“Not quite like Mr. Kuvetli. I shan’t kiss Mr. Kuvetli if I can help it.”
“What do you think about me?”
“I think that you’re very attractive. I like your hair and your eyes and the scent you use.”
“That is very nice. Shall I tell you something, chéri?”
“What?”
She began to speak very softly. “This boat is very small; the cabins are very small; the walls are very thin; and there are people everywhere.”
“Yes?”
“Paris is very large and there are nice hotels there with big rooms and thick walls. One need not see anyone one does not wish to see. And do you know, chéri, that if one is making a journey from Istanbul to London and one arrives in Paris, it is sometimes necessary to wait a week before continuing the journey?”
“That’s a long time.”
“It is because of the war, you see. There are always difficulties. People have to wait days and days for permission to leave France. There is a special stamp that must be put in your passport, and they will not let you on the train to England until you have that stamp. You have to go to the Préfecture for it and there is a great deal of chi-chi. You have to stay in Paris until the old women in the Préfecture can find time to deal with your application.”