"saidCruttendon.
"Fairplay,fairplay,"saidJacobjudicially."Letamangetdrunkifhelikes.That'sShakespeare,Cruttendon.I'mwithyouthere.Shakespearehadmoregutsthanallthesedamnedfrogsputtogether.'Hangtherelikefruitmysoul,'"hebeganquoting,inamusicalrhetoricalvoice,flourishinghiswine-glass."Thedevildamnyoublack,youcream-facedloon!"heexclaimedasthewinewashedovertherim.
"'Hangtherelikefruitmysoul,'"CruttendonandJacobbothbeganagainatthesamemoment,andbothburstoutlaughing.
"Cursetheseflies,"saidMallinson,flickingathisbaldhead."Whatdotheytakemefor?"
"Somethingsweet-smelling,"saidCruttendon.
"Shutup,Cruttendon,"saidJacob."Thefellowhasnomanners,"heexplainedtoMallinsonverypolitely."Wantstocutpeopleofftheirdrink.Lookhere.Iwantgrilledbone.What'stheFrenchforgrilledbone?Grilledbone,Adolphe.Nowyoujuggins,don'tyouunderstand?"
"AndI'lltellyou,Flanders,thesecondmostbeautifulthinginthewholeofliterature,"saidCruttendon,bringinghisfeetdownontothefloor,andleaningrightacrossthetable,sothathisfacealmosttouchedJacob'sface.
"'Heydiddlediddle,thecatandthefiddle,'"Mallinsoninterrupted,strumminghisfingersonthetable."Themostex-qui-sitelybeautifulthinginthewholeofliterature….Cruttendonisaverygoodfellow,"heremarkedconfidentially."Buthe'sabitofafool."Andhejerkedhisheadforward.
Well,notawordofthiswasevertoldtoMrs.Flandersnorwhathappenedwhentheypaidthebillandlefttherestaurant,andwalkedalongtheBoulevardRaspaille.
ThenhereisanotherscrapofconversationthetimeabouteleveninthemorningthesceneastudioandthedaySunday.
"Itellyou,Flanders,"saidCruttendon,"I'dassoonhaveoneofMallinson'slittlepicturesasaChardin.AndwhenIsaythat…"hesqueezedthetailofanemaciatedtube…"Chardinwasagreatswell….Hesells'emtopayhisdinnernow.Butwaittillthedealersgetholdofhim.Agreatswell—oh,averygreatswell."