Читать книгу Old Wine and New - Warwick Deeping - Страница 34

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About an hour later Mr. Taggart heard Scarsdale return. His understudy went into his own room and closed the door, and Taggart’s cynicism wedded itself to curiosity. He had been irritated by Scarsdale’s cheerfulness, his air of sanguine self-confidence, just as though the world had been waiting for these warriors to return, and would hurry to embrace them and prepare beds of roses. Scarsdale was a little inflated; almost he indulged in gentle swaggering; he had made Mr. Taggart feel very much alone with his medicine bottle.

Mr. Taggart got up, and going out into the passage, opened Scarsdale’s door. He surprised his junior in the most unexpected of attitudes. Scarsdale was standing in front of a small mirror, and adjusting the wings of his bow tie.

Mr. Taggart’s bitterness and his breakfast sought self-expression.

“What about article for the next number?”

“I’m doing it. Have it to-morrow.”

“Find Jewell in?”

“No. There’s a new man. Jewell has been scrapped.”

Mr. Taggart smiled, and was moved to say, “I could have told you that if you hadn’t bolted like a rabbit.”

But Scarsdale did not appear depressed. He had felt sorry for Jewell, but he did not associate himself with discarded stones. He turned to his table by the window, and sat down, and began to sort out some proofs.

“Well, they retired Jewell. He was over fifty, you know. The new man seems very decent.”

“Giving you books to do, is he?”

“Probably. He has given me an introduction to Butcher of The Babbler. New wine, Taggart.”

Mr. Taggart said something about new wine being rather raw, and with an air of sombre displeasure left Scarsdale to his proof-reading. Obviously Scarsdale had not realized the significance of Jewell’s disappearance, or suspected that the new man had fobbed him off with an easy introduction. Mr. Taggart returned to his room, glanced at his watch, and then poured himself out a dose of medicine.

He held the glass to his lips.

“The Babbler! Good Lord! Does the fellow think he can babble?”