The only thing that mattered was the report to Engles. Fortunately there was no address on it. It read like part of a diary. It was quite innocuous, merely recording my conversations with Carla and Keramikos that afternoon. But it showed my interest. I suddenly remembered that cable from Engles. But it was all right. It was in the wallet in my pocket. The photograph of Carla was also there.
I sat down then and penned an account of the night's happenings for Engles.
When I came down to breakfast, after only a short sleep, I found Mayne at the piano. 'Know this, Blair?' he asked. He was as full of sunlight as the morning. The notes rippled from his fingers like the sound of a mountain stream.
'Handel's Water Music,' I said.
He nodded. He had a beautiful touch. 'Do you like Rossini for breakfast?' he asked. And without waiting for an answer, he slid into the overture of The Barber of Seville. Gay, subtle humour, full of mockery and laughter, rilled the sunny room. 'There is more of Italy in this music, I think, than in the works of all her other composers put together,' he said. 'It is gay, like Anna here.' The girl had just come in to lay the breakfast and she flashed him a smile at the sound of her name. 'Do you know this piece, Anna?' he asked in Italian, switching into the first act. She listened for a second, her head held prettily on one side. Then she nodded. 'Sing it then,' he said.
She smiled and shook her head in embarrassment.
'Go on. I'll start again. Ready?' And she began to sing in a sweet soprano. It was gay and full of fun.
'That is the Italian side of her,' he said to me through the music. He suddenly left her flat and thumped into the priest scene. 'But she does not understand this,' he shouted to me. 'She is Austrian now — and a good Catholic. This mocks at the Church. Only the Italians would mock at their Church. Here it is — the foolish, knavish priest enters.' The notes crashed out mockingly.
He struck a final chord and swung round on the stool. 'What are you doing today, Blair?' he asked. 'Yesterday you introduced me to a very good entertainment at that auction. Today I would like to return your kindness. I would like to take you skiing. It is early in the season and there is a lot of snow still to fall. We should not waste a fine day like this. Besides, the forecast is for snow later. What about coming up Monte Cristallo with me?'
'I'd like to,' I said. 'But I feel I ought to do some work.'