The waiter said rather stiffly, “I’m afraid not, sir.”
Jason sighed. “I just asked. Some places do, you know.”
The waiter dismissed the subject with a flick of his napkin. “What would you like?”
Jason ordered supper without enthusiasm. He felt the evening was going to be a complete flop.
While he waited for his first course he looked round the room with a speculative eye. There were a number of smartly dressed women who appealed to him, but in every case they were all attached to large parties. He noticed that at the table next to him a girl sat with her back to him, and opposite her was a young man who looked as though he were permanently drunk. He was talking to the girl in penetrating tones. Jason listened with interest.
The young man said: “I know you want to. You’re just being superior. For God’s sake, don’t sit there looking like a graven image.”
Jason couldn’t hear what she said, but the back of her head interested him. She had very beautiful, soft brown hair.
When the band stopped playing, the young man went over to them and had a long conversation with the pianist. The pianist shook his head and then whispered to the other three players. They all looked across at the girl and whispered some more. Then the pianist stood up and the young man went back to his table.
Jason was quite interested. He saw the girl take four rings off her fingers and give them to the young man, then she got up and went over to the band.
Jason thought, “Social butterfly inflicts talent on the joy-weary,” and prepared to be critical.