Page 144 - tender-is-the-night

‘You were not with him at all last night?’
‘But no.’
‘We have arrested a Negro. We are convinced we have at
last arrested the correct Negro.’
‘I assure you that I haven’t an idea what you’re talking
about. If it’s the Mr. Abraham North, the one we know, well,
if he was in Paris last night we weren’t aware of it.’
The man nodded, sucked his upper lip, convinced but
disappointed.
‘What happened?’ Nicole demanded.
He showed his palms, puffing out his closed mouth. He
had begun to find her attractive and his eyes flickered at
her.
‘What do you wish, Madame? A summer affair. Mr. Af-
ghan North was robbed and he made a complaint. We have
arrested the miscreant. Mr. Afghan should come to identify
him and make the proper charges.’
Nicole pulled her dressing-gown closer around her
and dismissed him briskly. Mystified she took a bath and
dressed. By this time it was after ten and she called Rose-
mary but got no answer—then she phoned the hotel office
and found that Abe had indeed registered, at six-thirty this
morning. His room, however, was still unoccupied. Hoping
for a word from Dick she waited in the parlor of the suite;
just as she had given up and decided to go out, the office
called and announced:
‘Meestaire Crawshow, un nègre.’
‘On what business?’ she demanded.
‘He says he knows you and the doctaire. He says there is

144 Tender is the Night