building up a collection and I must have everything heâs done.â
âBut he wonât stop doing things,â said Colin. âHe writes at least five articles a week â¦â
âI know,â said Chick.
Colin helped him to some more pumpkin.
âWhat can I do to see Chloe again?â he said.
Chick looked at him and smiled.
âI can see Iâm boring you stiff with my stories about Jean Pulse Heartre,â he said ⦠âI wish I
could
do something to help you. But what
can
I do? â¦â
âItâs awful,â said Colin. âIâm full of despair and yet, at the same time, Iâm horribly happy. Itâs a nice kind of feeling to want something as badly as that.â
âI wish,â he went on, âI were lying deep in lightly toasted grass, with sunshine and warm earth all around â the grass crisp and yellow as straw, you know what I mean, with hundreds of little buzzing insects, and clumps of soft dry moss too. One lies flat on oneâs tummy and stares. A hedge, some pebbles, a few gnarled trees and half-a-dozen leaves complete the scene. Theyâre a great help.â
âAnd Chloe?â said Chick.
âAnd Chloe, of course,â said Colin. âChloe on my mind.â
They were quiet for a few moments. A bottle seized the opportunity presented by these moments to send out a crystalline sound that bounced backwards and forwards between the walls.
âHave some more wine,â said Colin.
âYes,â said Chick. âThanks.â
Nicholas brought in the rest of the meal â pineapple shortbread with orange cream.
âThank you, Nicholas,â said Colin. âWhat would you do if you were me and you wanted to see a girl you were in love with again?â
âGood Lord, sir,â said Nicholas, âI see what Mr Colin means ⦠But I must confess, sir, that such a thing has never happened to me.â
âOf course,â said Chick. âYouâre as tough as Tarzan. But everybody isnât like you!â
âThank you for the compliment, sir. Iâm very touched,â said Nicholas. âIf I were Mr Colin, sir,â he continued, addressing himself to Colin, âthen I would try â using as an agent the person at whose home I had met the person whose presence Mr Colin seems to be missing, sir â to gather what information I could concerning the habits and whereabouts of this said person.â
âDespite its convoluted phraseology, Nicholas,â said Colin, âI think that your idea does indeed have possibilities. But you know how silly you are when youâre in love. And thatâs why I didnât tell Chick that Iâd thought of doing exactly what youâve described a long time ago.â
Nicholas went back to the kitchen.
âHeâs priceless,â said Colin.
âYes,â said Chick. âHe certainly knows how to cook.â
They drank some more wine. Nicholas came back with an enormous cake.
âHereâs an extra dessert,â he said.
Colin picked up a knife, but held himself back just as he was going to cut the first slice.
âItâs too beautiful to cut,â he said. âLetâs wait a moment.â
âProcrastination,â said Chick, âis a prelude in a minor key.â
âWhat made you say that?â said Colin.
He took Chickâs glass and filled it with golden wine that was as heavy as syrup but flowed like trampled ether.
âI donât know,â said Chick. âIt came without thinking.â
âTaste!â said Colin.
They both emptied their glasses.
âItâs wild! â¦â said Chick, whose eyes began to glow and sparkle like traffic lights.
Colin put his hand on his heart.
âItâs better than that,â he said. âItâs out of this world.â
âOf course,â said Chick. âBecause youâre out of this world