.ButyoumusthavehadaMAUVAISQUARTD’HEURE.”
MissAbbott’slongterrorsuddenlyturnedintoacidity.“I’vetoldnothing,”shesnapped.“It’sallforyou—andifitonlytakesaquarterofanhouryou’llbelucky!”
Dinnerwasanightmare.Theyhadthesmellydining-roomtothemselves.Lilia,verysmartandvociferous,wasattheheadofthetableMissAbbott,alsoinherbest,satbyPhilip,looking,tohisirritatednerves,morelikethetragedyconfidanteeverymoment.ThatscionoftheItaliannobility,SignorCarella,satopposite.Behindhimloomedabowlofgoldfish,whoswamroundandround,gapingattheguests.
ThefaceofSignorCarellawastwitchingtoomuchforPhiliptostudyit.Buthecouldseethehands,whichwerenotparticularlyclean,anddidnotgetcleanerbyfidgetingamongsttheshiningslabsofhair.Hisstarchedcuffswerenotcleaneither,andasforhissuit,ithadobviouslybeenboughtfortheoccasionassomethingreallyEnglish—agiganticcheck,whichdidnotevenfit.Hishandkerchiefhehadforgotten,butnevermissedit.Altogether,hewasquiteunpresentable,andveryluckytohaveafatherwhowasadentistinMonteriano.Andwhy,evenLilia—ButassoonasthemealbeganitfurnishedPhilipwithanexplanation.
Fortheyouthwashungry,andhisladyfilledhisplatewithspaghetti,andwhenthosedeliciousslipperywormswereflyingdownhisthroat,hisfacerelaxedandbecameforamomentunconsciousandcalm.AndPhiliphadseenthatfacebeforeinItalyahundredtimes—seenitandlovedit,foritwasnotmerelybeautiful,buthadthecharmwhichistherightfulheritageofallwhoarebornonthatsoil.Buthedidnotwanttoseeitoppositehimatdinner.Itwasnotthefaceofagentleman.
Conversation,togiveitthatname,wascarriedoninamixtureofEnglishandItalian.Liliahadpickeduphardlyanyofthelatterlanguage,andSignorCarellahadnotyetlearntanyoftheformer.OccasionallyMissAbbotthadtoactasinterpreterbetweenthelovers,andthesituationbecameuncouthandrevoltingintheextreme.YetPhilipwastoocowardlytobreakforthanddenouncetheengagement.HethoughtheshouldbemoreeffectivewithLiliaifhehadheralone,andpretendedtohimselfthathemusthearherdefencebeforegivingjudgment.
SignorCarella,heartenedbythespaghettiandthethroat-raspingwine,attemptedtotalk,and,lookingpolitelytowardsPhilip,said,“Englandisagreatcountry.TheItaliansloveEnglandandtheEnglish.”
Philip,innomoodforinternationalamenities,merelybowed.
“Italytoo,”theothercontinuedalittleresentfully,“isagreatcountry.Shehasproducedmanyfamousmen—forexampleGaribaldiandDante.Thelatterwrotethe‘Inferno,’the‘Purgatorio,’the‘Paradiso.’The‘Inferno’isthemostbeautiful.”Andwiththecomplacenttoneofon