Afternoon Men by Anthony Powell

Author:Anthony Powell [Powell, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473535435
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2015-03-11T23:00:00+00:00

13

SPEAKING of Pringle to Atwater in the course of a fairly general disquisition on the ups and downs of himself and his friends, Barlow said:

‘Of course he was intended by nature to be gold-dug and, as a compensation, given a temperament that enjoys the process.’

‘Olga?’

‘And now Olga has gone it will be someone else.’

Barlow put his fork into the spaghetti on his plate and twisted it round and round so that it clung knotted about the prongs. Then he forced it into his mouth. He said:

‘His show is doing very well. I only hope mine will do as well in the autumn.’

‘Did you do anything with Scheigan?’

‘He wanted to take two things away and send me the money from America when he got back, as his draft on the bank over here wasn’t big enough.’

‘Did you do it?’

‘In the end he took a drawing and gave me a pound for it on account.’

‘He’s open-handed.’

‘He can’t resist beauty,’ said Barlow; ‘he told me he couldn’t.’

‘How is he getting on with Harriet?’

‘She won’t come near him. She’s got his gold cigarette-case. He’s very upset.’

‘Harriet is a smart girl.’

‘Harriet is a nice girl,’ said Barlow. ‘But she’s a bit too clever for me.’

‘How is Sophy?’

‘Sophy has gone out of London to see her sister. It makes a change for both of us.’

‘Then you think Raymond has fallen for Harriet?’

‘I hope it stops him from ringing up Sophy all day long. I’m not afraid that he’ll take her away from me, but I don’t like it.’

‘Does he ring her up often?’

Barlow said: ‘No, I don’t think so. But I’m not sure.’ He said: ‘Was it you dining with Susan Nunnery the other night?’

‘Yes.’

‘She’s a nice girl,’ said Barlow. ‘Not my sort. But nice.’

‘I like her.’

Barlow said: ‘Waiter, a black coffee—will you have a black coffee?—two black coffees, and I shall have a cheap cigar. Let me see what you’ve got.’ He said: ‘What I really wanted to talk to you about was not women but the picture that Naomi Race picked up the other day.’

‘It’s not bad.’

‘Good condition?’

Atwater said: ‘A trifle sfumato. Rather in the manner of Valdès.’

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