[MaC] A pause in the music - Back in the lounge

[Ree Moorhead Pruehs]

At 05:26 AM 12/26/2004, you wrote:

>>Even the non-Polish speakers could understand Anton's
>>next words.  He gave a faint shudder and then said,
>>"Nola.  Nola Diamond."
>>
>>"Oh, =no=," Nicola said with a low groan, sitting back
>>against the settee. "Oh, no. Oh, Nola, what have you
>>gotten yourself into now?" she asked nobody. She
>>looked up upon seeing Pamela and Warren entering the
>>room. Shakily, she stood and walked over to them. "Is
>>it true?" she asked in an unsteady voice. "Is she
>>really dead?"
>
>James remained where he was with the stricken musician, but he turned
>his head toward the entrance,where Nicola went to greet Pamela and Warren.
>
>"Her eyes were open," said Anton with a shudder.  I saw the ... the stare."
>
>"I'm afraid so," Pamela said in a voice that (though appropriately
>low-pitched and somber) reached the whole room. She dropped Warren's arm
>to march Nicola right back to the settee. "Now, you aren't to worry, all
>right? Everything is being taken care of. Here, can you do something for
>me? This bag -- it's Mrs. Fitzroy's. She left it here earlier. Will you
>take care of it until she gets back? I'd be grateful."
>
>"Of course, darling, don't worry," Nicola said, taking
>the bag and sitting down next to Anton on the settee.
>"Oh, my, my, my, what a horrible, horrible thing," she
>said, letting out a sigh. "I know you all must think
>she was just a wretched girl because of how she acted
>tonight, but she truly wasn't. I just don't know what
>made her act like such a hag this evening." She
>cleared her throat and turned Esme's purse over in her
>hands. "It's hard to believe not twenty minutes ago we
>were all laughing and toasting and now..."
>
>"'ow did she die?" demanded Marty.  "Drugs, was it?  I reckoned she was on 
>drugs, the little tart."

Vangie, who had been standing to one side of the room since coming back 
upstairs, motly unnoticed, said sharply "Don't speak ill of the dead."