Page 396 - tender-is-the-night

tention to the performance of her work. Glancing at her
again Nicole found herself impressed, neither with the
character nor the personality, but with the sheer strength
derived from an attitude; Nicole thought that she was for-
midable, and she was confirmed in this point of view as the
party rose from table. Dick remained in his seat wearing an
odd expression; then he crashed into words with a harsh
ineptness.
‘I don’t like innuendo in these deafening English whis-
pers.’
Already half-way out of the room Lady Caroline turned
and walked back to him; she spoke in a low clipped voice
purposely audible to the whole company.
‘You came to me asking for it—disparaging my country-
men, disparaging my friend, Mary Minghetti. I simply said
you were observed associating with a questionable crowd
in Lausanne. Is that a deafening whisper? Or does it simply
deafen YOU?’
‘It’s still not loud enough,’ said Dick, a little too late. ‘So I
am actually a notorious—‘
Golding crushed out the phrase with his voice saying:
‘What! What!’ and moved his guests on out, with the
threat of his powerful body. Turning the corner of the door
Nicole saw that Dick was still sitting at the table. She was fu-
rious at the woman for her preposterous statement, equally
furious at Dick for having brought them here, for having
become fuddled, for having untipped the capped barbs of
his irony, for having come off humiliated—she was a little
more annoyed because she knew that her taking posses-

396 Tender is the Night