THE WOMAN WHO HAD TWO NAVELS
455
"That was the idea when Father went there last year. He was go–
ing to arrange about having our house there rebuilt, and I was to
follow. But since he came back there's been no more talk of moving."
"How you and Tony used to lord it over us when we were kids
because of that going home stuff-"
"We were brought up on the dream."
"Your poor father, Pepe-"
"I suppose he had to wake up some time."
"Do you know-I've begun to wonder a lot what it's like in Manila.
We all of us more or less belong over there, but only Paco here-and
your father, Pepe-have gone back-and see what it did to them . . .
But when I went to see the lovely senora de Vidal she assured me
it's quite a nice little place really-much warmer, of course, and rather
dusty ... Why are you giving me that Karloff look again, Paco? Oh,
you
didn't
know I'd been to see your senora de Vidal? Goodness, hasn't
she told you yet? I was sure she'd let you know first thing-"
"Oh,
damn
it all!" gasped Paco, leaping so suddenly from the
piano stool he bumped his head against the lines of washing strung
across the cramped room, snapping them. He kicked aside the damp
clothes fallen on the floor as he walked to the window, where he stood
and trembled, his back to the room, his fists thrust into his pockets.
He was lean and hard-bodied, with very black curly hair and a sharp
swart profile; like Mary-who sat at the tea table, crumbling a biscuit
into a cup-he was part Portuguese, part Filipino.
Hunched over the other side of the table, sadly knocking ash off
his cigarette into a saucer, Pepe Monson noted again how like brother
and sister the Texeiras looked (especially as they were at the moment
wearing identical dark-blue turtleneck sweaters) -like the stock twins
of Italian romances, he was telling himself, when the dark twin faced
around from the window and asked quietly:
"When did you go, Mary?"
"Monday afternoon," she demurely replied, not lifting her head,
her soft brown hair swaying down her cheeks.
"And why didn't you tell me?"
"If
we still told each other everything I wouldn't have gone at all.
But we've started to hide, we've started to lie-so how could I tell
you? I just went."
"But why, Mary-why?"
She looked up quickly and her dark eyes flashed.
"Because I was worried, because I was frightened. You've been so
strange since you came back. And then those letters- Do you know,
