Королі та капуста

           Vincenti,memberoftheVesuviusCompany,hadlandedandwerepushingtheirway,bluff,heartyandnonchalant,throughthecrowdonthenarrowsidewalk.Cladinwhitelinen,big,debonair,withanairofgood-humouredauthority,theymadeconspicuousfiguresamongthedarkmassofunimposingAnchurians,astheypenetratedtowithinafewyardsofthestepsoftheCasaMorena.Lookingeasilyabovetheheadsofthecrowd,theyperceivedanotherthattoweredabovetheundersizednatives.ItwasthefierypollofDickyMaloneyagainstthewallclosebythelowerstep;andhisbroad,seductivegrinshowedthatherecognizedtheirpresence.

           Dickyhadattiredhimselfbecominglyforthefestiveoccasioninawell-fittingblacksuit.Pasawasclosebyhisside,herheadcoveredwiththeubiquitousblackmantilla.

           Mr.Vincentilookedatherattentively.

           "Botticelli’sMadonna,"heremarked,gravely."Iwonderwhenshegotintothegame.Idon’tlikehisgettingtangledwiththewomen.Ihopedhewouldkeepawayfromthem."

           CaptainCronin’slaughalmostdrewattentionfromtheparade.

           "Withthatheadofhair!Keepawayfromthewomen!AndaMaloney!Hasn’thegotalicense?But,nonsenseaside,whatdoyouthinkoftheprospects?It’saspeciesoffilibusteringoutofmyline."

           VincentiglancedagainatDicky’sheadandsmiled.

           "Rougeetnoir,"hesaid."Thereyouhaveit.Makeyourplay,gentlemen.Ourmoneyisonthered."

           "Thelad’sgame,"saidCronin,withacommendinglookatthetall,easyfigurebythesteps.