‘You won’t find that so easy,’ Gurdweill assured him. ‘He can twist a dozen like you around his little finger. I can promise you that these few minutes were enough for him to know you inside out. But if he interests you, why don’t you come to fetch me from work one day, at about six.’

‘Come on, rabbit! Here’s our tram!’ Thea tugged at his sleeve.

And they rode off to have lunch with the old Baron.

20

20

‘The weather isn’t fit for a dog!’ The old Baron greeted them as he opened the door.

‘Yes, it’s freezing,’ Gurdweill agreed.

In the salon Poldy, the elder brother, lay sprawled on the sofa. He was reading the newspaper and smoking a cigarette in a long brown holder, and the grey-and-white striped cat was purring as it dozed on his lap. Without getting up or taking his eyes from the paper, he held out his hand to the newcomers.

Freddy was pacing up and down the room with his hands in his pockets. He waited for Thea to go to the mirror to tidy her hair, and asked Gurdweill in a whisper if he had any money. He asked this question in a tone of indifference, as if it were some trivial matter that had nothing to do with him, and without interrupting his pacing. The negative reply made no apparent impression on him. He went on pacing on his long legs, like some exotic bird, and humming a tune through his nose.