The Beggar, the Thief and the Dogs, Autumn Quail by Naguib Mahfouz Page B
Authors: Naguib Mahfouz
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face the situation with a certain amount of wisdom.”
She buried her face against the wall. “If only I had some place to go.”
He turned off the light and lay down, closing his eyes. Soon, the first movements of the morning would be heard, and tears would be shed next to him, while betrayal gnawed beneath like an insect. Only a few moments remained before this existence would die. She’s cut off from the tree and no longer has anyone but you. It’s strange that you should be filled with such determination. Tonight’s ecstasy is as erratic as a bolt of lightning. How can it fill the emptiness of life?
On Friday he sought out Buthayna on the balcony while she was watering the flowerpots. He smiled somewhat bashfully, but she welcomed him by racing over and presenting her cheek to be kissed. In spite of her happy glow, he detected in her evasive glance a faint reprimand.
“I’ve missed you very much,” she said.
He bit the inside of his lip and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m determined to get well, and just need a bit of forbearance.”
She turned back to the flowerpots, and he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said, then added after a pause, “But Mama’s not.”
“That’s understandable. But things will change. Just be patient.”
She pointed out a jasmine bud, still barely visible, and exclaimed happily, “The first jasmine. It’s very small but the scent is strong. Shall I pick it for you?”
NINE
H ow strange it seems, going to work every day in an office which had become so alien and meaningless. When would he have the courage to close it down?
The head clerk remarked, “Every day we lose another case. I’ve become almost inactive.”
In fact, he’d left the burden of work almost entirely to others and did very little supervising or reviewing anymore. Gloomy eyes stared at him from the walls in the stagnant, musty air. His creative energies were spent outside now in setting up the flat in Soliman Pasha Square.
“I’m glad we’re setting up our own place,” he said to Warda. “We can’t go to the pyramids in winter.”
She asked, swinging her shoulders to a jazz beat under the trellis of the Capri, “When winter comes, will you still be interested in our affair?”
He raised his glass of champagne. “To a permanent affair.” Yazbeck was standing in the distance, the grand master of ceremonies. Omar returned his smile and said, taking Warda’s hand, “I owe a lot to him.”
“He’s nice and better than most of his sort, but greedy, as you’d expect.”
“But I’m a champagne customer.”
She frowned slightly. “It’s extravagant to come here every night.”
He beamed, murmuring, “Your concern is encouraging.”
She embraced him with her eyes, and said, “Haven’t the pyramids already witnessed that?”
“Yes, love, and for me it’s not just an affair as I said, but…”
She urged silence with a press of her hand. “Don’t name it. Isn’t it better that it names itself?”
“You’re so lovely, it drives me mad.”
“I have no confidence in words, since I was originally an actress.”
“And a lady through and through.”
“Thank you, but you know most people have a low opinion of the art. For that reason I left my family. It’s just as well I have no brother or father.”
He thought for a moment, then said, “Certainly acting would be better than dancing at the Capri.”
“I didn’t have the proper devotion to it, and they said I had no talent. Dancing was my real love all along, so it was the Capri, and the rest followed, inevitably….”
He said with warmth, “But you have a heart of gold.”
“That I’ve never heard before.”
—
He commissioned a couple of men to work on the new flat—the furniture, the bar, the objets d’art and decor. And soon the place was quite beautifully set up. Apart from the bedroom, dining room, and entrance hall, there was anOriental room which recaptured the fantasies
She buried her face against the wall. “If only I had some place to go.”
He turned off the light and lay down, closing his eyes. Soon, the first movements of the morning would be heard, and tears would be shed next to him, while betrayal gnawed beneath like an insect. Only a few moments remained before this existence would die. She’s cut off from the tree and no longer has anyone but you. It’s strange that you should be filled with such determination. Tonight’s ecstasy is as erratic as a bolt of lightning. How can it fill the emptiness of life?
On Friday he sought out Buthayna on the balcony while she was watering the flowerpots. He smiled somewhat bashfully, but she welcomed him by racing over and presenting her cheek to be kissed. In spite of her happy glow, he detected in her evasive glance a faint reprimand.
“I’ve missed you very much,” she said.
He bit the inside of his lip and said, “I’m sorry, but I’m determined to get well, and just need a bit of forbearance.”
She turned back to the flowerpots, and he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said, then added after a pause, “But Mama’s not.”
“That’s understandable. But things will change. Just be patient.”
She pointed out a jasmine bud, still barely visible, and exclaimed happily, “The first jasmine. It’s very small but the scent is strong. Shall I pick it for you?”
NINE
H ow strange it seems, going to work every day in an office which had become so alien and meaningless. When would he have the courage to close it down?
The head clerk remarked, “Every day we lose another case. I’ve become almost inactive.”
In fact, he’d left the burden of work almost entirely to others and did very little supervising or reviewing anymore. Gloomy eyes stared at him from the walls in the stagnant, musty air. His creative energies were spent outside now in setting up the flat in Soliman Pasha Square.
“I’m glad we’re setting up our own place,” he said to Warda. “We can’t go to the pyramids in winter.”
She asked, swinging her shoulders to a jazz beat under the trellis of the Capri, “When winter comes, will you still be interested in our affair?”
He raised his glass of champagne. “To a permanent affair.” Yazbeck was standing in the distance, the grand master of ceremonies. Omar returned his smile and said, taking Warda’s hand, “I owe a lot to him.”
“He’s nice and better than most of his sort, but greedy, as you’d expect.”
“But I’m a champagne customer.”
She frowned slightly. “It’s extravagant to come here every night.”
He beamed, murmuring, “Your concern is encouraging.”
She embraced him with her eyes, and said, “Haven’t the pyramids already witnessed that?”
“Yes, love, and for me it’s not just an affair as I said, but…”
She urged silence with a press of her hand. “Don’t name it. Isn’t it better that it names itself?”
“You’re so lovely, it drives me mad.”
“I have no confidence in words, since I was originally an actress.”
“And a lady through and through.”
“Thank you, but you know most people have a low opinion of the art. For that reason I left my family. It’s just as well I have no brother or father.”
He thought for a moment, then said, “Certainly acting would be better than dancing at the Capri.”
“I didn’t have the proper devotion to it, and they said I had no talent. Dancing was my real love all along, so it was the Capri, and the rest followed, inevitably….”
He said with warmth, “But you have a heart of gold.”
“That I’ve never heard before.”
—
He commissioned a couple of men to work on the new flat—the furniture, the bar, the objets d’art and decor. And soon the place was quite beautifully set up. Apart from the bedroom, dining room, and entrance hall, there was anOriental room which recaptured the fantasies
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