''It is wonderful,'' the Colonel said. ''But you can't give me that.''
''I already have,'' the girl said. ''I'm sure my hair was never that long over my shoulders.''
''I think it probably was.''
''I could try to let it get that long if you want.''
''Try,'' the Colonel said. ''You great beauty you.
I love you very much.
You and you portrayed on canvas.''
''Tell the waiters if you like.
I'm sure it won't come as a great shock to them.''
''Take the canvas upstairs to my room,'' the Colonel said to the concierge. ''Thank you very much for bringing it in.
If the price is right, I am going to buy it.''
''The price is right,'' the girl said to him. ''Should we have them take it and the chairs down and make a special showing of it for your compatriot?
The Gran Maestro could tell him the address of the painter and he could visit the picturesque studio.''
''It is a very lovely portrait,'' the Gran Maestro said. ''But it should be taken to the room.
One should never let Roederer or Perrier-Jouet do the talking.''
''Take it to the room, please.''
''You said please without a pause before it.''
''Thank you,'' the Colonel said. ''I am very deeply moved by the portrait and I am not entirely responsible for what I say.''
''Let's neither of us be responsible.''
''Agreed,'' the Colonel said. ''The Gran Maestro is really very responsible.
He always was.''
''No,'' the girl said. ''I think he did not only from responsibility but from malice.
We all have malice, you know, of some kind or another in this town.
I think perhaps he did not want the man to have even a journalist's look into happiness.''
''Whatever that is.''
''I learned that phrase from you, and now you have re-learned it back from me.''
''That's the way it goes,'' the Colonel said. ''What you win in Boston you lose in Chicago.''
''I don't understand that at all.''
''Too hard to explain,'' the Colonel said. Then, ''No. Of course it isn't.
Making things clear is my main trade.
The hell with being too hard to explain.
It is like professional football, calcio, What you win in Milano you lose in Torino.''
''I don't care about football.''
''Neither do I,'' the Colonel said. ''Especially not about the Army and Navy game and when the very high brass speaks in terms of American football so they can understand, themselves, what they are talking of.''
''I think we will have a good time tonight.
Even under the circumstances, whatever they are.''
''Should we take this new bottle in the gondola?''
''Yes,'' the girl said. ''But with deep glasses.
I'll tell the Gran Maestro.
Let's get our coats and go.''
''Good.
I'll take some of this medicine and sign for the G.M. and we'll go.''
''I wish it was me taking the medicine instead of you.''
''I'm glad as hell it isn't,'' the Colonel said. ''Should we pick our gondola or have them bring one to the landing?''
''Let's gamble and have them bring one to the landing.
What do we have to lose?''
''Nothing, I guess.
Probably nothing.''
CHAPTER 13
THEY went out the side door of the hotel to the imbarcadero and the wind hit them.