Unfortunately, the dinner was quite beyond Slug’s powers to appreciate. In fact, he hated nearly all of it. The champagne irritated the back of his nose and the various French dishes made him feel slightly sick. The problem of the mass of silver cutlery before him reduced him to limp, sweating embarrassment.
On the other hand, Rose thoroughly enjoyed herself. She did not appear to notice his silence, but talked gaily about the people, the band and the luxury of the place. She laughed heartily at the various cabaret turns and made Slug shuffle round the tiny dance-floor.
It seemed to go on for ever. New, clean plates kept appearing before him, dishes holding food he could not name were offered to him. His glass seemed to fill itself, and he became more and more sour as he realized how completely out of touch he was with this world.
In fact, when a tall, strikingly handsome man suddenly stopped at their table and asked Rose for a dance, he just sat there and watched them go away together. He was almost relieved to have a few minutes to himself.
The head waiter glided up to him and asked him if everything was satisfactory. Slug knew he had done his best for him, and he grinned ruefully.
“I guess this ain’t quite my mark,” he said frankly, scratching his head. “Maybe some guys get a kick out of this, but to me it’s just one big pain.” He glanced at his watch and saw that it was nearly one o’clock. “I guess we’ll blow,” he said. “Gimme the check before she comes back.”
The head waiter bowed and put a folded slip of paper on a plate and then handed it to Slug. He took it and glanced at it indifferently. He knew the evening was going to be an expensive one, and he was too far gone to worry about how much it was going to cost. When he saw the neat, pencilled figures he sat up. “What the hell’s this,” he asked—“a hundred and twenty-five bucks?”
The head waiter bowed. “That is correct,” he said gently. “It is our usual charge.”
Slug went cold from head to foot. Any moment Rose might come back. He pushed back his chair hurriedly and was about to stand up.
“A moment, monsieur,” the head waiter said. “I’m afraid the amount embarrasses monsieur?”