Julia laughed. ‘Max,’ she said, ‘we’re here, this way, and not out there. Oh, d’you remember,’ she went on, ‘that time we were out at Svengalo’s when the mad waiter, that one who never finished rearranging one’s knives and forks, began to lose his trousers, they simply began to slip down like petticoats and he never knew? It was Embassy Richard had unbuttoned him and he had no idea, d’you all remember how Max got up and went out on us, because he couldn’t take it, and there we were left to blush?’
‘Oh, no!’ said Angela, who had not been with them.
‘Amabel, d’you remember it?’ Julia went on, ‘and then we never saw that mad waiter again, Svengalo sacked him for not minding his trousers, so they all use safety pins now, the other waiters. Richard said Svengalo does too, he’d tried the other night. Come back to us, Max darling.’
As he made no reply she went on:
‘And do you remember that time I fainted and you took me outside and that drunk made a pass at me when you had stretched me out? Shall I ever let you forget how you left me at once after I was better and went right away? And didn’t come back. Defenceless, mind you, or almost, against that gorilla and he was so beastly drunk he didn’t know what he was doing except when he picked on me. Why do you go away, Max?’
‘Yes,’ Amabel said, ‘why do you leave us?’ and all he could find to say was well he was here, wasn’t he, speaking with his back still turned to them.
‘But then what on earth happened to you?’ Angela said.
‘Oh, well, you see there were others in our party, there always are,’ Julia said and she looked at Angela gravely, ‘but wasn’t it beastly of him, Am?’ she said, turning to her, but Amabel was looking at her toes. ‘And then there was that time when he walked out on you, Am, and I said you can’t do that, go back. D’you remember? It was that night we went out by car to bathe and the farmer thought we had no clothes on. And when life’s so short.’
‘Did you say that then, darling?’ Amabel said and smiled sweetly up at her.
‘But what are you thinking of, darling, it was Mr Hignam, no less, said it to Claire of course, though what he can have meant I can’t imagine.’ She smiled as sweetly back.
‘When was this, do tell me?’ Angela said.
‘Not for your ears, darling,’ and while she said this Amabel kept her eyes on Julia. She began to move her toes again.
‘But why, my dear, what’s this?’ said Julia, because nothing had happened then or she would have remembered. But she saw how Amabel did not know this, or did not mean to see it.
‘Well, really,’ Julia said, ‘well, well.’
Max had turned round. He looked at each in turn.
‘Hey,’ he said, ‘what’s this?’
‘That night when we went to bathe,’ said Amabel.
‘Which one?’
‘When the farmer thought Julia had no clothes on.’
‘Yes.’
‘And you wondered too.’
‘I wondered?’
‘Oh no, he didn’t,’ Julia said and laughed quite differently.
‘By God Max,’ Amabel said, ‘the way you go on with my friends,’ she said, although Max had first introduced Julia to her and they had never become friends.
‘No, darling, really, I had on my flesh-coloured suit’
‘I don’t remember anything.’
‘Well, if you don’t remember,’ Amabel said to him, ‘I should think you were tight. Anyway, by the way you went on in my car afterwards you would be.’
‘You think I have to get tight to…’ he said and broke off and this made Amabel laugh. It seemed to her she had sufficiently established her claim over him, so she laughed again.
And Julia laughed to save her face and lastly Angela laughed to keep in with them.
‘Oh, you know what I mean,’ he said.
‘We know,’ Miss Crevy said.
‘Oh, do you, darling?’ said Amabel and getting up she stepped forward and kissed him and then stayed by, leaving her face close to his. He found her hair was still damp and this tortured him for something he remembered of her once and then it came over him she meant to put him through it before the others. And then because he had realized this it put him right, he felt he had seen through her little game and anyway he thought with glee what were they doing but fighting over him so that he grinned with confidence right into her mouth. She gave way at once, half opened her jaws and sat down again. He could see her pink tongue. She looked tired and older. He laughed.
‘You think I have…’ he said and laughed once more.
‘Why not?’ said Julia and turned away, thinking this was disgusting.
‘Why not what?’ he said.
‘Oh, get tight or anything.’
‘Who said anything about getting tight?’ for he had already forgotten anyone had spoken about getting drunk he felt so relieved. As if he had escaped, as indeed he had back into slavery again or as if his punishment was over, while it was just preparing. And now Julia was caught back into her old misery, so much so she felt she could not bear it and must get out of here so she went outside to find Claire and Evelyn.
‘Why don’t you tell me about all these thrilling parties and things? What happened with Farmer Bangs?’ Miss Crevy said.
‘Oh, nothing.’
‘No, Max, it was obviously something thrilling.’
‘We went out to bathe.’
‘Well?’
‘And Am said we ought to go back.’
‘Well?’ she said and got no reply; he was looking at Amabel.
‘Yes?’ she said.
‘You know how it is.’
‘That’s just what I don’t know.’
He was the one who laughed now. He laughed and said:
‘Then you’d better learn.’
‘Not knowing isn’t the same as not having learned.’
‘What is it then?’
‘Isn’t he extraordinary?’ she said to Amabel, but got no help from her, she was looking at her toes. ‘My dear Max,’ she went on, ‘even if I do know all the answers it doesn’t mean I know what went on that evening.’
‘You can guess then.’
This was rude but she was not going to give in to any of them again, not even to Max.
‘But what did the farmer say?’ she said and had no answer.
‘Oh, come on,’ she said and stamped her foot.
‘Oh, what did he say?’ she said again.
‘Darling,’ said Amabel turning to her, ‘he said them that are asked no questions won’t be told no lies.’ Max laughed and said it wasn’t him so much, it was his dog. And at this, although she had not been gone more than three minutes, Julia came back to them. ‘My dear,’ she said to Max, ignoring those others, ‘I’m afraid Claire’s Auntie May is rather bad.’
‘Rather bad you say?’ he repeated after her, not having taken this in.
‘Yes, rather bad I said, though I think it’s worse than that.’
‘I can’t help it,’ he said. ‘She’s got a room, hasn’t she?’ and Amabel asked him if Claire’s aunt was coming on their party too, and he laughed and said he did not know.
‘How can you stand there and laugh, Max darling, really,’ Julia said, not because she was worried about how ill the old thing might be but so as to get him out of this room, no matter how.
‘I say,’ he said, rising, ‘that’s bad.’
‘I thought you ought to know.’
He stood quiet. Amabel was looking at Julia. ‘Poor Claire,’ she said, ‘what a shame.’