now?’
‘But in the garden, señor.’
The captain had the sudden thought that she was trying to take the mickey out of him, but when he glared at her and saw the look of apprehension he was satisfied that she had not so dared. ‘We’ll go and speak to the gardener.‘He turned smartly and strode out of the kitchen into the courtyard. The dog began to bark, hoping for some attention, but he marched past it without stopping.
‘Don’t you go on worrying,‘said Alvarez to Matilde. ‘It doesn’t seem as if you’ve,anything to blame yourself for.’
She was reassured by his words and also by the friendly expression on his square, heavy-set, dark-complexioned face which suggested some of the love he felt for most living things. ‘I swear by the Holy Virgin, señor, that there was no Uargsomi in the esclatasangs. Always, always, I check, even though it is Lopez who brings them. The señor couldn’t have died from eating a Uargsomi.’
‘Maybe you’re right and we’ll discover it was really too much alcohol. The English like killing themselves off that way.’
He left the kitchen and went out into the courtyard. From his right he heard the sound of the captain’s shouting. He walked out of the courtyard, pausing to pat the dog on its head, and then down a loose gravel path which wound past roses, geraniums, and chrysanthemums, to a shallow pond in which a number of goldfish swam lazily around and under water-lilies. The captain, red in the face, was shouting at Orozco. Alvarez w r as amused to see how this squat, solidly and stolidly featured man who was leaning on the handle of a rake, was staring into some private distance as if he were totally unconcerned with what was going on about him.
‘I’m telling you, he died from eating a llargsomi,’ shouted the captain.
Orozco briefly returned from his private distance. ‘Impossible.’
‘Don’t bloody tell me it’s impossible when I’m telling you it happened. He ate a llargsomi and it killed him. You picked it, mistaking it for an esclatasang.’
‘Impossible.’
‘Goddamn it, haven’t I just said it happened?’ The captain fingered the belt around his waist and it was possible to imagine he was wishing he wore a revolver. He glared at Alvarez, said, ‘you talk to him and see if you can get any sense,’ and stamped off, disappearing behind a low palm tree.
Orozco hawked and spat. Alvarez said in Mallorquin: ‘He comes from San Sebastian. Up there, they all get like that. I suppose it’s the climate.’
‘Are you from this island?’
‘Don’t I sound like it?’
‘Yeah.’
There was a shout from behind the palm tree. Tm going back to the post.’
Alvarez jerked his thumb. ‘Always in a rush. As soon as he gets to one place, he wants to be up and off to another.’
‘Silly bugger,‘said Orozco contemptuously.
‘You’ve just about got him taped. He didn’t even know what an esclatasang was! And when he heard the English señor had probably died from eating a Uargsomi, he said we’d have to find every one on the island and root them up.’
Orozco guffawed.
‘Then he wanted to know how anyone ever dared eat an esclatasang.’
‘Why not give him a Uargsomi to taste?’
The captain shouted out: ‘Are you coming?’
‘I reckon I’ll stay on here a bit and walk back, señor,’ Alvarez replied.
They heard the slam of a car door. The engine started, the car backed, turned, and accelerated down the drive, scattering loose gravel behind it.
Alvarez undid the knot of his tie and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. He brought a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. ‘D’you use these?’
Orozco took one and lit a match for them. ‘It’s good-looking soil you’ve got here,’ said Alvarez. ‘Must grow well?’
Orozco nodded.
‘It’s a pity you have to mess around with flowers and don’t grow any vegetables.’
‘Come,’ said Orozco. He led the way past the fish pool, along the side of the swimming pool, the surface
‘But in the garden, señor.’
The captain had the sudden thought that she was trying to take the mickey out of him, but when he glared at her and saw the look of apprehension he was satisfied that she had not so dared. ‘We’ll go and speak to the gardener.‘He turned smartly and strode out of the kitchen into the courtyard. The dog began to bark, hoping for some attention, but he marched past it without stopping.
‘Don’t you go on worrying,‘said Alvarez to Matilde. ‘It doesn’t seem as if you’ve,anything to blame yourself for.’
She was reassured by his words and also by the friendly expression on his square, heavy-set, dark-complexioned face which suggested some of the love he felt for most living things. ‘I swear by the Holy Virgin, señor, that there was no Uargsomi in the esclatasangs. Always, always, I check, even though it is Lopez who brings them. The señor couldn’t have died from eating a Uargsomi.’
‘Maybe you’re right and we’ll discover it was really too much alcohol. The English like killing themselves off that way.’
He left the kitchen and went out into the courtyard. From his right he heard the sound of the captain’s shouting. He walked out of the courtyard, pausing to pat the dog on its head, and then down a loose gravel path which wound past roses, geraniums, and chrysanthemums, to a shallow pond in which a number of goldfish swam lazily around and under water-lilies. The captain, red in the face, was shouting at Orozco. Alvarez w r as amused to see how this squat, solidly and stolidly featured man who was leaning on the handle of a rake, was staring into some private distance as if he were totally unconcerned with what was going on about him.
‘I’m telling you, he died from eating a llargsomi,’ shouted the captain.
Orozco briefly returned from his private distance. ‘Impossible.’
‘Don’t bloody tell me it’s impossible when I’m telling you it happened. He ate a llargsomi and it killed him. You picked it, mistaking it for an esclatasang.’
‘Impossible.’
‘Goddamn it, haven’t I just said it happened?’ The captain fingered the belt around his waist and it was possible to imagine he was wishing he wore a revolver. He glared at Alvarez, said, ‘you talk to him and see if you can get any sense,’ and stamped off, disappearing behind a low palm tree.
Orozco hawked and spat. Alvarez said in Mallorquin: ‘He comes from San Sebastian. Up there, they all get like that. I suppose it’s the climate.’
‘Are you from this island?’
‘Don’t I sound like it?’
‘Yeah.’
There was a shout from behind the palm tree. Tm going back to the post.’
Alvarez jerked his thumb. ‘Always in a rush. As soon as he gets to one place, he wants to be up and off to another.’
‘Silly bugger,‘said Orozco contemptuously.
‘You’ve just about got him taped. He didn’t even know what an esclatasang was! And when he heard the English señor had probably died from eating a Uargsomi, he said we’d have to find every one on the island and root them up.’
Orozco guffawed.
‘Then he wanted to know how anyone ever dared eat an esclatasang.’
‘Why not give him a Uargsomi to taste?’
The captain shouted out: ‘Are you coming?’
‘I reckon I’ll stay on here a bit and walk back, señor,’ Alvarez replied.
They heard the slam of a car door. The engine started, the car backed, turned, and accelerated down the drive, scattering loose gravel behind it.
Alvarez undid the knot of his tie and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. He brought a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. ‘D’you use these?’
Orozco took one and lit a match for them. ‘It’s good-looking soil you’ve got here,’ said Alvarez. ‘Must grow well?’
Orozco nodded.
‘It’s a pity you have to mess around with flowers and don’t grow any vegetables.’
‘Come,’ said Orozco. He led the way past the fish pool, along the side of the swimming pool, the surface
Similar Books
