'You filthy beast!' Griselda sprang to her feet, and rushed from the room in a futile endeavour to hide the tears which welled up in her small tired eyes.
'Gregory, you are a cad.' Ann flung a half smoked cigarette into the grate, and gave him an angry look beneath half closed lids.
He swung upon her quickly, his shoulders hunched, his hands thrust deep into his trousers pockets.
'Why? Don’t be silly, Ann. God knows who'd look at her, but some fool would. There are lonely men lots of them, and her one asset is that she's a young healthy woman, but of course she hasn't got the guts to do it. She's the stupid, inefficient sort who go under in every war and revolution.'
Ann's eyes fell before his glance. 'What is the latest, Gregory? are things getting very bad?'
' Glasgow is under Martial Law. The troops were compelled to fire on the rioters last night. There were seven killed and sixty wounded. In Hull, during the early hours of this morning, an organised raid was made on the principal banks; a number of police were injured, the safes were dynamited and the contents carried off in fast cars. It is said to be the work of international crooks who are taking advantage of the disturbances. In a village of the Merthyr valley an income tax collector was pulled out of bed at four in the morning, saturated in petrol, and then set on fire; he was burnt to death while the crowd cheered as if it had been Guy Fawkes' night. The crews on some of our biggest ships are giving trouble because it is the leave season, and all leave has been cancelled. Three pawn brokers Jews, of course were dragged from their shops and kicked to death in the East End this afternoon. Troops are being moved into the dock areas now, because they fear rioting here tonight.' Sallust paused, and then added cynically: 'Want any more of the gory details?'
She shivered slightly. 'No! it's all too horrible but do you really think the whole system is breaking up?'
'I don't think I know,' he laughed harshly, as he crushed out the butt of his cigarette. 'I've been watching events for months and it's only a question of days now. There is not a single strong man in the whole of the Government and this time next week the people will be fighting for food in every town in England.'
'What do you mean to do?' she asked him curiously.
'I,' he shrugged; 'oh, don't worry your little head about me. The traditional bad man of the party may get killed in the play, or in that poor boob Pomfret's novels but not in real life. Luckily, I'm not handicapped by any illusions or scruples, and so, my dear I shall come through; a little drunk perhaps on looted gin, but otherwise unscathed. The thing is what about you?'
'I… I hadn't realised that things were quite so desperate,' Ann confessed.
'Well, you'll survive you're too damned good looking for anyone to want to do you in. But you'll have to pay the price unless you slip off now. What about those people of yours in Suffolk? I should get out of it if I were you while the going's good.'
'Perhaps I ought to have stayed down there. A man I met the other day wrote and urged me to, but the letter only reached me just as I was leaving because it was forwarded from here.'
'Who is he? Anybody who's really in the know or just some chap who is anxious for his lovely's safety?'
'He's a civil servant, I think; he told me that he was after some post to do with the Government.'
'Then he probably had some good reason for his warning. Take his tip, Ann and mine. Quit the party… God! what's that?' Gregory Sallust had suddenly caught sight of the monstrosity on the bookcase.
'A masterpiece by Mrs. Pomfret's protégé Choo Se Foo,' Ann chuckled. 'The Infant Jesus, I believe.'
'How utterly blasphemous!'
'Dear me,' she mocked him. I thought you were an atheist.'
'He turned on her swiftly. 'Perhaps I am but Christ was a great man I hate to see Him mocked at by these filthy pseudo artists.'
A new sound came to them above the casual noises of the street. The rhythmic tramp… tramp… tramp of marching men. They both moved instinctively to the open window. As the head of the column came level, the door opened and Rudd joined them:
'Wonder where the boys are off to,' he remarked thoughtfully; 'we don't often see 'em darn this way.'
'They are en route for the East End, I expect,' Gregory told him, 'and they are probably taking the side streets in order to avoid comment as far as possible.'
It was a full battalion in war equipment. Steel helmets packs gas masks overcoats, bandoliers and rifles. Company after company swung by. The dust on their boots showed they had come in from the country and evidently their Colonel did not consider that they were far enough into the heart of London to call them to attention.
They marched at ease, their rifles slung or carried at the trail, many of them smoking, chewing sweets, or talking.
'They might give us a bit of a song,' said Rudd.
'That's just the trouble,' murmured Gregory Sallust, 'they are not singing and that's a damn bad sign.'
'Eat, Drink, and be Merry, for…'
The sound of marching feet died away in the distance, and they drew away from the window.
'I wonder whether Clarkson's is still open?' Gregory remarked as Rudd left them.
'Why?' asked Ann.
Want to get a fancy dress for the party,' he answered absently.
Her tawny eyes were filled with sudden mirth. 'How like you, Gregory, to go fiddling while Rome burns.'
'You, I suppose, prefer to pray?' he countered in quick derision.
'No, as a matter of fact I'm going out myself this evening.'
'Good for you “business as usual”, eh? and “Keep the home fires burning”. All the old gags will come out again you see!… Got a new boy friend?'
'I shouldn't be going out alone, should I?'
'No,' he eyed her critically, 'by some amazing stroke of good fortune for you the proportion of proteins, hormones and vitamins which make up your body vary slightly from the proportions allotted to Griselda owing to the result of the blend you don't have to. All the same, what I said to her goes for you too and, if you've got a man, you'll be doubly wise in these days to make it worth his while to stick to you.'
'Thanks, but the proportions vary in men as well, and so thank goodness they're not all like you. The decent kind don't need to have it made worth their while to stick to a woman if they're in love with her.'
He gave a sudden shout of laughter. 'God! what fun you are, Ann I love to see you get all romantic, I've a good mind to take you out myself one night!'
'If that's an invitation it comes a little late,' Ann smiled.
'Ah! well,' he shrugged his stooping shoulders, 'Fleet Street keeps me busy six nights out of seven, so work shall serve as an anodyne to my broken heart!'
'Idiot!' she laughed. 'You haven't got a heart.'
'No, perhaps I haven't, unless it's in my stomach. The ancients believed the stomach to be the seat of all emotions, you know and they were right about so many things. In any case it is time for me to feed it and then go forth to grasp the nettle of my nightly toil.' As he moved towards the door he flung a smile at her over his shoulder. 'Bye bye, little pansy face good hunting to you!'
For a time she sat alone in the lengthening shadows debating with herself the advisability of taking Gregory's advice and scuttling back to Orford the next day, but there was her job to be considered; supposing all this pessimism proved a false alarm? there had been isolated acts of violence and occasional rioting for the last eighteen months. If she once cleared out she could hardly expect her firm to take her back besides she was going to see Kenyon again that evening! And unless he proved disappointing at this second meeting, she somehow felt that she would not want to leave London for the present. Still undecided, she went up to dress.