Doctor at Sea

streets, where the pedestrians shuffled guiltily in the shadows like large rats.
    ‘I think this is the number,’ he said, stopping by the heavy door of an unlighted house.’ You fellows stay here and I’ll go and see.’
    He jumped up the steps and rang the bell. After a minute or so I saw him jab it again. The door opened. An old woman with her hair tied in a handkerchief stood against the inside light.
    ‘Boa noite, senhora,’ Trail began. He held a conversation in Portuguese with her, and I saw that he spoke the language rapidly and with great force, but unintelligibly. After he had delivered a string of sentences embellished heavily with gestures she held up a finger and disappeared to fetch help. A tall man in a dressing-gown came back with her. After a few words he pushed the Third abruptly down the steps, delivered a few hostile sentences, and slammed the door.
    ‘Wrong place,’ Trail explained, picking himself up. ’That seems to be the dentist’s. It must be the house on the other corner.’
    At the next door we were received with pleasure and shown immediately into the parlour.
    Madame Mimi’s was a sedate establishment. The parlour was furnished in the austere, grubby style popular with the Continental middle-class; it was a large apartment with big shuttered windows, containing several small tables and a larger one in the corner where Madame sat with three or four of her charges. On a dark broken sideboard down one side were two unlighted candelabra, a sickly-looking plant, and a radio. Round the walls were pictures of the saints. Business was poor, and the room was quiet and inactive. One felt one had called on the vicar’s daughters for tea.
    Madame immediately recognized my companions and greeted them warmly.
    ‘Ah, hello my little boys! Back so soon, eh? How goes it in cold England?’
    She embraced the two of them. She was a big, overpowdered woman in a black dress, with a figure like a thawing snowman.
    ‘Not so dusty,’ Archer said. ‘Meet one of our shipmates.’
    We embraced.
    ‘Madame is a wonderful character,’ Trail explained.’ Hails from France originally. She built up her own team here like a football manager.’
    ‘Now, boys,’ Madame said. ‘You would like some beer, no?’
    ‘Lay it on, Madame,’ Archer said, sitting down and slapping his knee.’ Lay on everything.’
    Madame clapped her hands.
    ‘Is that little girl Dina still here?’ Trail asked.
    Our hostess shrugged her shoulders powerfully.
    ‘She is gone. She married a gentleman from São Paulo.’
    ‘Well, he hasn’t done badly,’ Trail observed. ’Let’s have a look at the latest talent.’
    Madame’s assistant brought the tall green beer bottles and glasses, and three girls came over to sit with us. They were pretty girls - slim, dainty, smiling, glowing with cooperation.
    ‘Americano?’ asked the one next to me eagerly.
    ‘No. Ingles.’
    ‘Cigarette?’ she asked, as winsomely as a schoolgirl appealing for pocket money. I gave her one, which she put carefully in her handbag. She began to stroke the back of my neck. I clasped my hands in front of me and stared defensively at the opposite wall.
    ‘I lof you,’ she said.
    We sat like that for some time. Meanwhile, Trail and Archer had their girls on their knees and were conducting a conversation in a mixture of English, Portuguese, and giggles.
    ‘You come with me?’ the girl asked, playfully pulling a hair from my neck.
    ‘No,’ I said. ‘I - I não gostar, or whatever it is. Nothing doing. Go and talk to my amigos...’
    I looked round and saw Trail and Archer disappearing up the stairs leading to the operational portion of the building.
    ‘Hey!’ I called, jumping up.’ Don’t you fellows leave me!’
    ‘It’s all right, Doc. We won’t be long.’ Trail called over his shoulder. ’Finish the beer for us.’
    I sat gloomily down and bit my lip, feeling like a warning to young men. The girl, discouraged, got up and left me. I took my handkerchief out and wiped my forehead.
    But Madame, ever solicitous, assumed immediately that my companion had for some reason not pleased me. She directed a large grinning blonde to take her place.
    ‘No, no!’ I said in alarm. ’No! Please...go away, there’s a good girl.’
    ‘Não?’
    ‘No. Sorry and all that.’
    I looked uncomfortably round me. I wanted to get out. But I didn’t know the way back to the ship, and I was scared to walk out of the place on my own. I took a gulp of