by F. Anstey
CHAPTER XVIII.
A Suspension of Hostilities.
SCENE--_The roof of Milan Cathedral; the innumerable statues and fretted pinnacles show in dazzling relief against the intense blue sky. Through the open-work of the parapet is seen the vast Piazza, with its yellow toy tram cars, and the small crawling figures which cast inordinately long shadows. All around is a maze of pale brown roofs, and beyond, the green plain blending on the horizon with dove-coloured clouds in a quivering violet haze._ CULCHARD _is sitting by a small doorway at the foot of a flight of steps leading to the Spire_.
CULCHARD (_meditating_). I think Maud must have seen from the tone inwhich I said I preferred to remain below, that I object to that cousinof hers perpetually coming about with us as he does. She's far tooindulgent to him--a posing, affected prig, always talking about thewonderful things he's _going_ to write! He had the impudence to tell meI didn't know the most elementary laws of the sonnet this morning!Withering repartee seems to have no effect whatever on him. I wish I hadsome of Podbury's faculty for flippant chaff! I wonder if he and thePrendergasts really are at Milan. I certainly thought I recognised----If they are, it's very bad taste of them, after the pointed way in whichthey left Bellagio. I only hope we shan't----
[_Here the figure of_ MISS PRENDERGAST _suddenly emerges from the door_; CULCHARD _rises and stands aside to let her pass; she returns his salutation distantly, and passes on with her chin in the air; her brother follows, with a side-jerk of recognition._ PODBURY _comes last, and halts undecidedly._
PODB. (_with a rather awkward laugh_). Here we are again, eh? (_Looksafter_ MISS P., _hesitates, and finally sits down by_ CULCHARD.) Where'sthe fascinating Miss Trotter? How do you come to be off duty like this?
SHE PASSES ON WITH HER CHIN IN THE AIR.]
CULCH. (_stiffly_). The fascinating Miss Trotter is up above with VanBoodeler, so my services are not required.
PODB. Up above? And Hypatia just gone up with Bob! Whew, there'll beructions presently! Well out of it, you and I! So it's Boodeler's turnnow? That's rough on _you_--after Hypatia had whistled poor old Bob off.As much out in the cold as ever, eh?
CULCH. I am nothing of the kind. I find him distasteful to me, and avoidhim as much as I can, that's all. I wish, Podbury, er--I _almost_ wishyou could have stayed with me, instead of allowing the Prendergasts tocarry you off as they did. You would have kept Van Boodeler in order.
PODB. Much obliged, old chap; but I'm otherwise engaged. Being kept inorder myself. Oh, I _like_ it, you know. She's developing my mind likewinking. Spent the whole morning at the Brera, mugging up these oldItalian Johnnies. They really are clinkers, you know. Raphael, eh?--andGiotto, and Mantegna, and all that lot. As Hypatia says, for intensityof--er--religious feeling, and--and subtlety of symbolism, and--and soon, they simply take the cake--romp in, and the rest nowhere! I'mgetting quite the connoisseur, I can tell you!
CULCH. Evidently. I suppose there's no chance of a--a _reconciliation_up there? [_With some alarm._
PODB. Don't you be afraid. When Hypatia once gets her quills up, theydon't subside so easily! Hallo! isn't this old Trotter?
[_That gentleman appears in the doorway._
MR. T. Why, Mr. Podbury, so you've come along here? That's _right_! Andhow do you like Milan? I like the place first-rate--it's a live city,Sir. And I like this old cathedral, too; it's well constructed--they'velaid out money on it. I call it real ornamental, all these littlefiggers they've stuck around--and not two of 'em a pair either. Now,they might have had 'em all alike, and no one any the wiser up so highas this; but it certainly gives it more variety, too, having themdifferent. Well, I'm going up as high as ever I _can_ go. You two bettercome along up with me.
ON THE TOP.
MISS P. (_as she perceives_ MISS T. _and her companion_). Now, Bob, prayremember all I've told you! [BOB _turns away, petulantly_.
MISS T. (_aside, to_ VAN B.). I guess the air's got cooler up here,Charley. But if that girl imagines she's going to freeze _me_!(_Advancing to_ MISS P.) Why, my dear, it's almost too sweet foranything, meeting you again!
