@@@@@She looked haggard, dreadfully tired in 676
@@@@@She looked haggard,
dreadfully tired in spite of her smile
I raised my eyes to Wireman's, and he gave the
tiniest of shrugsShe insisted, it saidI
switched my gaze to Jack and got much the same
Rosenblatt, meanwhile, was rummaging in his
pocketsAt last he came up with a book of matches
so battered it looked as if it might have entered
the United States without a passport at Ellis
IslandHe opened it and tore one out
"I thought smoking was against the rules in all
these public buildings now," Elizabeth said
Rosenblatt struggledColor rose up his neckI
almost expected his head to explodeFinally he
exclaimed: "Fuck the rules, Miss Eastlake!"
"BRAVISSIMO!" Mary shouted, laughing and throwing
her hands to the ceiling, and at this there was
another round of applauseA greater one came when
Rosenblatt finally got the ancient match to ignite
713
and held it out to Elizabeth, who placed her
cigarette-holder between her lips
"Who is she really, Daddy?" Ilse asked softly
"Besides the little old lady who lives down the
lane, I mean?"
I said, "According to reports, at one time she was
the Sarasota art scene
"I don't understand why that gives her the right
to muck up our lungs with her cigarette smoke,"
Linnie saidThe vertical line was returning
between her brows"Oh, ch?rie, this after all the bars
we-"
"This is not there," she said, the vertical line
deepening, and I thought, Ric, you may be French,
but you have a lot to learn about this particular
American woman
Alice Aucoin murmured to Dario, and from his
pocket, Dario produced an Altoids tinHe dumped
the mints into the palm of his hand and gave Alice
the tinAlice gave it to Elizabeth, who thanked
her and tapped her cigarette ash into it
Pam watched, fascinated, then turned to me"What
does she think of your pictures?"
714
"I don't know," I said"She hasn't seen them
Elizabeth was beckoning to
