Page:Angna Enters - Among the Daughters.djvu/504

 love and there was nothing she could do about it, only let him alone to find what she had found. She did not know how to tell him. Maybe the poets had words for it, but she didn't. But another thing she had learned, you must let a man—him—tell himself.

"I guess you're right, I really should go to Lanvin's and not disappoint Beman," she said, since that was what Paul wanted. "My goodness!" she exclaimed, realizing the short time, "I still must get presents for everyone and I have a letter to write and Figente asked me to be sure and find out whether Hal is all right."

"Paris can't be swallowed all in one dose. Its sewers run wide under the city."

"What do you mean?"

"It happened about two weeks ago. Hal had been playing brilliantly, improvising from night to night on Simone's songs until it got to the point where she became sometimes only an accompaniment to his playing. But you can't control someone who takes dope, and one night he didn't show up for a performance, and then he did it several times again so I got Jacques to come back from Germany as she had to sing in London. They are there now. I hated to do it but Jacques is the only one who knows how to take care of her."

"Except you," Lucy said with resignation.

"She's not well either," he said gently, "she needs whatever friends she has."

So that's the way it was, Lucy thought.

"Goodbye," she told him, and bethought herself of manners. "I can't tell you what these days have meant to me. Remember me to Simone when you see her."

"You mustn't leave this way," he said, suddenly desolate at losing her. But what could he do, he was unequal to taking care of her, assuming she wanted to remain.

"Hold me tight once more," she asked, and afterwards went to write Nino in Madrid as best she could a long letter of farewell.

She shook her head at the hostile vendeuse. "Tangerine makes me look washed out."

"But Mademoiselle has given us no time. She must comprehend one has not the sufficient time to make a robe. This model had a grand success at our showing last week. Mademoiselle would be the first to introduce Madame's latest color in New York." 492