True, Barcelona
was an evil place for one so young as "La Nina," but the blessed
saints--
Emile gave her a _peseta_, and left her to her invocations. In the
long passage that led from the dressing-rooms he ran into Estelle, who
was just sufficiently drunk to be excitable and quarrelsome. She still
had on her dancer's costume of short skirts of poppy-coloured tulle,
and scarlet shoes and tights. She was further adorned with long,
dangling, coral ear-rings, and a black bruise on the left side of her
face under the eye, the outward and visible sign of her last encounter
with the Manager.
She saluted Emile with a vindictive glare from her black eyes, and
tried to push past him. She hated him in a spiteful feminine way for
his complete appropriation of Arithelli, of whom, thanks to him, she
now saw very little. She had quarrelled with all the other women
employed in the Circus, but Arithelli had always helped her to dress,
and given her cigarettes and listened to her woes.
Emile blocked the way, catching the dancer by the wrist as she
attempted to slip by, leaving his question unanswered.
Pages:
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108