maybe rose had seen me outside her flat fater all and she was ringing to say : please don't do that again : or . what do you think you are palying at ?"
i stiffened with disamy ." rose . this is not a good moment . can i call you back ?"
rose's voice veered uncharateristically from its normal modulations . she sucked in her breath with an evident effort ."minty , is there anyone there with you ?... i am afraid .... you must prepare yourself minty ...minty.....nathan ." she collected herself ." minty , i think you must come at onece . nathan isn't very well , and it would be best if you come ..."
"where ?" i said and , alarmed by my tone , gisela laid a hand on my arm ." where should i come ?"
"my flat . as soon as you can ."
gisela asked , almost shrill ." what's happened ?"
"its nathan , something 's wrong . that was rose . he's at her flat ."
"oh , my god ....i hadn't imagined... " she checked herself ." right . it will be quicker to get a taxi and 'm coming with you ."
"what's he doing with her ? gisela , what do you think has happened ?"
"let's get a taxi " was gisela's reply .
i cannot remember much about what happened next apart from staring hard at a set of traffic lights . then there was the motorcyclist who edged so close to us that the driver shouted at him .
"you shouldn't have come ," i said to gisela ." there's no need .
gisela was matter -of-fact ." it did sound urgent but it's probably nothing . anyway . i would like to meet this famous rose ."
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