“What?” I said. “Hugo....” But what on earth was this about the evening-paper? I was agitated—suddenly, I was very agitated indeed. There is something quite beastly about evening-papers, beastly and naked....
Astorias stayed his men, and Hilary came back to the table. Gloomily he looked at the angel that was frozen to its horse. And he looked worried.
“Hilary, what’s this I heard Hugo murmuring about the evening-paper?”
“Gerald,” said Hilary. “Hm....”
“But what, Hilary? Not serious, surely?”
“Oh, not serious,” Hilary grunted. “Not serious. Hm. Just a nasty silly mess, I think. Didn’t catch what. Hm....”
I realised then that I had known all the time. That curious, hopeless grinning.... But, good Lord, what sort of a mess? Hilary didn’t know. “Something in the evening-paper,” he said. Hilary looked hurt, worried, and I had that jumpy feeling that I must do something at once. But what sort of a mess? A drunkard’s row? What? Hilary didn’t know, and I was just about to ask the waiter if he could find me an evening-paper when two figures by the door held my eye. And a third just behind them.
“Kids!” murmured Hilary, with a sort of grudging smile. And they looked just that, for all their beauty—“kids.” One saw them playing together under a tree. A long while ago, they had played together under a tree. The favourite of the gods and the shameless, shameful lady....
“Hm,” grumbled Hilary. “Imitation....”
But I knew, for I once had a friend who was a taxidermist. There were 396 white ermines round Iris. White and tawny and white. She was like a light, and you hadn’t realised what an infernal dungeon the place was until the door had suddenly opened and she had come in, wrapped in cloth of soft snow. Boy’s head, curly head, white and tiger-tawny. She was like a light, a sad, white light. I can’t describe her but like that. Napier had been standing by the door, waiting for the dance to cease, so that he might join Venice. Then Iris had come in, grave, very unself-conscious. She didn’t see Napier. He didn’t see Iris. Her companion was Colonel Duck, M.F.H.