“Probably,” the Colonel said. “Do you always look at them as though you were the young chief of a warrior tribe who had gotten loose from his councillors and was looking at that marble of Leda and the Swan?”
Catherine blushed under her dark tan and looked at David and then at the Colonel.
“I like you,” she said. “Tell me some more.
“I like you,” he said. “And I envy David. Is he everything you want?”
“Don’t you know?”
“‘To me the visible world is visible,'” the Colonel said. “Now go on and take another sip of that wormwood-tasting truth serum.”
“I don’t need it now.
“Aren’t you shy now? Drink it anyway. It’s good for you. You’re the darkest white girl I’ve ever seen. Your father was very dark though.”
“I must have his skin. My mother was very fair.”
“I never knew her.”
“Did you know my father well?”
“Quite well.”
“How was he?”
“He was a very difficult and charming man. Are you really shy?”
“Truly. Ask David.”
“You get over it awfully quickly.”
“You rode over it. How was my father?”
“He was the shyest man I ever knew and he could be the most charming.”
“Did he have to use Pernod too?”
“He used everything.”
“Do I remind you of him?”
“Not at all.”
“That’s good. Does David?”
“Not in the least.”
“That’s even better. How did you know I was a boy in the Prado?”
‘Why shouldn’t you be?”
“I only started it again last evening. I was a girl for almost a month. Ask David.”
“You don’t need to say ask David. What are you right now?”
“A boy if it’s all right with you.”
“It’s fine with me. But you’re not.”
“I just wanted to say it,” she said. “Now that I said it I don’t have to be it. But it was wonderful in the Prado. That was why I wanted to tell David about it.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to tell David.”
“Yes,” she said. “We have time for things.”
“Tell me where you got so dark,” the Colonel said. “Do you know how dark you are?”
“That was from le Grau du Roi and then not far from la Napoule. There was a cove there with a trail that went down to it through the pines. You couldn’t see it from the road.”
“How long did it take to get so dark?”
“About three months.”
“And what are you going to do with it?”
“Wear it,” she said. “It’s very becoming in bed.”
“I shouldn’t think you’d want to waste it in town.”
“‘The Prado isn’t wasting. I don’t really wear it. It’s me. I really am this dark. The sun just develops it. I wish I was darker.”
“You probably will be then,” the Colonel said. “Do you have other things like that to look forward to?”
“Just every day,” Catherine said. “I look forward to every day.”
“And has today been a good one?”
“Yes. You know it has. You were there.”
“Will you and David lunch with me?”
“All right,” Catherine said. “I’ll go up and change. Will you wait for me?”
“Don’t you want to finish your drink?” David asked.
“I don’t care about it,” she said. “Don’t worry about me. I won’t be shy.”
She walked to the door and they both looked after her. “Was I too rough?” the Colonel asked. “I hope not. She’s a very lovely girl.”
“I just hope I’m good for her.”
“You are. How are you doing yourself?”
“All right I think.”
“Are you happy?”
“Very.”
“Remember everything is right until it’s wrong. You’ll know when it’s wrong.”
“You think so?”
“I’m quite sure. If you don’t it doesn’t matter. Nothing will matter then.”
“How fast will it go?”
“I didn’t say anything about speed. What are you talking about?”
“Sorry.”
“It’s what you have, so have a lovely time.” “We do.”
“So I see. There’s only one thing.” “What?”
“Take good care of her.” “That’s all you’ve got to tell me?”
“One small thing more: The get’s no good.”
“There isn’t any get yet.”
“It’s kinder to shoot the get.”
“Kinder?”
“Better.
They talked about people for a while, the Colonel speaking outrageously, and then David saw Catherine come through the door wearing a white sharkskin outfit to show how really dark she was.