第6章

"Of course， darling. Mademoiselle Hobin， I've known her for a very long time."

"Oh， Mademoiselle Hobin，" Frances Clyne called， speaking French very rapidly and not seeming so proud and astonished as Mrs. Braddocks at its coming out really French. "Have you been in Paris long？ Do you like it here？ You love Paris， do you not？"

"Who's she？" Georgette turned to me. "Do I have to talk to her？"

She turned to Frances， sitting smiling， her hands folded， her head poised on her long neck， her lips pursed ready to start talking again.

"No， I don't like Paris. It's expensive and dirty."

"Really？ I find it so extraordinarily clean. One of the cleanest cities in all Europe."

"I find it dirty."

"How strange！ But perhaps you have not been here very long."

"I've been here long enough."

"But it does have nice people in it. One must grant that."

Georgette turned to me. "You have nice friends."

Frances was a little drunk and would have liked to have kept it up but the coffee came， and Lavigne with the liqueurs， and after that we all went out and started for Braddocks's dancing-club.

The dancing-club was a bal musette in the Rue de la Montagne Sainte Geneviève. Five nights a week the working people of the Pantheon quarter danced there. One night a week it was the dancing-club. On Monday nights it was closed. When we arrived it was quite empty， except for a policeman sitting near the door， the wife of the proprietor back of the zinc bar， and the proprietor himself. The daughter of the house came downstairs as we went in. There were long benches， and tables ran across the room， and at the far end a dancing-floor.

"I wish people would come earlier，" Braddocks said. The daughter came up and wanted to know what we would drink. The proprietor got up on a high stool beside the dancing-floor and began to play the accordion. He had a string of bells around one of his ankles and beat time with his foot as he played. Every one danced. It was hot and we came off the floor perspiring.

"My God，" Georgette said. "What a box to sweat in！"

"It's hot."

"Hot， my God！"

"Take off your hat."

"That's a good idea."

Some one asked Georgette to dance， and I went over to the bar. It was really very hot and the accordion music was pleasant in the hot night. I drank a beer， standing in the doorway and getting the cool breath of wind from the street. Two taxis were coming down the steep street. They both stopped in front of the Bal. A crowd of young men， some in jerseys and some in their shirt-sleeves， got out. I could see their hands and newly washed， wavy hair in the light from the door. The policeman standing by the door looked at me and smiled. They came in. As they went in， under the light I saw white hands， wavy hair， white faces， grimacing， gesturing， talking. With them was Brett. She looked very lovely and she was very much with them.

One of them saw Georgette and said： "I do declare. There is an actual harlot. I'm going to dance with her， Lett. You watch me."

The tall dark one， called Lett， said： "Don't you be rash."

The wavy blond one answered： "Don't you worry， dear." And with them was Brett.

I was very angry. Somehow they always made me angry. I know they are supposed to be amusing， and you should be tolerant， but I wanted to swing on one， any one， anything to shatter that superior， simpering composure. Instead， I walked down the street and had a beer at the bar at the next Bal. The beer was not good and I had a worse cognac to take the taste out of my mouth. When I came back to the Bal there was a crowd on the floor and Georgette was dancing with the tall blond youth， who danced big-hippily， carrying his head on one side， his eyes lifted as he danced. As soon as the music stopped another one of them asked her to dance. She had been taken up by them. I knew then that they would all dance with her. They are like that.

I sat down at a table. Cohn was sitting there. Frances was dancing. Mrs. Braddocks brought up somebody and introduced him as Robert Prentiss. He was from New York by way of Chicago， and was a rising new novelist. He had some sort of an English accent. I asked him to have a drink.

"Thanks so much，" he said， "I've just had one."

"Have another."

"Thanks， I will then."

We got the daughter of the house over and each had a fine à l'eau.

"You're from Kansas City， they tell me，" he said.

"Yes."

"Do you find Paris amusing？"

"Yes."

"Really？"

I was a little drunk. Not drunk in any positive sense but just enough to be careless.