OU_214051 UNIVERSA - Osmania University

THE LODGER 55
on the musician. Just before opening the door she chanced to look
round and saw that the young man with the Latin Quarter hat was
following her.
It was raining less heavily. The Marylandwas only five hundred
yards up the street, so she decided to go on foot.
" Wonder if he'll speak to me? "
She quickened her pace, slowed down, then hurriWPbn again.
When she reached the entrance of the cabaret the young man hadn't
yet accosted her.
" Has Jacqueline come? " she asked the commissionaire.
" I haven't seen her going in."
She went up to the first floor, left her furs in the cloakroom,
and spent some minutes in the Ladies, redressing her make-up.
As she walked towards the bar, she saw the young man, perched
on a high stool, smoking his pipe and staring with affected ease at
the empty room. Just then Jacqueline came in. She was a plump,
good-humoured-looking young woman in a low-cut green silk
frock with a vast pink rose in velvet on one shoulder.
" What luck? " asked Sylvie.
The barman, busy with his bottles and glasses, paid no attention
to the two girls.
" I've done Gand and Antwerp, and managed to change twenty
notes. The money's in my bag. ... What news your end? Have
you seen him? How did he strike you? "
" He's a queer bird and no mistake. He's that calm you wouldn't
think he'd done it."
" Will he be coming to Brussels? "
" I shouldn't think so. He seems to have dug himself in there;
he just sits in front of the fire, and eats his meals, and ..."
She stopped speaking. She had noticed the young man gazing
hard at her over Jacqueline's shoulder. On the point of making a
face at him, for some reason she changed her mind and smiled.
" Barman, the same again," he said.
You could see he wasn't used to it. He'd read that phrase in a
novel, most likely. And, though he tried to prevent himself from
doing so, when ordering the drink he eyed the price-list on the bar
with obvious apprehension.
" What are you going to do, Sylvie? "
" Ask me another! It's no use making plans till we see how things
are going to pan out. Anyhow, tomorrow you'd better so and
change the other notes at Ltege and Namur."