Page 71 - tender-is-the-night

XI

She found Campion downstairs in the deserted lobby.
‘I saw you go upstairs,’ he said excitedly. ‘Is he all right?
When is the duel going to be?’
‘I don’t know.’ She resented his speaking of it as a circus,
with McKisco as the tragic clown.
‘Will you go with me?’ he demanded, with the air of hav-
ing seats. ‘I’ve hired the hotel car.’
‘I don’t want to go.’
‘Why not? I imagine it’ll take years off my life but I
wouldn’t miss it for worlds. We could watch it from quite
far away.’
‘Why don’t you get Mr. Dumphry to go with you?’
His monocle fell out, with no whiskers to hide in—he
drew himself up.
‘I never want to see him again.’
‘Well, I’m afraid I can’t go. Mother wouldn’t like it.’
As Rosemary entered her room Mrs. Speers stirred sleep-
ily and called to her:
‘Where’ve you been?’
‘I just couldn’t sleep. You go back to sleep, Mother.’
‘Come in my room.’ Hearing her sit up in bed, Rosemary
went in and told her what had happened.
‘Why don’t you go and see it?’ Mrs. Speers suggested.
‘You needn’t go up close and you might be able to help af-

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