Page:All Kneeling (1928).pdf/164

 and Gobby modestly averted his eyes from four respectable Parisians, two beards, two black silk dresses, squeezed into a giant pot-de-chambre on the merry-go-round, answering with shrill screams the light-hearted remarks of bystanding friends. Then, leaving the fair, they paused for refreshments outside a cafe.

"An aperitif for me, please."

"Deux aperitifs—oh! non, un moment! Un aperitif pour madame et une tasse de chocolat pour moi."

"Thank you, sir. Any pastry?"

"Oh, oui, pâtisserie assortt. I'm crazy about that frock, Christabel, that little glimpse of lemon-yellow sash is heavenly with the green, but you mustn't wear that hat with it, my dear! The color's all right, but the line isn't you. I'll have to take you to a wonderful place where they make hats on your head. Are you sure you aren't just being unselfish, leaving that coffee éclair for me?"

"It's being a wonderful afternoon, Gobby! It's giving me fresh courage to go on with."