Коллекционер
Chapter 2
Hesays,howdoyouknow?AndofcourseIcan’ttellhim.IcanonlysayIfeelsure—itmustgowhereit’sneeded.ThenhesmilesasifI’mtoonaïvetohaveanyrightonmyside.
Iaccusedhim(notverybitterly)ofnothavingsenttheCNDcheque.Ichallengedhimtoproduceareceipt.Hesaidthegiftwasanonymous,hehadn’tsenthisaddress.Itwasonthetipofmytonguetosay,IshallgoandfindoutwhenI’mfree.ButIdidn’t.Becauseitwouldbeonemorereasonforhimnottosetmefree.Hewasred,I’msurehewaslying,asheliedaboutthelettertoDandM.
It’snotsomuchalackofgenerosity—arealmiserliness.Imean(forgettingtheabsurdityofthesituation),heisgeneroustome.Hespendshundredsofpoundsonme.He’dkillmewithkindness.Withchocolatesandcigarettesandfoodandflowers.IsaidI’dlikesomeFrenchperfumetheotherevening—itwasjustawhim,really,butthisroomsmellsofdisinfectantandAirwick.Ihaveenoughbaths,butIdon’tfeelclean.AndIsaidIwishedIcouldgoandsniffthevariousscentstoseewhichIlikedbest.Hecameinthismorningwithfourteendifferentbottles.He’dransackedallthechemists’shops.It’smad.Fortypounds’worth.It’slikelivingintheArabianNights.Beingthefavouriteintheharem.Buttheoneperfumeyoureallywantisfreedom.
IfIcouldputastarvingchildbeforehimandgiveitfoodandlethimwatchitgrowwell,Iknowhe’dgivemoney.
