"George" What I 'ave I'll 'old

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 137, 11 June 1932, Page 9 (Supplement)

"George" What I 'ave I'll 'old

By ... HOLLOWAY HORN.

CHAPTER Vlll—(Continued.) George, as far as outward appearance went, succeeded in adopting that confident air. He felt that his note case was secure in his hip-pocket ae they reached the ground floor and the feel of it gave him strength. A page opened the door of the diningroom and ae they entered an elderly waiter came towards them. "Your table is 'ere, sir," he said in a thick but not unpleaoantly German voice. They followed him. Many of the diners were in evening dress, but several were not, so things might have been worse. No one took any notice of them and they achieved their table without mishap. The waiter handed the menu. It was a ponderous menu, and in French, of which language George had a slender knowledge. "Grapefruit, hors d'oeuvres ... sir V the waiter, a kindly eoul, indicated with his linger. "Smoked ealmon." "Salmon," said George, looking across to Eth. "What about a bit of smoked salmon?" "Suits me," said Eth, very quietly. "Salmon," said George to the waiter. "And then will be Soub. Thig or Clear, sir?" "Fotage," eaid George, "shall we have thick potage, my dear, or thin?" "I'll 'avc what you 'ave, George." "Thick, then," eaid George. "Thang you, sir." The smoked salmon was new to both of them. It was utterly unlike the tinned variety with which they were conversant. "Seems raw," said Eth. "I suppose it's all right?" "It'ci very tasty. Though they don't give you very much of it." "Wine, sir?" the waiter asked as he brought the soup. "Yes. Seein' 'as 'ow . . . we'll have champagne." "Very good, eor. Veuve Cliquot is goot . . ." "Let's 'ave the best Fritz," said George. The waiter smiled. "Um," said George, as he scanned the prices. "Bit etcep, but seeing as 'ow . . . we'll try a bol. Must celebrate," he explained to Eth. "Don't get married every day. I say, this soup is jolly good! Artichoke, by the taete of it." With the grilled halibut came the champagne. "Golden wine, sir," tho waiter said as he poured it out. "Laughing golden wine. There is sunshine in it! Sunshine and Colour!" "That so?" eaid George. "Looks good, anyway." "Weil, 'ore's to me and mine," said George, and his eyes met his wife's over the laughing golden wine. •■.Makes me sneeze. Those little bubbles make me giggly. Isn't this alibut lovely?" "Fine," said George. "I say, I like this wine. It's expensive, but it's worth every penny." "I dursen't drink much yet, George. I reely dursen't. An' you musn't! You know we aren't used to it, say what you like." "It makes your eyes sparkle, if that s anything. You know, Eth, withoutany kidding, you're the prettiest little bit in the room."

"Come orf it!" she retorted. "Reely! I've looked at 'em all. They're passay, compared with you." "They're what?" • "Fassay. French. Means over-blown. You know, like a rose that's been picked a bit too long." "It must be lovely to know French! "I don't, not as you might eay know it. 'Erc's Fritz again." The waiter filled up the glasses and helped them to chicken from a small casserole. • "You know, Eth, the grub 'ere s O.K. "I like it all," said Eth. "An' I like Fritz. You know, say what you like, when he said that this wine was laughing wine 'e knew what 'e was saying." "'E did that. You haven't touched yours since Fritz filled it." "An' I'm not going to, George. It's very 'eady." George bravely emptied his glass. "It's good stuff," he said. "Don't you 'ave any more, George," she said anxiously. "Right bo! But it does seem a waste. There's almost half of it left. But ole Fritz'll clear it up, I'll bet. One of his perks, as you might say." Followed the most delicious ice that Eth had ever tasted.

And then, since to their amazement, they discovered that it was already a quarter past eight, they had what George called a quick coffee. "We'll have a taxi," said George. "We shan't get married again for a bit." Any show would have been a success that night as far as Mr. and Mrs. Kawlings were concerned. Eth's face was a little flushed, her eyes bright, and she knew, as women always do know, that she was bang at the top of her form. George was in wonderful spirits. An old gentleman sitting just in front of them scowled once or twice, but as Eth asked, "'Oo cares?" A great night.

Afterwards they walked back along the Embankment. It was a magic night. High up, infinitely beyond the pale, flooding electric light, they could see the stare. "I'm jus' coining over sleepy, George." "Same 'ere, Eth. Look at this poor devil!" George turned away from Eth to the huddled figure on one of the seats. " 'Ere y'tire, mate," lie said, and then gave the amazed derelict a ten-shilling note. "I'll <k> 'iin a bit o' good," said George. "An' we got plenty more." The hall porter was etill on duty, but the glorious lady had departed from behind her counter. "'Ad a good time?" the hall porter inquired affably. "Top-hole," said George. "You're only young once. Will you 'ave breakfast sent up, sir?" "What you say, Eth?" "Jus' as you like, George." "No. We'll conic down, then." "Very good, sir." The lift came to rest as silkily as before, and the hall porter watched them walk along the corridor that led to eighty-two before lie touched the button that started the lift on its downward journey. "Aye," he was thinking.' "They're only young once." In his way the hall porter was a philosopher- His hours were considerable, but there were periods when lie was able to think upon life as he knew it.

