Ɖ YUÑ GRL
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In hr blu dres, wɖ hr ćīcs lîtli fluśt, hr blu, blu îz, n hr gold crlz pind p az ɖo fr ɖ frst tîm—pind p t b ǎt v ɖ we fr hr flît—Msz. Radic’s dōtr mt hv jst dropt fṛm ɖs redịnt hevn. Msz. Radic’s timid, fentli astoniśt, bt dīpli admîrñ glans lct az f ś b’livd it, tù; bt ɖ dōtr dd’nt apir eni tù plizd—ẃ śd ś?—t hv alîtd on ɖ steps v ɖ Csīno. Indd, ś wz bord—bord az ɖo Hevn hd bn fl v csīnoz wɖ snufi old sents fr crūpịrz n crǎnz t ple wɖ.
“Y d’nt mînd tecñ Heni?” sd Msz. Radic. “Śr y d’nt? Ɖr’z ɖ car, n y’l hv ti n w’l b bac hir on ɖs step—rît hir—in an aur. Y si, I wont hr t g in. Ś’z nt bn bfr, n it’s wrʈ siyñ. I fīl it wd’nt b fer t hr.”
“Ǒ, śut p, muɖr,” sd ś wiṛli. “Cm alñ. D’nt tōc so mć. N yr bag’z opn; y’l b luzñ ol yr muni agn.”
“I’m sori, darlñ,” sd Msz. Radic.
“Ǒ, d cm in! I wont t mc muni,” sd ɖ impeśnt vôs. “It’s ol joli wel fr y—bt I’m brouc!”
“Hir—tec fifti francs, darlñ, tec a hundṛd!” I sw Msz. Radic presñ nots intu hr hand az ɖe pást ʈru ɖ swñ dorz.
Heni n I std on ɖ steps a minit, woćñ ɖ ppl. H hd a vri brōd, dlîtd smîl.
“I se,” h craid, “ɖr’z an Ñgliś bldog. R ɖe alaud t tec dogz in ɖr?”
“No, ɖ’r nt.”
“H’z a ripñ ćap, z’nt h? I wś I hd wn. Ɖ’r sć fun. Ɖe frîtn ppl so, n ɖ’r nvr firs wɖ ɖer—ɖ ppl ɖe b’loñ t.” Sudnli h sqizd mî arm. “I se, d lc at ɖt old wmn. Hu z ś? Ẃ dz ś lc lîc ɖt? Z ś a gamblr?”
Ɖ enćnt, wiɖrd crīćr, wẹrñ a grīn satin dres, a blac velvit clǒc n a ẃît hat wɖ prpl feɖrz, jrct slǒli, slǒli p ɖ steps az ɖo ś wr biyñ drwn p on wîrz. Ś stérd in frunt v hr, ś wz lafñ n nodñ n cac̣lñ t hrslf; hr clwz clućt rnd ẃt lct lîc a drti būtbag.
Bt jst at ɖt momnt ɖr wz Msz. Radic agn wɖ—hr—n anɖr ledi hoṿrñ in ɖ bacgrǎnd. Msz. Radic ruśt at m. Ś wz brîtli fluśt, ge, a difṛnt crīćr. Ś wz lîc a wmn hu z seyñ “gdbî” t hr frendz on ɖ steśn platform, wɖ nt a minit t sper bfr ɖ tren starts.
