U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [553]
"Don't you think that our dear Eleanor looks happier and younger for it?" The Archimandrite was beaming into the crowded room. J. W. nodded doubtful y. "Och, a lovely graceful little thing she is, clever too. . . . Per-haps, Mr. Moorehouse and Mr. Savage, you'd come to the service and to lunch with me afterwards. . . . I have some ideas about a little book on my experiences at Mount Athos. . . . We could make a little parrty of it." Dick was amazed to find the Archimandrite's fingers pinching him in the seat and hastily moved away a step, but not be-fore he'd caught from the Archimandrite's left eye a slow vigorous wink.
The big room was ful of clinking and toasting, and there was the occasional crash of a broken glass. A group of younger Russians were singing in deep roaring voices that made the crystal chandelier tinkle over their heads. The caviar was al gone but two uniformed maids were
-489-bringing in a table set with horsdoeuvres in the middle of which was a large boiled salmon.
J. W. nudged Dick. "I think we might go someplace where we can talk.""I was just waiting for you, J. W. I think I've got a new slant. I think it'l click this time." They'd just managed to make their way through the
crush to the door when a Russian girl in black with fine black eyes and arched brows came running after them.
"Oh, you mustn't go. Leocadia Pavlovna likes you so much. She likes it here, it is informal . . . the bohème. That is what we like about Leonora Ivanovna. She is bohème and we are bohème. We luff her." "I'm afraid we have a business appointment," said J. W. solemnly. The Russian girl snapped her fingers with, "Oh, business it is disgusting. . . . America would be so nice without the business."
When they got out on the street J. W. sighed. "Poor Eleanor, I'm afraid she's in for something. . . . Those Russians wil eat her out of house and home. Do you sup-pose she real y wil marry this Prince Mingraziali? I've made inquiries about him. . . . He's al that he says he is. But heavens!""With crowns and everything," said Dick,
"the date's al set." "After al , Eleanor knows her own business. She's been very successful, you know." J. W.'s car was at the door. The chauffeur got out with a laprobe over his arm and was just about to close the door on J. W. when Dick said, "J. W., have you a few minutes to talk about this Bingham account?" "Of course, I was forgetting," said J. W. in a tired voice. "Come on out to supper at Great Neck. . . . I'm alone out there except for the children." Smiling, Dick jumped in and the chauffeur closed the door of the big black towncar behind him. It was pretty lugubrious eating in the diningroom with its painted Italian panels at the Moorehouses' with the butler and the secondman moving around silently in the dim light and only Dick and J. W. and Miss Simpson, the
-490-children's so very refined longfaced governess, at the long candlelit table. Afterwards when they went into J. W.'s little white den to smoke and talk about the Bingham ac-count, Dick thanked his stars when the old butler appeared with a bottle of scotch and ice and glasses. "Where did you find that, Thompson?" asked J. W. "Been in the ceflaz since before the war, Sir . . . those cases Mrs. Moore-house bought in Scotland. . . . I knew Mr. Savage liked a bit of a spot."
Dick laughed. "That's the advantage of having a bad name," he said. J. W. drawled solemnly, "It's the best to be had, I know that. . . . Do you know I never could get much out of drinking, so I gave it up, even before prohibition."