“Does she have a waiting room like yours?”.
“Not as far as I know. Moreover, it is not up to me to tell about her. I know that she would never talk about me. I am only doing your friend de Paliseul a favor, because neither you, nor he, nor your entire club will ever find out about our identities.”
“My dearest Evergreen, how about going to bed together for a good night's rest?”
“Oh, no, my friend. It is too late, and I would miss the last train.”
“What? You are leaving in the middle of the night?”
“Yes.”
“Do you live far away from Paris?”
“I live in Paris, in Rome, in Chicago, in Timbuktu. Darling, don't try to find out.”
“You are right, my love. I don't like it, but I am afraid that I have to live with it. When shall I see you again?”
“In about a week.”
“Oh, please, darling, Can't you be more specific. I hate to share the fate of my poor friend de Paliseul.”
“You don't have to worry, and to prove it to you, expect a message for Thursday.”
“It's a date!” Thursday then!” Maxim kissed his lovely lady, Florentine pulled the bell cord and Felicitas promptly appeared. De Berny was now more than ever intent upon finding out his love's identity.
“Dear Miss Felicitas,” he said, pressing five gold pieces in her hand, “would you dome the favor of telling me where I can buy an album with etchings like the one I leafed through in Madame's little waiting room?”
“I am sorry, my lord, I can't,” Felicitas answered. “But I will be more than happy to get you one. And it is not necessary to pay me in advance. His Lordship is one of those gentlemen whose credit is good, and I am one of those servants who do not betray their mistresses.”
Maxim put the money which she handed him back in his purse, and he entered the equipage with Felicitas. After, it seemed, he had crisscrossed half of Paris, the coach stopped, he got out, and-much to his surprise — he was standing in front of the Club de Topinambours. The equipage was speeding away in the direction of the Champs Elysees.
Somebody tapped on his shoulder. It was de Paliseul and a priest.
“I see you had a date again?”
“Yes, I had a wonderful time.”
“Did you find out who she was?”
“No, and I don't think I will try!”
“I have told our fellow members that I will warn them as soon as I get my invitation. They will follow at a discreet distance, and then we will know who our paramours are.”
“I am afraid I have a sad message for you, my friend. It seems that your Pomegranate Flower was not pleased with your… ah… performance…” Maxim threw a glance in the direction of the priest.
“Excuse me,” de Paliseul said, “this is Father Lang from London. I was going to see to it that he could stay at my housekeeper's during his vacation in Paris. Unfortunately, she was indisposed. I have told him about our adventures. You do not have to keep secrets from him. And what do you mean, she was not pleased with my performance?” His face flushed red.
“I am sorry, my friend. I am merely a messenger, and I have been told by Lady Evergreen who is a very good friend of your lady love, to convey this message. It seems that the ladies know exactly what we are doing and what we are thinking. I have tried to unravel the secret and I have been unsuccessful. One thing, though-I am not going to endanger any future dates by prying into their secrets. After all, I have given my word of honor.”
De Paliseul was terribly upset. Maxim told him to go into the club and get good and drunk. He offered to take Father Lang to the home of his own housekeeper, the widow Lemaitre who, he was sure, would more than happy to have a boarder.
Father Lang was as pleased as de Paliseul was unhappy. He assured de Paliseul that he could fully understand the young man's feelings, thanked him for all the trouble he had gone through in his behalf, and he told Maxim that he was very grateful for helping a poor, stranded priest in the big city.
Maxim hailed a cab, and de Paliseul went poutingly into the Club de Topinambours. De Berny and Father Lang were soon on their way to the simple home of the widow Lemaitre.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Well, my dear sister,” Florentine asked Julia after breakfast, “what happened last night? Why did I have to 'go so quickly to Paris?”
“Because I had quite an unexpected adventure.” Julia was radiant. She told her sister in detail what had happened, and she also mentioned that she had promised to visit Michael in his studio.
“You better be very careful, dear. This Mister Michael has seen you without a mask, and undoubtedly he would recognize you instantly!”
“Oh, I don't think that he moves around in our circles. I don't for one instant deny that you are right, but somehow I feel compelled to see this adventure through to the very end. This Michael Lompret is original and natural and I am irresistibly drawn to him. His language is different, his ideas are new and fresh, and love to him is natural and uncomplicated. I am not in love with him, not yet. But my thoughts have been constantly with him. In fact, I have not thought about anything or anybody else.”
“Aha! You are that far gone already!” Madame Vaudrez smilingly wagged her finger.
“Oh, no! Don't be silly,” Julia answered, somewhat irritated. And, changing the subject quickly, “What have you and Maxim been doing?”
“Darling, I have discovered a whole new world. I have lived on an island of indescribable happiness!”
“Oh? Could you be a little bit more specific, please? What did you do on that island?”
“Oh, well, actually nothing in particular. I mean, we did not do anything that you had not already taught me, but it was more refined and — I don't know precisely how to say this-it got me infinitely more excited. The moustache and his squirting, it all made a big difference. You see when a man knows how to make love in the same way women can love one another, there are certain advantages.”
“In other words, I have been dethroned?”
“Oh, no… darling! How could you say that!”
“Sister dear, as far as my personal preferences go, I will never beg you for the pleasure. I am not so fond of these refinements as you are. I simply don't have the time to slowly enjoy these voluptuous pleasures. My blood boils too quickly when I am being caressed by an expert. And then I want to feel it deep inside me. That eternal knocking and slurping at the front door would drive me insane, because it gives me no deep ecstasy. One of these days, dear Florentine, I want to meet a man who is fully compatible in body and soul. And when that day arrives, I'll be the happiest woman in the world.
“And for that you would really drop your mask?”
“I really don't know what I would do. But it seems to me that your mask is an obstacle to ultimate pleasures in lovemaking.”
“It was in the way just a little bit.”
“You better watch out, sister dear.”
“You don't have to worry, Mrs. Careful. But what about your Michelangelo? Don't you think you should have him checked out by Dorothy?”
“Oh, no,” Julia said. “I don't want anybody to meddle in this romance. It would destroy the freshness, the naturalness of our affair. I want to find out if I can find happiness with this man!”
Her dark eyes sparkled, and Florentine, who knew the danger signs of her sister's outbursts, began to laugh.
“Come, come, Julia,” she reprimanded, “don't get so upset. I'll take Cherub into the park and play with him for awhile. Why don't you lie down and quiet your nerves. Then we can talk all afternoon.”
But Julia was not in the mood for any talking. She wanted to be in the arms of Michael Lompret. She was also disappointed to hear that her sister continued her lesbian practices, even though it was with a man. She wished that she had never introduced her sister to muffdiving and cocksucking. She therefore said, “No dear, I have a lot to do tomorrow. I think it is better for me to return to Paris.”