“Ǒ, y’r hir, stl. Z’nt ɖt luci! Y’v nt gn. Z’nt ɖt fîn! I’v hd ɖ most dredfl tîm wɖ—hr,” n ś wevd t hr dōtr, hu std abṣlutli stil, dsdenfl, lcñ dǎn, twiḍlñ hr ft on ɖ step, mîlz awe. “Ɖe w’nt let hr in. I swòr ś wz twenti-wn. Bt ɖe w’nt b’liv m. I śoud ɖ man mî prs; I dd’nt der t d mor. Bt it wz no ys. H simpli scoft… N nǎ I’v jst met Msz. McYwn fṛm Ny Yorc, n ś jst wún ʈrtīn ʈǎznd in ɖ Salle Privée—n ś wonts m t g bac wɖ hr ẃl ɖ luc lasts. V cors I c’nt līv—hr. Bt f y’d—”
At ɖt “ś” lct p; ś simpli wiɖrd hr muɖr. “Ẃ c’nt y līv m?” ś sd fyrịsli. “Ẃt utr rot! Hǎ der y mc a sīn lîc ɖs? Ɖs z ɖ last tîm I’l cm ǎt wɖ y. Y riyli r tù ōfl fr wrdz.” Ś lct hr muɖr p n dǎn. “Cām yrslf,” ś sd sūprbli.
Msz. Radic wz despṛt, jst despṛt. Ś wz “wîld” t g bac wɖ Msz. McYwn, bt at ɖ sem tîm…
I sizd mî curij. “Wd y—d y cer t cm t ti wɖ—s?”
“Yes, yes, ś’l b dlîtd. Ɖt’s jst ẃt I wontd, z’nt it, darlñ? Msz. McYwn… I’l b bac hir in an aur… or les… I’l…”
Msz. R. daśt p ɖ steps. I sw hr bag wz opn agn.
So w ʈri wr left. Bt riyli it wz’nt mî fōlt. Heni lct cruśt t ɖ rʈ, tù. Ẃn ɖ car wz ɖr ś rápt hr darc cot rnd hr—t iscep cntaṃneśn. Īvn hr litl fīt lct az ɖo ɖe scornd t cari hr dǎn ɖ steps t s.
“I am so ōf̣li sori,” I mrmrd az ɖ car startd.
“Ǒ, I d’nt mînd,” sd ś. “I d’nt wont t lc twenti-wn. Hu wd—f ɖe wr sevntīn! It’s”—n ś gev a fent śudr—“ɖ stypidti I loɖ, n biyñ stérd at bî old fat men. Bīsts!”
Heni gev hr a qc lc n ɖen pīrd ǎt v ɖ windo.
W drù p bfr an imns palis v pnc-n-ẃît marbl wɖ orinjtrīz ǎtsd ɖ dorz in gold-n-blac tubz.
“Wd y cer t g in?” I sjstd.
Ś heztetd, glanst, bit hr lip, n rzînd hrslf. “Ǒ wel, ɖr sīmz nẃr els,” sd ś. “Gt ǎt, Heni.”
I wnt frst—t fînd ɖ tebl, v cors—ś foloud. Bt ɖ wrst v it wz hvñ hr litl bruɖr, hu wz onli twelv, wɖ s. Ɖt wz ɖ last, fînl strw—hvñ ɖt ćîld, trelñ at hr hìlz.
Ɖr wz wn tebl. It hd pnc carneśnz n pnc plets wɖ litl blu tīnapcinz fr sêlz.
“Śl w sit hir?”
Ś pt hr hand wiṛli on ɖ bac v a ẃît wicr ćer.
“W me az wel. Ẃ nt?” sd ś.
Heni sqizd past hr n rigld on t a stūl at ɖ end. H flt ōf̣li ǎt v it. Ś dd’nt īvn tec hr gluvz of. Ś lowrd hr îz n drumd on ɖ tebl. Ẃn a fent vaylin sǎndd ś winst n bit hr lip agn. Sîḷns.
Ɖ wêtris apird. I hardli derd t asc hr. “Ti—cofi? Ćîna ti—or îst ti wɖ lemn?”
Riyli ś dd’nt mînd. It wz ol ɖ sem t hr. Ś dd’nt riyli wont enʈñ. Heni ẃisprd, “Ćocḷt!”
Bt jst az ɖ wêtris trnd awe ś craid ǎt cerlisli, “Ǒ, y me az wel brñ m a ćocḷt, tù.”
Ẃl w wêtd ś tc ǎt a litl, gold pǎdrbox wɖ a mirr in ɖ lid, śc ɖ pur litl puf az ɖo ś loɖd it, n dabd hr luvli nǒz.
