Laughing Torso

BACK TO PARIS AND CELEBRITIES
himself by, I think, nearly every celebrated artist in
France. We had tea and everyone talked a great
deal I had been taken by Marie Beerbohm to a
restaurant in the Rue Duphot, called. La Cigogne,
and was kept by Moise, an Alsatian, and specialized
in foie gras de Strasbourg and hock. Lady Gunard,
Stravinsky and all "Les Six" went there very
often and, after dinner, they played the piano
and danced. I did not know Lady Gunard at
this time but I knew her daughter Nancy, whom
I had met in London. Jean Cocteau and Raymond
Radiguet dined there every night. It was a very
nice, warm, and comfortable place and ihtfoie gras
was perfect. One day I met a friend of B.'s, who
had been at Oxford. He introduced me to a tall
and very good-looking young man, who was a
great athlete, and had been the champion long-
jumper of Oxford. He was six feet-four and asked
me out to dinner. He spoke French very well,
which is always a great help in Paris, and saved
me the trouble of talking to the waiters. I sug-
gested that we should eat at the Cigogne. As
we got out of our taxi we saw Jean Cocteau also
getting out of a taxi. I said, " I would like you
to meet my friend, who is an athlete." Cocteau
said, "Ewhanti; f adore les athletes" My friend
and I had dinner and Cocteau joined us afterwards
for coffee. We had a very amusing conversation,
as Ctocteau can talk marvellously and is not at
all a snob and will talk brilliantly to anyone whom
he finds sympathetic. I asked the athlete if I
could paint his portrait. He lived in a very small
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