The Fountain (ii.2/finale)
Mr. Morrison settled into a low leather chair. Lord Heaton sat opposite him in a similar chair, Mr. Andrews lounged on the divan with his jacket abandoned, Archie perched on the armrest, Mr. Baines took a chair, and Colonel Carnegie, for some reason, remained standing, even though there were some other chairs to sit.
"Please, gentlemen, help yourself: Alexandrian cigarettes!"
"Alexandria! By Jove!" Andrews exclaimed, handing the matches to the Colonel. Of the six, only Baines refused.
"Lord Heaton, have you ever been to Alexandria?" asked Mr. Morrison.
"Yes, I have," he replied.
"I've been, and more than once!" Andrews interjected, his face taking on a dreamy expression. "Have I told you about Baron S.?"
"I don't recall."
"Then I will." It was…” He paused meaningfully and raised his cigarette to his lips.
"A long time ago," Archibald added.
"Well, Jones, don’t interrupt, dear boy. It was… a long time ago. I was still young, and fate had brought me to Alexandria. I didn’t know Baron S. personally, but my father wrote him a letter stating that I was too foolish to remain in London, and the Baron received me warmly. He had an estate… no, imagine a palace with gardens and a paved square, in the center of which stood a gigantic fountain. And I have a most absurd story connected with that very fountain.”
"Come on, do not keep us waiting," demanded Mr. Morrison. Lord Heaton, too, was inspired by the luxury of the Baron’s estate.
"It was very hot, I was hiding from the heat in the shade of the trees and, you know, in such a sweet half-sleep, I gazed at that fountain. Occasionally a breeze blew my way, making it a little cooler. And then I saw a dark-skinned maid approach the fountain. She lifted her skirts and climbed over the edge to wet her feet. I must admit, after that incident, I…"
"Enough, enough, Andrews."
"What happened next?" asked the Colonel.
"After that, I went out into the scorching sun every day and looked at the fountain. One day, I noticed the maid searching for something at the bottom of the fountain. I learned that a couple of months ago, Lady K. had been visiting the Baron and, sitting on that very edge, dropped a ring into the water. The ring was never found. I thought perhaps I should try my luck. And now imagine: it was evening…"
Andrews spread his arms, as if to indicate the enormity of the following event.
"…and I decided it was high time to look for the ring myself."
"In the dark," remarked Archibald.
Andrews waved his hand.
"It wasn't that dark. I walked up, took off my shoes, climbed into the fountain... and suddenly, right behind me, I heard, 'Have you lost something, sir?' I was so engrossed in my search that I didn't notice the maid approaching. And guess what? I slipped and fell right into the water! And then Baron S. comes out of the house with his guests, and I'm sitting up to my neck in this damned fountain!"
Archibald had been smiling before, but now he laughed along with the others.
"I thought you preferred taking a bath, Mr. Andrews," said Lord Heaton. "But a fountain?"
"Damn it!"
...
Archibald stayed with the Morrisons until late. A meeting with Baines in the hallway was inevitable: for some reason, he, too, was in no hurry to leave.
Coats and hats were brought.
"You don't write anything at all, Archibald," Baines said.
"I don't. And you know why," Archie replied.
"Write something, at least."
"What, for example?"
"Well, maybe something... about the fountain."
Phew, seems like that is all for now. Available in Russian right here! This cross-referencing is getting really weird over time.
I’ve been thinking about whether to write more 'articles,' since I don’t really want to write short stories or sketches all the time. I used to write some semblance of articles; they were about role-playing and using literary devices. Well, they were good. They appeared clever, at least, and I do like to be seen as clever...