He heard a vague
murmur as Juliet and Saltash followed him, and sharply he turned and drew
Juliet to his side. In that instant he realized that she was the only
woman in the place.
He faced the crowd, his hand upon her arm. "Well, men," he said, his
words clean-cut and ready, "so you've left your wives behind, have
you? I on the contrary have brought mine, and she has promised to give
you a song."
The mutter died. Some youths at the back started applause, which spread,
though somewhat half-heartedly, through the crowd, and for a space the
ugly feeling died down.
"We'll get to business," said Dick, and took out his banjo.
The concert began, Ashcott came up on to the platform and under cover of
Dick's jangling ragtime spoke in a low voice and urgently to Saltash.
The latter heard him with a laugh and a careless grimace, but a little
later he leaned towards Juliet who sat behind the table and touched her
unobtrusively. She looked round at him almost with reluctance, and he
whispered to her in rapid French.
She listened to him with raised brows, and then shook her head with a
smile. "No, of course not! I am going to sing to them directly.
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