Under The Net - Iris Murdoch [86]
moved, relieved, and delighted she was to see me. With a whoop I fell upon her. Some time later it was necessary to start talking. I had been struck as I came in, only the impression had been submerged at once, by a further alteration in Madge. Now as she powdered her nose I sat and took this in. Her clothes were quieter and sleeker and desperately well cut, and her coiffure was completely transformed. The undulating English perm was gone, and her hair fitted her now like a scalloped cap. She seemed slimmer and more piquant; even her movements were more gracious. Clearly somebody new had taken Madge in hand, somebody far more expert than Sammy. She watched me out of the corner of her eye as she blocked in the tenderly proud mouth of a woman who knows that she is desired; and as I went to kiss her she turned her head and offered me with a regal movement the perfumed and artificial bloom of her cheek. It was unnerving to see someone transforming herself so rapidly: like seeing the stars moving or the world turning. Madge, you are beautiful,' I said. We sat down. 'Jakie,' said Madge, 'I just can't tell you how glad I am to see you. I just can't tell you. You're the first human face I've seen for ages.' I was already beginning to wonder what sort of faces Madge had been seeing lately; there would be time enough, however, to get this out of her. We had a great deal to tell each other. 'Where shall we start?' I asked. 'Oh, darling!' said Madge, and threw her arms round me. We put off starting for a bit longer. 'Look,' I said at last, let's begin by establishing what we both know: for instance that Sammy is a scoundrel.' 'Oh dear!' said Madge, 'I was so miserable about Sammy!' 'What happened?' I asked. Madge plainly wasn't going to tell me. I could see her selecting an evasion. 'You don't understand Sammy,' said Madge, 'he's an unhappy muddled sort of person.' This is a standard remark made by women about men who have left them. 'Was that why you made him a present of my translation?' I asked. 'Oh, that!' said Madge. 'I did that for your sake, Jakie.' She kept me at bay with her big eyes. 'I thought if anything came of it Sammy could help you. But how did you know he had it?' I then gave her a highly selective version of my own recent adventures. I could see Madge hated the bits about Sammy and Sadie. 'What a pair of crooks!' she said. 'But surely you knew about Sammy's plan?' I asked her. 'I had no idea until two days ago,' said Madge. This was clearly false, since she must have known more or less what Sammy was up to when she gave him my typescript; but at that time she had doubtless been under the impression that it was herself and not Sadie who was to be the woman in the case. Indeed, perhaps Sammy had thought this too, to begin with. On the occasion of our sporting afternoon he had certainly manifested what had appeared to be a genuine interest in Madge. That Sammy was muddled was possible after all. Whether he was unhappy I neither knew nor cared. Well now, suppose you tell me a few things,' I said. 'What's this important talk you wanted?' 'It's a long story, Jake,' said Madge. She poured me out a drink, and then stood looking at me reflectively. She had the withdrawn feline look of a woman who is conscious of power and seeing herself as Cleopatra. Would you like to earn three hundred pounds down and a hundred and fifty a month for an indefinite time?' While I considered this I contemplated Madge in her new role. 'Other things being equal,' I said, the answer is yes. But who is the paymaster?' Madge walked slowly across the room. Her sense of drama was acute enough to electrify the whole atmosphere. She turned quietly to face me, with the quietness of somebody who knows that quietly is how they are turning. Oh, cut it out, Madge,' I said, 'and come clean. This isn't a screen test.' 'A person,' said Madge, choosing her words with care, 'who has made a great deal of money out of shipping or something in Indo-China, is proposing to put this money into the creation of an Anglo-French film company. It will be a very big enterprise.