OUR FRIEND JUDITH
473
palm down on the counter and looked at me, expressionless.
The workmen got up, gulped down the last of their wine,
nodded and went. She ciao'd them; and looked back at me.
Then, since I didn't go, she called "Luigi
I"~
A shout came
from the back room, there was a rattle of beads, and
in
came
first a wiry sharp-faced boy, and then Luigi. He was tall, heavy
shouldered, and his black rough hair was like a cap, pulled
low over his brows. He looked good-natured, but at the moment,
uneasy. His sister said something, and he stood beside her, an
ally, and confirmed: "Miss Castlewell went away." I was on
the point of giving up, when through the bead curtain that
screened off a dazzling light eased a thin, tabby cat. It was
ugly and it walked uncomfortably, with its back quarters
bunched up. The child suddenly let out a
"Ssssss"
through
his
teeth, and the cat froze. Luigi said something sharp to the
child, and something encouraging to the cat, which sat down,
looked straight in front of it, then began frantically licking at
its flanks. "Miss Castlewell was offended with us," said Mrs.
Rineiri suddenly, and with dignity. "She left early one morn–
ing. We did not expect her to go." I said: "Perhaps she had
to go home and finish some work."
Mrs. Rineiri shrugged, then sighed. Then she exchanged
a hard look with her brother. Clearly the subject had been
discussed, and closed for ever.
"I've known Judith a long time," I said, trying to find the
right note. "She's a remarkable woman. She's a poet." But there
was
no response to this at all. Meanwhile the child, with a
fIXed bared-teeth grin, was staring at the cat, narrowing his
eyes.
Suddenly he let out another "Ssssssss", and added a short
i
high yelp. The cat shot backwards, hit the wall, tried desper-
ately to claw its way up the wall, came to its senses and again
s
sat
down and began its urgent, undirected licking at its fur.
This
time Luigi cuffed the child, who yelped in earnest, and
a
then ran out into the street past the cat. Now that the way
IS
was
clear the cat shot across the floor, up on to the counter,
