"I'll tell you all about it to-morrow. Cheerio, boy."
Eric was irritated by Manders' uncommunicativeness. The fellow could at least have said, "First rate!" or "The best thing you've done." "Too long to discuss now" meant hours of captiousness and months of heroic surgery. And with his late loss of assurance Eric could not say with confidence that it was the best thing he had done.…
3
When he reached the club next day, Eric found that Manders had arrived before him and was ordering luncheon for both.
"D'you like the '06 Ruinart, or is it too dry for you?" he asked.
"Nothing's too dry for me," Eric answered, "but I decline to drink champagne at lunch. I've work to do this afternoon."
His host smiled persuasively and continued to write his bill.
"It'll do you good, boy. Buck you up. Well, how are you? The last time I was here, some old buffer told me you'd been seedy, but that was right away back in the summer. What was the matter?"
"I was only a bit run down," Eric answered. "What did you think of the play?"
Manders gave his bill to a waiter and planted his elbows on the table, pressing his finger-tips together.