MISS P. You're extremely kind, Maud; I wish I could return thecompliment; but really, after what took place at Bellagio, I----
MISS T. (_taking her arm_). Well, I'll own up to being prettyhorrid--and so were you; but there don't seem any sense in our meetingup here like a couple of strange cats on tiles. I won't fly out anymore, there! I'm just dying for a reconciliation; and so is Mr. VanBoodeler. The trouble I've had to console that man! He never met anybodybefore half so interested in the great Amurrcan Novel. And he's wearyingfor another talk. So you'd better give that hatchet a handsome funeral,and come along and take pity on him.
[HYP., _after a struggle, yields, half-reluctantly, and allows herself to be taken across to_ MR. VAN B., _who greets her effusively_. MISS T. _leaves them together_.
BOB P. (_who has been prudently keeping in the background till now,decides that his chance has come_). How do you do, Miss Trotter? It'sawfully jolly to meet you again like this!
MISS T. Well, I guess that remark would have been more convincing ifyou'd made it a few minutes earlier.
BOB. I--I--you see, I didn't know ... I was afraid--I rather thought----
MISS T. You don't get much further with _rather_ thinking, as a generalrule, than if you didn't think at all. But if you're at all anxious torun away the way you did at Bellagio, you needn't be afraid _I'll_hinder you.
BOB. (_earnestly_). Run away! _Do_ you think I'd have gone if--I've feltdull enough ever since, without _that!_
MISS T. Oh, I expect you've had a beautiful time. _We_ have.
MISS P. (_coming up_). Robert, I thought you wanted to see the Alps? Youshould come over to the other side, and----
MISS T. I'll undertake that he sees the Alps, my dear, presently--whenwe're through our talk.
MISS P. As you please, dear. But (_pointedly_) did I not see Mr.Culchard below?
MISS T. You don't mean to say you're wearied of Mr. Van Boodeler_already_! Well, Mr. Culchard will be along soon, and I'll loan him toyou. I'll tell him you're vurry anxious to converse with him some more.He's just coming along now, with Mr. Podbury and Poppa.
MISS P. (_under her breath_). Maud! if you _dare_----!
MISS T. Don't you _dare_ me, then--or you'll see. But I don't want to bemean unless I'm obliged to.
[MR. TROTTER, _followed by_ CULCHARD _and_ PODBURY, _arrives at theupper platform_. CULCHARD _and_ PODBURY _efface themselves as much aspossible_. MR. TROTTER _greets_ MISS PRENDERGAST _heartily_.
MR. T. Well now, I call this sociable, meeting all together again likethis. I don't see why in the land we didn't _keep_ together. I've beensaying so to my darter here, ever since Bellagio--ain't that so, Maud?And _she_ didn't know just how it came about either.
MISS P. (_hurriedly_). We--we had to be getting on. And I am afraid wemust say good-bye now, Mr. Trotter. I want Bob and Mr. Podbury to seethe Da Vinci fresco, you know, before the light goes. (BOB _mutters ahighly disrespectful wish concerning that work of Art_.) We _may_ seeyou again, before we leave for Verona.
MR. T. Verona? Well, I don't care if I see Verona myself. Seems a pityto separate now we _have_ met, _don't_ it? See here, now, we'll _all_ goalong to Verona together--how's that, Maud? Start whenever _you_ feellike it, Miss Prendergast. How does that proposal strike you? I'll bereal hurt if you cann't take to my idea.
MISS T. The fact is, Poppa, Hypatia isn't just sure that Mr. Prendergastwouldn't object.
BOB P. I--object? Not _much_! Just what I should _like_, seeing Veronawith--all _together_, you know!
MISS T. Then I guess _that's_ fixed. (_Aside, to_ MISS P., _who isspeechless_.) Come, you haven't the heart to go and disappoint my poorCousin Charley by saying you won't go! I expect he'll be perfectlyenchanted to be under vow--unless you've filled up _all_ the vacanciesalready! (_Aloud, to_ VAN B., _as he approaches_.) We've persuaded MissPrendergast t
o join our party. I hope you feel equal to entertainingher?
VAN B. I shall be proud to be permitted to try. (_To_ MISS P.) Then Imay take it that you agree with me that the function of the futureAmerican fictionist will be---- [_They move away conversing._
PODB. (_to_ CULCH.). I say, old fellow, we're to be travellingcompanions again, after all. And a jolly good thing, too, _I_ think!...eh?
CULCH. Oh, h'm--quite so. That is--but no doubt it will be anadvantage--(_with a glance at_ VAN B., _who is absorbed in_ MISS P.'S_conversation_)--in--er--_some_ respects. (_To himself_) Hardly frompoor dear Podbury's point of view, I'm afraid though! However, if _he_sees nothing----! [_He shrugs his shoulders, pityingly._