Nostromo - A Tale of the Seaboard.pdf - Planet eBook

‘Yes,’ muttered old Viola, savagely. ‘And meantime theyfight for you. Blind. Esclavos!’At that moment young Scarfe of the railway staff emergedfrom the door of the part reserved for the Signori Inglesi.He had come down to headquarters from somewhere up theline on a light engine, and had had just time to get a bathand change his clothes. He was a nice boy, and Mrs. Gouldwelcomed him.‘It’s a delightful surprise to see you, Mrs. Gould. I’ve justcome down. Usual luck. Missed everything, of course. Thisshow is just over, and I hear there has been a great dance atDon Juste Lopez’s last night. Is it true?’‘The young patricians,’ Decoud began suddenly in hisprecise English, ‘have indeed been dancing before theystarted off to the war with the Great Pompey.’Young Scarfe stared, astounded. ‘You haven’t met before,’Mrs. Gould intervened. ‘Mr. Decoud—Mr. Scarfe.’‘Ah! But we are not going to Pharsalia,’ protested DonJose, with nervous haste, also in English. ‘You should notjest like this, Martin.’Antonia’s breast rose and fell with a deeper breath. Theyoung engineer was utterly in the dark. ‘Great what?’ hemuttered, vaguely.‘Luckily, Montero is not a Caesar,’ Decoud continued.‘Not the two Monteros put together would make a decentparody of a Caesar.’ He crossed his arms on his breast, lookingat Senor Avellanos, who had returned to his immobility.‘It is only you, Don Jose, who are a genuine old Roman—virRomanus—eloquent and inflexible.’