What was she up to now? What was she doing at the blond man’s table? George stood watching her, unable to make up his mind to follow her. She had paused, her arms folded across her breasts, facing the blond man, who looked at her with curious, bored eyes.
“Well?” she said loudly. “You’ll know me again, won’t you?”
The blond man eyed her up and down and looked away, a sneering little smile on his face.
“You heard what I said, you cheap masher,” Cora went on, her voice high pitched. “You’ve been trying to make me all the evening!”
George wanted to sink through the floor. How could she behave like this? Had she suddenly gone mad?
The blond man flicked his cigarette ash on the carpet. He continued to smile, but he was regarding Cora now with a frozen look in his eyes.
“Run away, little girl,” he said, “or I shall get annoyed with you.”
“Keep your filthy eyes off me in the future!” Cora suddenly screamed, and, leaning forward, she spat a stream of obscene vituperation at him.
Although George was shocked into a stupefied immobility, he was aware that the woman with the blonde hair, the Hebrew behind the bar and the waiter were standing tense and angry, looking at Cora.
The blond man ceased to smile. “You’re drunk,” he said. “Get out before I have you thrown out!”