A man in a rubber cape was crossing the empty square to the café. The cat would be around to the right. Perhepas she could go along under the eaves. As she stood in the doorway an umbrella opened behind her. It was the maid who looked after their room.
‘You must not get wet,’ she smiled, speaking Italian. Of course, the hotel-keeper had sent her.
With the maid holding the umbrella over her, she walked along the gravel path until she was under their window. The table was there, washed bright green in the rain, but the cat was gone. She was suddenly disappointed. The maid looked up at her.
‘Ha perduto qualque cosa, Signora?’
‘There was a cat,’ said the America girl.
‘A cat?’ the maid laughed. ‘A cat in the rain?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘under the table.’ Then, ‘Oh, I wanted it so much, I wanted a kitty.’
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thursday june 15 2017