“Heni,” ś sd, “tec ɖoz flǎrz awe.” Ś pôntd wɖ hr puf t ɖ carneśnz, n I hŕd hr mrmr, “I c’nt ber flǎrz on a tebl.” Ɖe hd evidntli bn gvñ hr intns pen, fr ś poztivli clozd hr îz az I muvd ɖm awe.
Ɖ wêtris cem bac wɖ ɖ ćocḷt n ɖ ti. Ś pt ɖ big, froʈñ cups bfr ɖm n pśt acrs mî clir glas. Heni berid hiz nǒz, imrjd, wɖ, fr wn dredfl momnt, a litl tremḅlñ blob v crīm on ɖ tip. Bt h hesṭli wîpt it of lîc a litl jntlmn. I wundrd f I śd der drw hr atnśn t hr cup. Ś dd’nt notis it—dd’nt si it—untl sudnli, qt bî ćans, ś tc a sip. I woćt añśsli; ś fentli śudrd.
“Dredf̣li swīt!” sd ś.
A tîni bô wɖ a hed lîc a rezn n a ćocḷt bodi cem rnd wɖ a tre v pestriz—ro upn ro v litl frīcs, litl insṗreśnz, litl mltñ drīmz. H ofrd ɖm t hr. “Ǒ, I’m nt at ol hungri. Tec ɖm awe.”
H ofrd ɖm t Heni. Heni gev m a swift lc—it mst hv bn saṭsfactri—fr h tc a ćocḷt crīm, a cofi icler, a mrañ stuft wɖ ćesnut n a tîni horn fild wɖ freś strwḅriz. Ś cd hardli ber t woć him. Bt jst az ɖ bô swrvd awe ś hld p hr plet.
“Ǒ wel, gv m wn,” sd ś.
Ɖ silvr toñz dropt wn, tū, ʈri—n a ćeri tartlit. “I d’nt nǒ ẃ y’r gvñ m ol ɖz,” ś sd, n nirli smîld. “I ś’nt īt ɖm; I cd’nt!”
I flt mć mor cumftbl. I sipt mî ti, līnd bac, n īvn asct f I mt smoc. At ɖt ś pōzd, ɖ forc in hr hand, opnd hr îz, n riyli dd smîl. “V cors,” sd ś. “I olwz xpct ppl t.”
Bt at ɖt momnt a traɉdi hapnd t Heni. H spird hiz pestri horn tù hard, n it flù in tū, n wn haf spild on ɖ tebl. Gastli afer! H trnd crimzn. Īvn hiz irz flerd, n wn aśemd hand crept acrs ɖ tebl t tec ẃt wz left v ɖ bodi awe.
“Y utr litl bīst!” sd ś.
Gd hevnz! I hd t flî t ɖ resk. I craid hesṭli, “Wl y b abrōd loñ?”
Bt ś hd olrdi fgotn Heni. I wz fgotn, tù. Ś wz trayñ t rmembr smʈñ… Ś wz mîlz awe.
“I—d’nt—nǒ,” ś sd slǒli, fṛm ɖt far ples.
“I s’poz y prifŕ it t Lundn. It’s mor… mor…”
Ẃn I dd’nt g on ś cem bac n lct at m, vri puzld. “Mor…?”
“Enfin—geyr,” I craid, wevñ mî siġrét.
Bt ɖt tc a hol cec t cnsidr. Īvn ɖen, “Ǒ wel, ɖt dpndz!” wz ol ś cd sefli se.
Heni hd finiśt. H wz stl vri worm.
I sizd ɖ buṭflîlist of ɖ tebl. “I se—ẃt abt an îs, Heni? Ẃt abt tanɉrīn n jinjr? No, smʈñ cūlr. Ẃt abt a freś pînapl crīm?”
Heni stroñli apruvd. Ɖ wêtris hd hr î on s. Ɖ ordr wz tecn ẃn ś lct p fṛm hr crumz.
