In these days taxi drivers made fifty
francs a day in tips, and, as a Frenchman knows exactly what he wants and
calculates to a nicety when he has enough, valuing rest and nutriment above
even the delights of gouging foolish Americans, Alexina knew that it would
be useless to argue and did not even waste energy in announcing her opinion
of him for taking a fare under false pretenses. There was no other cab
in sight and they walked the rest of the way. But both were inured to
hardships and took their mishap good-naturedly, trudging the long distance
under their umbrellas.
IV
After a very bad dinner in an airless room as frugally lighted they made
themselves comfortable in Alexina's room over the oil stove she had bought,
and supplied through Olive's influence with the higher powers. She took
off her street clothes and put on a thick dressing gown, giving her
sister-in-law a quilted red wrapper of Janet's, which threw some warmth
into Gora's pale cheeks. She looked comfortable, almost happy, as she
smoked her cigarette in the arm-chair.
Alexina curled up on the bed.
"Now, Gora," she said brightly, "give an account of yourself."
Gora did not reply for a moment and Alexina examining her again came to the
conclusion that she had been spared some of the horrors of the front. As a
head nurse her responsibilities had been too heavy for philanderings, and
having the literary imagination rather than the personal she had no doubt
consigned it to a water-tight compartment and converted herself into a
machine.
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