But David did not want to think about the story. He cared about the writing more than about anything else, and he cared about many things, but he knew that when he was doing it he must not worry about it nor finger it nor handle it any more than he would open up the door of the darkroom to see how a negative was developing. Leave it alone, he told himself. You are a bloody fool but you know that much.
His thoughts turned to the two girls and he wondered if he should go find them and see what they wanted to do or if they wanted to go off and swim. After all, it was Marita’s and his day and she might be waiting. Maybe something could still be salvaged out of the day for all of them. They might be cooking something up. He ought to go by and ask what they wanted to do. Then do it, he told himself. Don’t stand here and think about it. Go on and find them.
211
. .
The door to Marita’s room was shut and he knocked on it.
They had been talking and when he knocked the talking stopped.
“Who is it?” Marita asked.
He heard Catherine laugh and she said, “Come in whoever you are.
He heard Marita say something to her and Catherine said, “Come in, David.”
He opened the door. They were lying in the big bed together side by side; the sheet pulled up under their chins.
“Please come in, David,” Catherine said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
David looked at them, the serious dark girl and the fair laugh ing one. Marita looked at him trying to tell him something. Catherine was laughing.
“Won’t you come in too, David?”
“I came by to see if you wanted to go to swim or anything,” David said.
“I don’t want to,” Catherine said. “Heiress was in bed asleep and I got into bed with her. She was very good and asked me to leave. She’s not a bit unfaithful to you. Not in the least little bit. But won’t you come in too so we can both be faithful to you?”
“No,” David said.
“Please, David,” Catherine said. “It’s such a lovely day.”
“Do you want to go to swim?” David asked Marita.
“I’d like to,” the girl said above the sheet.
“You two puritans,” Catherine said. “Please both be reasonable and come to bed David.”
“I want to go to swim,” Marita said. “Please go out, David.”
‘Why can’t he see you?” Catherine asked. “He sees you at the beach.”
“He’ll see me at the cove,” Marita said. “Please go out, David.”
David went out and closed the door without looking back, hearing Marita talking in a low voice to Catherine and Catherine’s laughter. He walked down the flagstones to the front of the hotel and looked out at the sea. There was a light breeze now and he watched three French destroyers and a cruiser, neat and dark, and sharply etched on the blue sea as they moved in formation working out some problems. They were far out and they looked to be recognition silhouettes from their size until a white line would show at the bow as a ship speeded up to change the pattern. David watched them until the two girls came up to him.
“Please don’t be cross,” Catherine said.
They were dressed to go to the beach and Catherine put a bag with the towels and the robes on an iron chair.
“Are you going swimming too?” David said to her.
“If you’re not angry with me.
David said nothing and watched the ships as they changed course and another destroyer moved out of the pattern at a sharp angle with the line of white curling back from her bows. She began to make smoke and it trailed in a black widening plume as she curved at flank speed.
“It was only a joke,” Catherine said. ‘We’d been making such good rough jokes. You and I had.”
“What are they doing, David?” Marita asked.
“Anti-sub maneuvers, I think,” he said. “Maybe there are subs working with them. They’re probably out from Toulon.”