Grandison could understand the words well enough, but he was offended and resolutely shrugged his shoulders, repeating: “Don’t understand. Fetch my furniture.”
“This place stinks,” repeated the workman with appropriate gestures. “It gives me a bad throat.” He made sounds as if he were going to be sick.
“I don’t understand what you say; fetch the furniture,” repeated Grandison in a rage, and began to push the man out of the room. “A house full of Poles and bugs,” said the man as he made off down the staircase.
“It’s quite an accident,” said Grandison, “that there is such a wonderful view. I took the first room I could find, by candle light. It is dirty, but I had it scrubbed out with disinfectant this morning. I shall get some sulphur candles in case what he says about the bugs is true.”
Anne sniffed: a smell of Jeyes fluid hung in the air. They were silent, gazing out of the window, waiting while the slow tramp of feet and muttered curses drew nearer and the man came in carrying the bed.
“It stinks,” he announced, returning to Richard.
Grandison cursed suddenly with great obscenity in fluent French.
“You mustn’t talk to me like that,” answered the man, but he left the room after looking at Anne with an air of icy disapproval. “Damn the fellow,” said Grandison, and they remained silent while the table, the wash-hand-stand, a piece of drugget and the chairs were brought in.
Grandison had recovered his temper by then, and gave the man a tip. “One doesn’t say such things,” said the workman, pocketing it, and he went down the stairs clearing his throat. They listened to the tramp of feet descending the stairs without looking at each other, and stood motionless through the minutes of dead silence which followed. “He must be waiting and poking about in the hall,” was their unspoken thought and, exchanging a swift glance, they nodded their suspicions. A sudden crash resounded up the stairs of the outer door being slammed, and they smiled happily at each other, for love is impossible except in secret. But although they smiled the silence continued, their hearts beating faster and faster and confusion coming upon them.
“We must put up the bed,” said Anne.