who had brought me, appeared in the doorway. He stepped forward, touched me on the arm and signed for me to follow. Again I followed him. We passed through interminable corridors. I was disturbed, but the warm water had given me a certain feeling of detachment. And above all, more than I wished to admit, I had a growing sense of lively curiosity. If, at that moment, someone had offered to lead me back to the route across the white plain near Shikh-Salah, would I have accepted? Hardly. I tried to feel ashamed of my curiosity. I thought of Maillefeu. "He, too, followed this corridor. And now he is down there, in the red marble hall." I had no time to linger over this reminiscence. I was suddenly bowled o
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105  
106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

barber

 

package

 
marble
 
suddenly
 
curiosity
 

thought

 

interminable

 

entered

 

dressed

 

recalled


Someone
 

struck

 

rapped

 
stepped
 

doorway

 

forward

 
touched
 

appeared

 

brought

 

tawdry


gently

 

straight

 

leather

 

ornaments

 

underwear

 

Dinner

 

excellent

 

arranged

 

perfectly

 

shudder


repress

 

tinsel

 

apartment

 

murmured

 

mirror

 

satisfaction

 
signed
 

accepted

 
Hardly
 

ashamed


Maillefeu

 

linger

 

reminiscence

 

bowled

 

corridor

 

offered

 

disturbed

 

corridors

 

Morocco

 

follow