“Dd y se tanɉrīn n jinjr? I lîc jinjr. Y cn brñ m wn.” N ɖen qcli, “I wś ɖt orcistra wd’nt ple ʈñz fṛm ɖ yir Wn. W wr dansñ t ɖt ol last Crisṃs. It’s tù sic̣nñ!”
Bt it wz a ćarmñ er. Nǎ ɖt I notist it, it wormd m.
“I ʈnc ɖs z rɖr a nîs ples, d’nt y, Heni?” I sd.
Heni sd: “Ripñ!” H mnt t se it vri lo, bt it cem ǎt vri hî in a cnd v sqīc.
Nîs? Ɖs ples? Nîs? Fr ɖ frst tîm ś stérd abt hr, trayñ t si ẃt ɖr wz… Ś blinct; hr luvli îz wundrd. A vri gd-lcñ eldrli man stérd bac at hr ʈru a moṇcl on a blac ribn. Bt him ś simpli cd’nt si. Ɖr wz a houl in ɖ er ẃr h wz. Ś lct ʈru n ʈru him.
Fîṇli ɖ litl flat spūnz le stil on ɖ glas plets. Heni lct rɖr xōstd, bt ś pld on hr ẃît gluvz agn. Ś hd sm trubl wɖ hr dîmnd ristwoć; it got in hr we. Ś tugd at it—traid t brec ɖ stypid litl ʈñ—it wd’nt brec. Fîṇli, ś hd t drag hr gluv ovr. I sw, aftr ɖt, ś cd’nt stand ɖs ples a momnt longr, n, indd, ś jumt p n trnd awe ẃl I wnt ʈru ɖ vulgr act v peyñ fr ɖ ti.
N ɖen w wr ǎtsd agn. It hd groun dusci. Ɖ scî wz sprincld wɖ smōl starz; ɖ big lamps gloud. Ẃl w wêtd fr ɖ car t cm p ś std on ɖ step, jst az bfr, twiḍlñ hr ft, lcñ dǎn.
Heni bǎndd fwd t opn ɖ dor n ś got in n sanc bac wɖ—ǒ—sć a sai!
“Tel him,” ś gaspt, “t drîv az fast az h cn.”
Heni grind at hiz frend ɖ śofr. “Allie veet!” sd h. Ɖen h cmpozd himslf n sat on ɖ smōl sīt fesñ s.
Ɖ gold pǎdrbox cem ǎt agn. Agn ɖ pur litl puf wz śecn; agn ɖr wz ɖt swift, dedli-sīcrit glans btwn hr n ɖ mirr.
W tòr ʈru ɖ blac-n-gold tǎn lîc a per v sizrz tẹrñ ʈru bṛced. Heni hd gret dificlti nt t lc az ɖo h wr haññ on t smʈñ.
N ẃn w rīćt ɖ Csīno, v cors Msz. Radic wz’nt ɖr. Ɖr wz’nt a sîn v hr on ɖ steps—nt a sîn.
“Wl y ste in ɖ car ẃl I g n lc?”
Bt no—ś wd’nt d ɖt. Gd hevnz, no! Heni cd ste. Ś cd’nt ber sitñ in a car. Ś’d wêt on ɖ steps.
“Bt I scersli lîc t līv y,” I mrmrd. “I’d vri mć rɖr nt līv y hir.”
At ɖt ś ʈrù bac hr cot; ś trnd n fest m; hr lips partd. “Gd hevnz—ẃ! I… I d’nt mînd it a bit. I… I lîc wêtñ.” N sudnli hr ćīcs crimznd, hr îz grù darc—fr a momnt I ʈt ś wz gwñ t crî. “L-let m, plīz,” ś stamrd, in a worm, īgr vôs. “I lîc it. I luv wêtñ! Riyli… riyli I d! I’m olwz wêtñ—in ol cndz v plesz… ”
Hr darc cot fél opn, n hr ẃît ʈrot—ol hr soft yuñ bodi in ɖ blu dres—wz lîc a flǎr ɖt z jst imrjñ fṛm its darc bud.
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