Laughing Torso

WAR
following night. That was a terrific affair. Some
of our friends had gone to the Ritz and the Berkeley
to see if they could find any more people to bring,
and they came back with a glorious creature in a
blue and gold uniform, covered in medals. They
said, "look what we have found." He was a
French Count. He had a very small motor, which he
called Le Lapin^ and which he drove at terrific speed.
The third night Augustus John gave a party to
celebrate his going to France. He was a major in
the Canadian Army and was commissioned by them
to paint their part in the War. The party lasted all
night and in the morning we hung out of all the
windows and waved him cs Good-bye." He looked
splendid in his uniform.
A beautiful woman, who was the wife of a Guards-
man, gave the parties on the two following nights.
Billie Carlton was there and all kinds of actresses
and Guardsmen and foreign officers in uniform.
Edgar came too. He made a scene because some-
one put his arm round me as I was walking up-
stairs to the ball room. I burst into tears and
everyone took my part and I told him to go home.
I stayed the night there with Garrington, the girl
with the red and blue shoe, and another girl.
One morning two plain-clothes detectives came.
They were drunk and smelt of whisky. They wanted
to know why Edgar had not registered himself. I
said that I had frequently told him to do so. They
said that he had better hurry up as there would be
trouble. They were very unpleasant and familiar
and made me feel quite ill. Edgar still refused to do