I beckoned the girl.
"One Porto-Ronco and one Special," said I.
I saw that a good many Specials were being drunk at the tables.
"I might venture to-day, Robby, yes?" said Pat. "Just to-day?
Like in old times.
Yes, Koster?"
"The Special is quite good," I replied and drank the second glass.
"I hate it.
Poor Robby, what stuff you will have to drink here."
"If we order fast enough, I'll come, into my own soon," said I.
Pat laughed.
"Afterwards, with supper, I'm allowed to drink something.
Red wine."
We ordered a few more Porto Roncos, then went in to the dining room.
Pat looked lovely.
Her face beamed.
We sat ai one of the small, white, covered tables by the window.
It was warm, and below lay the village with its lighted streets in the snow.
"Where's Helga Guttmann then?" I asked.
"Gone away," said Pat after a pause.
"Gone away?
So soon?"
"Yes," said Pat and I realised what she meant.
The girl brought the dark red wine.
Koster filled the glasses.
The tables were now all occupied.
Everywhere sat people chattering.
I felt Pat's hand on mine.
"Darling," said she very softly and tenderly. "I couldn't stick it any longer."
Chapter XXVI
I came out of the chief physician's room; Koster was waiting for me in the hall.
He stood up when he saw me.
We went outside and sat on a bench in front of the sanatorium.
"It's bad, Otto," said I. "Worse than I feared."
A group of skiers passed noisily close in front of us.
Some oil-besmeared women with powerful, sunburnt faces and big, white sets of teeth.
They shouted to one another that they were hungry as wolves.
We waited till they were past.
"That sort lives of course," said I. "Live and are well to the very marrow.
Make you sick!"
"Did you speak to the chief physician himself?" asked Koster.
"Yes.
He explained it all, with plenty of reservations and qualifications.
But the upshot is, it has got worse.
He even maintained it was better."
"I don't follow."
"He says, if she had stayed below, all hope would have been gone long ago.
Here it has gone slower.
That he calls better."
Koster drew marks with the heel of his shoe in the hard snow.