Laughing Torso

LAUGHING TORSO

watch the roulette. Our motor came to fetch us,
and Poulenc and I drove back to the Chateau.
The next day we had arranged to meet Stravinsky,
who was to have lunch with us at Faletto's. He lived
at Montboron, which was near by. The restaurant
was called the Pavilion Henri IV. There was a tiny
bar and outside a small paved terrasse with a few
tables. We could see the whole of the Cap Ferrat
from our table. Stravinsky arrived very flustered.
He told us his troubles, which were many and
varied. He had quarrelled with his cook, which he
did once or twice a day, as he was always late for
meals. His whole household worked all day. The
girls drew and embroidered their drawings. One
son painted and the other composed and his wife
dealt with the whole family. He was hiding from
Diaghilev. He had just returned to Nice and had
had an appointment to lunch with him at the
Reserve. We had nearly, at the last moment, de-
cided to go to the Reserve, and we breathed a sigh
of relief, as Russians have a habit of getting very
excited indeed when awkward situations arise.
Stravinsky explained that if he met Diaghilev,
Diaghilev would disturb him and upset him doing
his packing. He said, " J* adore faire ma valise, c'est
la seule chose qui vraiment m'amuse." He told us that
he had invented a most beautiful suitcase, all the
fittings were made of silver and all the bottles and
little boxes inside were square. He said that it was
called Le module Stravinsky and was sold by a firm
in the Champs Elysees. He explained that he did
not possess one as the firm was so mean that'they
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