Again a hand emerged from the thick white folds and grasped Margaret's
arm firmly above the elbow, as a trainer feels an athlete's biceps.
'Good, good! Very good!' cried Madame Bonanni approvingly. 'It is a
pity you are a lady! You are a lady, aren't you?' Margaret smiled.
'I am a peasant,' the singer answered without the least affectation. 'I
always say that it takes five generations of life in the fields to make
a voice. But you are English, I suppose. Yes? All English live out of
doors. If they had a proper climate they would all sing, but they have
to keep their mouths shut all the time, to keep out the rain, and the
fog, and the smoke of their chimneys. It is incredible, how little they
open their mouths! Come and sit down. We will have a little talk.' Margaret thought her new friend had managed to talk a good deal
already. Madame Bonanni slipped between the easels and pedestals with
surprising ease and lightness, and made for the divan. Margaret now saw
that a stool was half concealed by a fallen pillow, so that the singer
used it in order to climb up. In a moment she had settled herself
comfortably, supported on all sides by the huge cushions. Margaret
fancied she looked like a big snowball with a human head.
'Why don t you sit down, my dear?' inquired Madame Bonanni blandly.
'Yes, but where?' asked Margaret with a little laugh.
'Here! Climb up beside me on the divan.' 'I'm not used to it!' Margaret laughed. 'It looks awfully hot.' 'Then take a chair. Oh, the things? Throw them on the floor. Somebody
will pick them up. People are always sending me perfectly useless
things. Look at that picture! Did you ever see such a daub? I'll burn
it! No. I'll give it to the missionaries. They take everything one
gives them, for the African babies. Ah!' Madame Bonanni shrieked suddenly, seized a big cushion and held it up
as a screen before her. She looked towards the door, and Margaret,
looking in the same direction, saw an over-dressed man of thirty-five
standing on the threshold.
'Go away!' screamed Madame Bonanni. 'Logotheti! Go away, I say! Don't
you see that I'm not dressed?' 'I see nothing but cushions,' answered the new-comer, showing very
white teeth and speaking with a thick accent Margaret had never heard.
'Ah! So much the better!' returned Madame Bonanni with sudden calm.
'What do you want?' 'You did me the honour to ask me to breakfast,' said Logotheti, coming
forward a few steps.