Dr. Messinger turned over and said,
“Oh, for God's sake.”
He tried not to scratch; then he tried to scratch quietly; then in a frenzy he scratched as hard as he could, breaking the skin in a dozen places.
“Oh, for God's sake,” said Dr. Messinger.
`Half past eight,' thought Tony. `In London they are just beginning to collect for dinner.'
It was the time of year in London when there were parties every night. (Once, when he was trying to get engaged to Brenda, he had gone to them all.
If they had dined in different houses, he would search the crowd for Brenda and hang about by the stairs waiting for her to arrive.
Later he would hang about to take her home.
Lady St. Cloud had done everything to make it easy for him.
Later, after they were married, in the two years they had spent in London before Tony's father died, they had been to fewer parties, one or two a week at the most, except for a very gay month just when Brenda was well again, after John Andrew's birth.) Tony began to imagine a dinner party assembling at that moment in London, with Brenda there and the surprised look with which she greeted each new arrival.
If there was a fire she would be as near it as she could get.
Would there be a fire at the end of May?
He could not remember.
There were nearly always fires at Hetton in the evening, whatever the season.
Then after another bout of scratching it occurred to Tony that it was not half past eight in England.
There was five hours difference in time.
They had altered their watches daily on the voyage out.
Which way?
It ought to be easy to work out.
The sun rose in the east.
England was east of America so they got the sun later.
It came to them at second hand and slightly soiled after Polly Cockpurse and Mrs. Beaver and Princess Abdul Akbar had finished with it … Like Polly's dresses which Brenda used to buy for ten or fifteen pounds each … he fell asleep.
He woke an hour later to hear Dr. Messinger cursing and to see him sitting astride his hammock working with bandages, iodine and his great toe.
“A vampire bat got it.
I must have gone to sleep with my foot against the netting.
God knows how long he had been at it, before I woke up.
That lamp ought to keep them off but it doesn't seem to.”
The black boys were still awake, munching over the fire.
“Vampires plenty bad this side, chief,” they said.
“Dat why for us no leave de fire.”
“It's just the way to get sick, blast it,” said Dr. Messinger.
“I may have lost pints of blood.”
Brenda and Jock were dancing together at Anchorage House.
It was late, the party was thinning, and now for the first time that evening, it was possible to dance with pleasure.
The ballroom was hung with tapestry and lit by candles.
Lady Anchorage had lately curtsied her farewell to the last royalty.
“How I hate staying up late,” Brenda said, “but it seems a shame to take my Mr. Beaver away.
He's so thrilled to be here, bless him, and it was a great effort to get him asked … Come to think of it,” she added later, “I suppose that this is the last year I shall be able to go to this kind of party.”
“You're going through with it?”
“I don't know, Jock.
It doesn't really depend on me.
It's all a matter of holding down Mr. Beaver.
He's getting very restive.
I have to feed him a bit of high life every week or so, and I suppose that'll all stop if there's a divorce.
Any news of Tony?”
“Not for some time now.
I got a cable when he landed.
He's gone off on some expedition with a crook doctor.”
“Is it absolutely safe?”
“Oh, I imagine so.