Page:Diamonds To Sit On.pdf/210

 198

DIAMONDS TO SIT ON

wire, but she did not fall. Dressed in a flesh-coloured bathing suit and wearing a man’s bowler, she was balancing herself beautifully with the aid of a green umbrella on which was written : ‘ I want Podkolesin ! ’ She jumped lightly from the wire straight on to a chair, and simultaneously with this the niggers, Pod­ kolesin, Kochkorev, who were dressed in ballet costume, together with the matchmaker all turned head over heels backwards. Then they all rested for five minutes, and again the lights went out, and after a lot of horse­ play the curtain fell. ‘ The chairs are intact, but we have no time to waste. If Agafiya Tikhonovna is going to jump on to them hke that every day they won’t last out very much longer.’ And then he added ; ‘ Well, Pussy, it’s time to go to bye-bye, for we’ll have to stand in the queue at the railway station to-morrow. The company are leaving by the seven o’clock express for NizhniNovgorod and we’ll have to reserve two seats. It’ll be pretty uncomfortable, but we can manage. After all, it’s only one night in the train.’ The next day the whole of the Columbus Theatre company were sitting in the refreshment room of the Kursk railway station. Agafiya Tikhonovna was sitting at a separate table, and Malkin, Galkin, Palkin, Chaikin, and Zalkind were bustling round her. The producer was walking up and down the platform with his wife, while Bender and Hippolyte, who had come to the station two hours before the train was due to leave, were walking round the station square for the fifth time, so that Hippolyte was feeling quite dizzy. The chase for the chairs was in its final stages. The station was buzzing with people. ‘ We must be going,’ said Bender. Hippolyte turned round and was about to follow
 * I’m quite satisfied with the play,’ said Bender.