“Yes, you told me that before. But do you like him?”
“He makes me laugh sometimes. He says amusing things about people. You remember Serge? José said that Serge would steal straw from his mother’s kennel. It made me laugh very much.”
“It must have done. Would you like a drink now?”
She looked at a small silver watch on her wrist and said that she would.
They went down. One of the ship’s officers was leaning by the bar with a beer in his hand, talking to the steward. As Graham ordered the drinks, the officer turned his attention to Josette. He obviously counted on being successful with women: his dark eyes did not leave hers while he was talking to her. Graham, listening to the Italian with bored incomprehension, was ignored. He was content to be ignored. He got on with his drink. It was not until the gong sounded for lunch and Haller came in that he remembered that he had done nothing about changing his place at table.
The German nodded in a friendly way as Graham sat down beside him. “I did not expect to have your company to-day.”
“I completely forgot to speak to the steward. If you …”
“No, please. I take it as a compliment.”
“How is your wife?”
“Better, though she is not yet prepared to face a meal. But she took a walk this morning. I showed her the sea. This is the way Xerxes’ great ships sailed to their defeat at Salamis. For those Persians that grey mass on the horizon was the country of Themistocles and the Attic Greeks of Marathon. You will think that it is my German sentimentality but I must say that the fact that for me that grey mass is the country of Venizelos and Metaxas is as regrettable as it could be. I was at the German Institute in Athens for several years when I was young.”