Read Online Not to Disturb by Muriel Spark - Free Book Online Page A

Baroness shows up
good doing the nun in the Congo with Eleanor doing the Princess bit. Puss in
Boots is a big bore.’
    â€˜I can do the nun in the Congo,’ says Heloise.
    â€˜So can I,’ says Pablo. ‘I like it.’
    â€˜Goldilocks and the Three Bears is best,’ says Heloise.
‘They got the idea of fairy stories from me. It was my idea, or anyway, it just
came to me.’
    â€˜Are your health and security cards stamped up to date?’
Pablo says.
    â€˜I don’t think so,’ says Hadrian.
    â€˜Mine aren’t,’ says Heloise. ‘I meant to remind the
Baroness.’
    â€˜Lister would have seen to it if it had mattered,’
Hadrian says. ‘Obviously, it doesn’t matter.’ He takes up another record, looks
at it, says, ‘The Far Fetchers. Not bad,’ and puts it on while Heloise says,
‘Anything goes for me.’ The boys are dancing now. Heloise says, ‘She went to
finishing school in Lausanne and learnt to eat an orange with a little knife and
fork without ever touching the orange.’
    â€˜Who?’ says Pablo.
    â€˜The Baroness.’
    The young men dance on.
    â€˜There must be fog coming up on the lake,’ says Heloise.
‘I can see it in the room already. It gets through the double windows, even,
doesn’t it?’
    Pablo begins to sing to the music. He sings: ‘ “Pablo,
the Baroness wishes to see you.” — Knock, knock, “Come in, Pablo.” — “Good
morning, Madam, anything I can do, Madam?” — “Pablo, the shutters upstairs, they
bang so much. I think they must be loose.” — “Right away, Madam.” — “See you
later, then.” — “See you at the party, Baroness.” ’
    â€˜See you at the party,’ sings Hadrian.
    â€˜Don’t make so much noise,’ says Heloise. ‘Lister’s busy
upstairs with the Reverend and Miss Barton.’
    â€˜There’s something going on up there,’ Hadrian says,
stopping still as the music ends.
    â€˜Lister can adjust whatever it is. Lister never
disparates, he symmetrizes,’ Heloise says and lights a cigarette.
    Pablo goes to the window and looks out at the fog.
‘Lister’s got equibalance,’ he says, ‘and what’s more, he pertains.’
    â€˜Definitely,’ says Hadrian.
    Mr Samuel is sitting in a big chair looking through a
bound typescript and Mr McGuire is looking over his shoulder.
    Clovis sits at a round table which is covered with blue
velvet. His elbows are on the table and his chin rests gloomily on his
hands.
    â€˜It’s a winner,’ says Mr Samuel. ‘Congratulations,
Clovis.’
    â€˜It has a great deal of scope,’ says Mr McGuire.
    Clovis raises then lowers his eyebrows. His look of gloom
does not change, his elbows remain still.
    â€˜A first-rate movie script,’ says Mr Samuel. ‘Some of the
scenes are beyond belief. Only an authority on the subject could have pieced it
together.’
    â€˜The lines are terrific,’ says Mr McGuire, running his
fingers fondly over his tape-recorder which lies closed on the table. ‘You
edited those tapes perfectly, Clovis.’
    Clovis remains mute.
    Mr Samuel says, ‘That’s a good idea to open with, where
you build up the Baroness like an identikit, when the police are looking for the
motive and they put an eye here and a nose there. Very visual, Clovis.’
    â€˜I’m waiting to hear,’ Clovis says. ‘We should have
heard. Yesterday was the deadline.’
    â€˜We’ll hear,’ says Mr Samuel. ‘Don’t worry. The motion
picture industry is a very funny thing.’
    â€˜The serialization’s come through,’ says Clovis, moving
his right elbow from his chin in order to tap his hand on a bulky file which
lies on the table. ‘That contract’s safe.’
    â€˜The film’s in our pocket,’ says