His big, dark face was filled with an overshadowing tenderness.
The violinist had made an effort to dance with the Spaniard.
She merely shook her head and walked to the dance floor with the Russian.
The violinist broke a cigarette in his long, bony fingers.
I suddenly felt sorry for him.
I offered him a cigarette.
He declined.
"I must take care of myself," said he in a jagged voice.
I nodded.
"That chap," he went on, with a snigger, pointing to the Russian, "smokes fifty a day."
"One does one thing, another another," I replied.
"She may not want to dance with me now, but I'll get her yet."
"Who?"
"Rita."
He edged nearer.
"I was well in with her once.
We used to play together.
Then the Russian came and pinched her with his speechifyings.
But I'll get her again."
"Then you'll have to overexert yourself," said I.
I didn't like him.
He broke into feeble laughter.
"Exert myself, you poor simp?
I've only to wait."
"Then wait by all means."
"Fifty cigarettes," he whispered, "daily.
I saw his X ray yesterday.
Cavity beside cavity.
Finished." He laughed again. "We were alike at the start.
You might have interchanged the X rays.
You ought to see the difference now!
I've put on two pounds.
No, my boy, I've only to wait, and take care of myself.
I'm looking forward already to the next picture.
The nurse always shows them to me.
Wait, that's all.
When he's out of the way, then will be my turn."
"One way, I suppose," said I.
"One way," he mimicked; "the only way, you fathead.
If I tried to cut across him now, I'd only spoil my chances for later.
No—quite friendly, calmly—to wait—"
The air grew thick and heavy.
Pat coughed.
I noticed that she looked at me anxiously, so I pretended I had not heard.
The old woman with the many pearls just sat quietly sunken in upon herself.
Now and then she would give a shrill laugh.
The death's head was quarrelling with the gigolo.
The Russian smoked one cigarette after another.
The violinist lit them for him.
A girl gave a sudden convulsive sob, held her handkerchief to her mouth, gazed into it and turned pale.