The Magus, A Revised Version (52 page)

‘
Because you wouldn
’
t have kissed someone you really thought was mentally unbalanced like that.
’
She added,
‘
At least I hope you wouldn
’
t.
’
I said nothing.
‘
Honestly, we
’
re not blaming you. I know how clever she is at suggesting that the madness is in everyone around her. The damsel-in-distress line.
’

But there was something faintly interrogative behind her tone of voice in that last little phrase, as if she wasn
’
t quite certain how I would react
–
how far I could be pushed.

‘
She
’
s certainly cleverer at that than the line you
’
re taking.
’

She was silent a long moment.
‘
You don
’
t believe me?
’

‘
You know I don
’
t believe you. And I think your sister
’
s mean to still doubt me.
’

She left a longer silence still.

‘
We couldn
’
t both get away together.
’
She added in a lower voice,
‘
I wanted to be sure, too.
’

‘
Sure of what?
’

‘
That you are what you claim.
’

‘
I
’
ve told her the truth.
’

‘
As she keeps claiming. With a little too much enthusiasm to make me feel she
’
s in a fit state to judge.
’
She added drily,
‘
Which I now begin to understand. At least physically.
’

‘
You can easily check that I work at a school on the other side of the island.
’

‘
We know there
’
s a school. I don
’
t suppose you have any means of identification on you?
’

‘
This is ridiculous.
’

‘
Not so ridiculous, in present circumstances, as my not asking.
’

I had to grant some justice to that.
‘
I haven
’
t got my passport. A Greek
permis de s
é
jour,
if that
’
s any good.
’

‘
May I see it? Please?
’

I fished in my back pocket, then struck three or four matches while she examined the
permis.
It gave my name, address and profession. She handed it back.

‘
Satisfied?
’

Her voice was serious.
‘
You swear you
’
re not working for him?
’

‘
Only in the sense you know. That I
’
ve been told Julie is undergoing some kind of experimental cure for schizophrenia. Which I
’
ve never believed. Or never face-to-face with her.
’

‘
You never met Maurice before you came here a month ago?
’

‘
Categorically not.
’

‘
Or signed a contract of any sort with him?
’

I looked at her.
‘
Meaning you have?
’

‘
Yes. But not for what
’
s happening.
’

She hesitated.
‘
Julie will tell you tomorrow.
’

‘
I wouldn
’
t mind seeing some documentary evidence either.
’

‘
All right. That
’
s fair enough.
’
She dropped her cigarette and
screwed it out. Her next question came out of the blue.
‘
Are there any police on the island?
’

‘
A sergeant, two men. Why do you ask?
’

‘
I
just wondered.
’

I drew a breath.
‘
Let me get this straight. First of all you were ghosts. Then you were schizophrenics. Now you
’
re next week
’
s consignment to the seraglio.
’

‘
Sometimes I almost wish we were. It would be simpler.
’
She said quickly,
‘
Nicholas, I
’
m notorious for never taking anything very seriously, and that
’
s partly why we
’
re here, and even now it
’
s fun in a way
–
but we really are just two English girls who
’
ve got themselves into such deep waters these last two months that…
‘
she broke
off
, and there was a silence between us.

‘
Do you share Julie
’
s fascination for Maurice?
’

She didn
’
t answer for a moment, and I looked at her. She had a wry smile.

‘
I have a suspicion that you and I are going to understand each other.
’

‘
You don
’
t share it?
’

She looked down.
‘
She
’
s academically much brighter than I am, but … I do have a sort of basic common-sense she lacks. I smell a rat if I don
’
t understand what
’
s going on. Julie tends to be all starry-eyed about it.
’

‘
Why did you bring up the police?
’

‘
Because we
’
re prisoners here. Oh, very subtle prisoners. No expense spared, there aren
’
t any bars
– I
gather she
’
s told you we
’
re constantly being assured we can go home whenever we like. Except that somehow we
’
re always being shepherded and watched.
’

‘
Are we safe at the moment?
’

‘
I hope so. But I must go soon.
’

‘
I can easily get the police. If you want.
’

‘
That
’
s a relief.
’

‘
And what
’
s
your
theory about what
’
s going on?
’

She gave me a rueful smile.
‘
I was going to ask you that.
’

‘
I accept he has been genuinely connected with psychiatry.
’

‘
He questions Julie for hours after you
’
ve been here. What you said, how you behaved, what lies she told you … all the rest of it. It
’
s as if he gets some vicarious thrill from knowing every detail.
’

‘
And he does hypnotize her?
’

‘
He
’
s done us both
–
me only once. That extraordinary … you had it?
’

‘
Yes.
’

‘
And Julie several times. To help her learn her parts. All the facts about the Lily thing. Then a whole session on how a schizophrenic would behave.
’

‘
Does he question her while she
’
s under?
’

‘
To be fair, no. He
’
s always scrupulous about whichever one of us isn
’
t being hypnotized being present. I
’
ve always been there listening.
’

‘
But you have doubts?
’

She hesitated again.
‘
There
’
s something that worries us. A sort of voyeuristic side. The feeling we have that he
’
s watching you two falling for each other.
’
She looked at me.
‘
Has Julie told you about three hearts?
’
She must have seen by my face that the answer was no.
‘
I
’
d rather she told you. Tomorrow.
’

‘
What three hearts?
’

‘
The original idea wasn
’
t that I should always stay in the background.
’

‘
And?
’

‘
I
’
d rather she told you.
’

I made a guess.
‘
You and me?
’

She hesitated.
‘
It has been dropped now. Because of what
’
s happened. But we suspect it was always meant to be dropped. Which leaves me wondering why I
’
m here at all.
’

‘
But it
’
s vile. We
’
re not just pawns on a chessboard.
’

‘
As he knows full well, Nicholas. It
’
s not just that he wants to be mysterious to us. He wants us to be mysterious to him.
’
She smiled and murmured,
‘
Anyway, speaking for myself, I
’
m not sure I don
’
t wish it hadn
’
t been dropped.
’

‘
Can I tell your sister that?
’

She grinned and looked down.
‘
You mustn
’
t take me too seriously.
’

‘
I
’
ve already begun to realize that.
’

She let a little silence pass.
‘
Julie
’
s only just got over a particularly messy affaire, Nicholas. That
’
s one reason she wanted to be out of
England.
’

‘
She has my sympathies.
’

‘
So I understand. What I
’
m trying to say is that I don
’
t want to see her hurt again.
’

‘
She won
’
t be hurt by me.
’

She leant forward.
‘
She has a kind of genius for picking the wrong men. I don
’
t know you, so that
’
s not meant personally at all. Simply that her past record doesn
’
t give me much confidence.
’
She said,
‘
I
’
m being over-protective.
’

‘
She doesn
’
t need protecting from me.
’

‘
I just mean that she
’
s always looking for poetry and passion and sensitivity, the whole Romantic kitchen. I live on a rather simpler diet.
’