30
ALBERTO MORAVIA
"Don't shout so loud
I"
"You're not a scoundrel like
him.
You're a gentleman–
anyone can see that."
Luciano took the Mexican woman's hand, which she per–
mitted
him,
quite willingly, to hold. He raised her hand to his
lips,
eyeing her slily as he did so, and then gave it a bite. The
Mexican woman smiled, showing her white, sharp, wolf-like
teeth. Luciano
ki~ed
her hand where he had bitten it. Albina
said to Sergio, with unexpected affection: "I bought a
ti~
for
you. Now I'm going to put it on for you."
Sergio, faced with this sudden improvization, was flabber–
gasted. "But ... but I ..." he began.
"Come on, don't be silly ... No need to be ashamed."
Albina took the parcel containing the tie from her bag
and undid it with a vengeful pride. Sergio reflected that he was
being punished for having taken pleasure in the ugliness of the
tie that Luciano was to receive from Albina. Not merely was
it he, instead of Luciano, who now had to wear the horrible
band of silk, but he had even paid for it. Albina, chuckling
ironically, turned back his collar, untied the old tie and put the
new one on
him,
with a knot that was much too slack. "It suits
you very well," she said, drawing back and admiring it. Sergio
tightened the knot and said: "At least give me myoId one."
Luciano put his arm round the Mexican woman's waist,
laughing and whispering some joke or other. The Mexican
woman defended herself feebly, making a sententious remark in
a ·warm, hoarse voice. Then Luciano, with a quick movement,
threw himself upon her and gave her a lingering
m
on the
neck. The Mexican woman sat quite still, her eyes wide open,
while Luciano sucked at her neck just below the ear. Mter–
wards, when Luciano had drawn away
his
head again, she
shook herself and tidied her hair, exactly like a hen tidying its
feathers after an assault by a cock. The waiter arrived with
