He had raised his voice above normal to address his friend .sx 'I would be delighted to show Mrs. Egerton my collection,' Theodore replied .sx 'Perhaps you would all come and have tea with me this week ?sx Perhaps- Thursday ?sx ' He looked from Sylvie to Sonia .sx 'Could you then ?sx ' asked Sylvie .sx Sonia thought rapidly .sx Harold would be absent in Salonika for some days ; this made the arrangement of her own timetable much simpler .sx 'I shall look forward to it very much,' she said .sx 'And bring your icon with you,' added Andre@2 .sx 'We'll pick you up on the way,' said Sylvie .sx There was a movement behind them and Hugo , who had disappeared for a moment , reappeared carrying a chair , which he placed beside Andre@2 and invited him to be seated .sx 'But , my dear boy- we must be going !sx ' exclaimed Andre@2 .sx 'Very kind of you- but we're the last .sx Of course we could stay here talking and browsing among the books all night but I don't think we'd be very popular .sx ' They looked round the room to discover that they were indeed the last there , except for the two men employed to keep an eye on the books and rearrange them after the visitors had left .sx They dispersed in the entrance but Sonia accepted a lift in Andre@2's car , which dropped her at her flat .sx Harold had not returned .sx She wondered uneasily where he could be , but since he rarely told her his plans this evening was no exception .sx She could not understand the nervousness that sent her wandering through the rooms , into the hall , back again into the drawing-room , out on to the terrace , until she was suddenly able to pin down its causes .sx Magda's face hovered against the darkness , disembodied , panic-struck ; she could not eliminate it .sx She was afraid and could only hope that the girl had gone home to Erich who loved her , however hopelessly .sx The afternoon which had begun so promisingly with the friendly laughter in Andre@2's flat and the new acquaintances she had made through the French archaeologist , had turned sour since Harold and Magda had put their acid into it .sx She had also been made restless by the sight of Andre@2's and Sylvie's pleasure in one another's company .sx Envy mingled in her mind with regret for what she had missed and saw no chance of reaching in life .sx She wished she were old but with their security .sx CHAPTER =5 .sx ALTHOUGH she did not look forward to the occasion Sonia found it impossible to avoid an evening at Magda's flat , especially since Erich had pleaded with her so anxiously to do what she could to befriend the girl , who tended to shut herself away completely from society and not only made them both unhappy but also damaged his chances of promotion by doing so , social life being part of their duty .sx Harold was to join them straight from the office as soon as he could get away .sx For once she was glad that he would be with her , because she wanted a chance to observe him with Magda in order to discover what was in his mind and how far she was under his control .sx The few minutes at the book exhibition had seemed to show that the girl was already dominated by him and ready to submit to all he suggested .sx They must have been meeting fairly often and she now believed that when Magda had left them after the bathe near Cape Sunion her appointment must have been with Harold .sx There was still a flicker of rebellion in her , however , and Sonia hoped to encourage this tiny flame .sx She walked over to the flat across a patch of uneven waste land that lay neglected between two blocks of modern houses .sx Poppies and coltsfoot grew in profusion , giving colour to the dreary area , and somewhere in the grass there must be edible leaves , for two old women bent over the ground plucking them and stuffing them into paper bags .sx She looked closely as she passed and saw that they were collecting dandelions and nettles .sx The women must have come far , for they were poorly dressed and did not belong to the prosperous neighbourhood .sx They looked up as she passed and , noticing her eyes , filled with curiosity , one of them said :sx ~'Salad !sx ' with a grin and waved a bunch of the tough , dark-green leaves at her .sx Were they driven by poverty alone ?sx By thrift ?sx By avarice ?sx She did not know , but the contrast between these two dark , bent figures collecting the hard , dusty weeds and the flowering gardens of plenty around them remained in her mind's eye for some time and put her out of humour even before she had reached Magda's flat .sx The young people had contrived to import some of their possessions from Germany and the flat was delightful with its golden-yellow cherrywood and ebony Biedermeier furniture and one or two modern pieces , including a rocking-chair with a high back that Magda had purchased after visiting an exhibition of pieces from Denmark some months earlier .sx As far as the plan of the flat was concerned Sonia felt at home in it immediately , for it had been built on the same scheme as her own and she knew exactly where kitchen , bathroom and bedroom lay , a disconcerting impression to have in a house she had never entered until that evening .sx An air of fussiness , however , was added by the innumerable little lace mats that covered almost every polished surface .sx Magda and Erich were both awaiting her .sx He had arranged to come home a few minutes earlier than usual and hurried forward eagerly to welcome her .sx His gratitude was painful and made her ashamed of her own lack of genuine warmth .sx It also , to her dismay , made the isolation into which Magda was gradually forcing him even more evident .sx Sonia and Harold coming to dinner was nothing more , after all , than a normal friendly event among neighbours , all more or less of the same age , and constantly drawn together through the various cultural and social activities in the city , but his attitude seemed to make a special occasion of it .sx 'Tomato juice ?sx ' he asked .sx 'I added lemon juice to increase the vitamin content,' said Magda proudly .sx He brought her a glass and placed it carefully on one of the little mats , then carried one over to his wife .sx 'I don't know whether Harold will care for this,' he added uncertainly .sx 'It will do him good,' Magda declared decidedly .sx 'Magda doesn't think alcohol good for the health,' said Erich apologetically .sx 'But this stuff's delicious , isn't it ?sx ' he added eagerly .sx Politely Sonia agreed .sx It was , too- ice-cool .sx But she could not imagine Harold drinking it .sx 'And what have you been doing since we met last time ?sx ' she asked Erich , more by way of starting a conversation with him than from a desire to know .sx The smile died from his face .sx 'I've had rather a dreadful job,' he said .sx 'I don't know- .sx ' He hesitated .sx 'It won't interest Sonia !sx ' said Magda swiftly .sx If this were the only objection , Sonia felt obliged to encourage him .sx 'Do tell me,' she said .sx 'I know it isn't always fun having to work in an Embassy- I used to think it was one long cocktail party and an occasional exchange of " Notes" .sx The notes always made me see a little 6billet doux on mauve paper being handed over in deadly earnest by one imposing Ambassador to another , equally serious , both wearing all their decorations , of course !sx ' 'It isn't quite like that,' Erich smiled .sx 'No- this time I've been working on the German war-graves on Leros and other islands .sx The relations- you know- they want to know where their boys are buried and then they come out to visit them to lay wreaths .sx And they all pass through our office or the Consulate .sx Sometimes pleasant but moving experiences and sometimes very disheartening .sx ' 'These are Dienstgeheimnisse !sx ' Magda interrupted .sx 'You know you mustn't talk about them .sx ' 'Oh , I don't think I'm betraying any secrets,' said Erich .sx 'No , there was even a note about the graves in one of the British papers recently,' said Sonia .sx 'But in any case , my dear , don't you think you could leave it to Erich to know what he may talk about and what not ?sx After all , it's his job !sx ' she added impatiently .sx Erich gave her an astonished look in which gratitude and alarm were mingled .sx He was so comical that she almost laughed .sx 'He's not a child,' she added .sx 'And it's his profession .sx And he must be pretty good at it or he wouldn't be here in Athens already , but sitting in some awful little place in South America or on a Somerset Maugham kind of island in the Pacific .sx You with him !sx ' 'Oh , but I'm not so good as all that !sx ' Erich contradicted " vely .sx 'But my father is- er- well , rather influential in the Party .sx ' 'Now , when I hear a German say " The Party " I always think of the Nazis,' Sonia laughed , 'but I know it isn't that .sx Which one do you mean ?sx ' 'C .sx D.U. of course !sx ' answered Magda .sx Sonia sighed .sx 'I'm sorry,' she said , 'but I don't know what that means .sx Harold's tried time and again to " put me wise " as he calls it , to European politics , but I never could remember what all those various complicated initials stand for .sx It's almost as bad in England in Labour Party circles , though .sx I remember a woman who used to come to see my mother .sx She spoke only in initials .sx It was a kind of private , secret language .sx She would say such things as :sx " The T.U.C. won't let the I.L.P. do so and so and the G.W.R. and the N.U.J. have threatened to strike , " and- it was all Greek to me !sx ' she laughed .sx 'It's even worse with the French !sx But I do think we could invent an abbreviated sort of shorthand-speech for everyday conversation , don't you ?sx I'm sure we could !sx ' Magda and Erich were staring at her dumbfounded , incapable of knowing whether to take her seriously or not .sx 'For instance,' she went on mischievously , 'when I arrive you're bound to say , " How do you do !sx " and I'm bound to reply , " Very well , thank you .sx " Now we could shorten all that .sx You'd say , " H.D.Y.D. " and I'd reply , " V.W.T.Y. " Think what a lot of time we'd save in the course of our lives !sx We could shorten sentences such a lot- for instance , if I now say , " Isn't it a lovely evening ?sx " you know , before I've finished , from my eyes and intonation , what I'm going to say .sx So I'd only need , really , to begin , " Isn't it .sx .? " and you could imagine the rest .sx People talk far too much and say the same things over and over again .sx I don't mean they're boring- the lovely evening isn't- but we could take them for granted , couldn't we ?sx We could have two languages- a cypher one , and then the proper language for our few , occasional original thoughts .sx They'd stand out on their own like jewels , then .sx What do you think of my idea ?sx ' 'I think it's very silly and impracticable,' said Magda .sx 'What would we do without all those formal aids to talk ?sx ' 'Perhaps the tomato juice has gone to your head , Sonia !sx ' Erich laughed .sx 'Would you like some more ?sx ' 'Maybe it has .sx ' Lightening their tone was not easy , she thought to herself .sx She wondered what would do it .sx Then , suddenly , as she noticed the many flowers in the room , she remembered that she had not brought any herself but had something else as a gift for Magda .sx She bent over to pick up her handbag .sx 'I didn't bring you flowers , Magda , because I know you always have so many- we all do .sx But I did find this little book I thought you might like .sx ' Magda flushed .sx 'It was not necessary- .sx ' 'Of course it wasn't !sx It's the not-necessary things that are the nicest !sx ' 'Open it , Magda,' said Erich .sx It was a small book about birds , with many illustrations showing their various types of nests , from the clumsy casual untidy heaps set together by storks on roof-tops to the exquisite feather-lined , moss-bedecked enclosure of warmth and security made by the wren .sx