Laughing Torso

LIFE
Aleister Crowley was in Paris and I saw him from
time to time. He always went out at midday to say
a prayer to the sun. One day I met him in the
Boulevard Montparnasse. Suddenly he stopped in
the middle of the street and addressed the sun. I
did not know the prayer in question, so respectfully
stood behind him until he had finished. In the
Quarter was a very celebrated artist's model. She
was very beautiful and everyone had enjoyed her
favours except Crowley. Someone said to A. C.,
" You really must take her out to supper and see
what she is really like." The next morning everyone
was having breakfast in the Dome and Crowley
appeared. They cried, cc Hullo, A. C., what was it
like? " and he said rather grimly, " It was rather
like waving a flag in space."
One day Beatrice Hastings came to Paris. She
had been a great friend of Katherine Mansfield's
and was a very talented writer. She edited the New
Age with Orage. It was about the most interesting
and well-written paper in London before the War.
She had an introduction to me. She was very
amusing. I introduced her to Modigliani and we
all spent the evening together at the Rotonde.
They drank absinthe, as Beatrice had some money.
They gave me one too, and I felt very daring, as I
had never tasted it. After my first sip, which I
thought horrible and reminded me of cough drops,
Hunt Diederich appeared and threw the rest into
the umbrella stand. I sat with Beatrice and Modig-
liani in the evenings, and one evening the young
man with the pale face came in. I said to Beatrice,