Like everyone else in the hotel who had noticed them at all, lie was aware that they hart just been married, but honeymoon couples are part of the cvery-day job of a h;ill porter in a bij* London hotel. He liked Eth and he liked George.

A taxi deposited another couple. The husband was fifty, the wife rather younger. Neither spoke. In the lift the man yawned, and made no attempt to conceal the yawn. "Good.-night, sir," said the hall porter as he ojJencd the lift door. The man, grunted, his wife made no Bound. But the hall porter had already touched the magic button and was on his way back to the ground floor, so it didn't matter, anyway. CHAPTER IX. George Meets Another Major. Bournemouth impressed them. They reached the town in the afternoon, and decided to have tea before going to the boardinghouse that had been «o enthusiastically recommended by Eth's friend. They were received by a remarkably efficient lady, who escorted them to their room, from which one could obtain the sea view, as advertised. "Lovely, isn't it?" the lady said, indicating the view as if to show that there was no deception. "Dinner is at seven!" "Thenks," said George, and once again ho and Eth were left alone. "It's going to be all right," said Eth. "I knew it would be. Everything's all right." She had taken off her hat and was standing looking out of the window. They strolled along the front and through the. gardens, examined the big shops, noted where the theatres and cinemas were, and generally savoured tho place before they went back for dinner. They were dressed just as they had been the previous evening, and a pleasant-looking waitre.se ushered them to their table. The establishment prided itself on its good, solid English fare. The menu was almost ostentatiously in English, greatly to Eth's relief.

"There was too much adventure about tbo food last night, George," ehe said. "Until I saw it I 'ad no idea what Fritz was going to produce. Seemed almost as if 'e was a magician." Afiter a pause, she added: "They're mostly old 'ere." George had been glancing round.

"Yes. Ail' a bit stiff by their looks. Still, they'll be more corgial when they get to know us. I gotter feeling I've seen that fat old chap in the corner before."

"I'm glad it's separate tablee, George So much more refined."

"What?" demanded George, in obvious surprise. "Well, don't you like separate tables?" "Yes. But I don't see where the reiined part comes in. I once stayed at a boardinghouse where we all sat at a long ta.ble. Very comfortable it was, too. You got to know people by asking 'em to pass the salt." "I bet you got off!" "I did and all," admitted George. "An why not?" "Why not!" echoed his wife. "Of course, you were a bachelor then." "I didn't think so much of that fish, Eth. Seemed a bit 'igh to me." "Mine was all right. I noticed you were sort of picking at yours." "Coffee is served in the drawing room," the waitress informed them, when at length they reached that stage of the meal.

"Good," said George

Most of their fellow guesle were already assembled in the drawing room when they readied it. They paused, uncertain for a moment, but no one took the least notice of them.

"Let's go over there," said George. "There's two chairs." The chairs were singularly uncomfortable, but some of the occupied ones looked, as George inevitably put it, okay. There was no fiear of their becoming eleopy as they waited for the coffee, but several of the others already appeared com a toe e. "It's a flue, big room, Eth." "Yes. I don't think I'm going to like those people, though. They are stiff. There is somethink to be said for one long table in the dining room. It does -break the ice!" "There's a piano—a gran' piano." '"Ere's coffee, George. Let's get out, afterwards, and have six pennorth of dark." "Suits me. Thenks," he added, as ho took a cup of coffee from the tray the waitress brought round. Having dispatched the coffee, they departed for the pictures, slightly bored with their fellows at the boardinghouse.

They were still more bored by the following evening, for the few attempts that George had nwidc to be hail-fellow-well-met with everybody had been politely but firmly rebuffed. "They don't mean anything in our young lives, anyway," said George, as he and Eth sallied forth after tea. "There's one thing 1 want to do. I want to go into that barber's shop—the big one, I mean —and see 'ow the chaps do their job. I'll 'ave a violet shampoo and a face massage; I recly want to. It'll take 'arf an hour, though."

Now, there may be violet ehampoas and violet shampoos, but the one in which George indulged wae very violet. Tlio face massage, for which he paid two shillings and sixpence, was ntgtlicr liere nor there, but it was impossible not to be acutely aware of the violet shampoo. "You're a bit whiffy, my dear, but 1 like it. You look fine. I went and 'ad a manicure just to show there was no ill-feeling , . Ain't they a treat" She held up her handfi for his inspection.

They went on the pier and watched the fishermen at the end. There wcr« no fell caught us far ar> they could tell, l>lll it seemed to fascinate George. "I'll 'avc a go at that," he said.

"Wonder what there's for dinner tonight?" said 13th, after about an hour'a watching of abortive efforts. "Let's go and see. We'll pinch a cupler decent chains to-ni,2:lit. (Jot an much right to them as those fat old chaps." (To be continued daily.)