Chapter IX

An Idle Man in the Middle od Working Men

Count Cassatti didn't go unnoticed in the middle of the circus' wings. If Father Barretti was proud of his visit, he couldn't ask ordinary artists –his workforce– to show the same respect to visitors. Circus people do not like to play for the gallery, and they hate to be disturbed. The clowns did not hesitate to bump into Cassatti and asked him, politely but firmly, to make way. Only women showed a bit their gratitude, as they appreciated the homage from this elegant spectator who came to give them a closer look. Unfortunately, as they were all wives, daughters and mothers of their work partners, they heard a call to go back immediately to their dressing rooms to change for the second part of the show, if they were required for it. Count Cassatti understood that all actors were not yet back into their dressing rooms and he started searching for Bianca in this crowd which amused and astonished him. Deep down, he found all women attractive. As an inveterate professional Casanova, he made a point not to be caught by love, the great love. He looked only for immediate pleasure and he supposed that all women were worth seducing if they were young and pretty. He spoke little to men who were below his station, but, he always had some nice relationships with the opposite sex, whatever their social status. He asked for smiles and tried to seduce virtuous women as well as prostitutes. In this new environment, he moved at ease, replying to winks and ready to make an astute and wicked compliment. Suddenly an actress in a tight black dress brushed against him. She had a curvaceous body and she seemed to nudge him rather insistently. He turned back and saw a lovely face in front of him:

- Gosh! said he.

The woman moved away and he followed her, forgetting Bianca for a while. She moved quickly, walking with short precious little steps, then, she sat down on a straw armchair. Then, the Count, sure of his conquest, addressed a compliment to the artist:

- So fresh and young, tonight, charming lady!...and what beautiful arms, ready for kisses!

The woman smiled. She had a heavily made up face, but a wonderful oval shape. She said, uncovering superb white teeth:

- Isn't it, my dear?

Then, almost at once, in one sudden gesture, she rested her hands on her hair and she removed her blond frothy wig. She uncovered the shaven head of a young man to a completely dumbfounded Cassatti while he roared with laughter, a real man's laugh which made him even more crestfallen.

- You don't fancy it as much, hey! Mate! You didn't expect that.

The Count moved away quickly as he didn't want to draw to much attention to such an unfortunate error. But, he couldn't avoid the merriments he caused. He heard again the laugh of the groom to whom the drag artist told his story.

A pony pushed him against his manger, an elephant against the canvas and he received between his legs a broom sent by a clown. Then, at last, Father Barretti put him on the right way. He suddenly arrived in front of Bianca's trailer, and before knocking he looked through the half-opened door.

The young woman was touching up her make-up while, at the same time talking to somebody the Count couldn't see. And, he heard, still in hiding, a conversation, which for a lesser seducer and more sensitive to ridicule than he was, would have been pretty discouraging. Bianca had just opened the box with his flowers and his card and she exclaimed:

- Tito! I've got an admirer!

The voice of the clown came through clearly in spite of the fact that he was extremely busy removing his foundation with a lot of Vaseline.

- Ah! Really! Then, congratulations, my dear, I hope you'll take advantage of him.

Bianca started to laugh:

- You're not jealous, are you?

- Not yet!

The young woman looked at the card in her hands and carried on, ironically:

- You know, it's a high-born person; an aristocrat!

- I don't care.

- A Count, my dear!

- Ah! He isn't made like other men…he has two heads, four feet and four hands?

- Let me talk… it's the guy who looks like you, you know, the one who wanted to give me lift after the balloon show.

There was a pause, then, Cassatti heard the reply of the man he couldn't see.

- You'll give him my compliments and you'll kiss his hands for me.

- Absolutely! Said Bianca, and I'll tell him to look for me in China…and to wait for you to find him there.

- That's it!

Strangely, these remarks amused Cassatti enormously who had heard many during his lifetime, but nothing could put him off a conquest. He was about to push the door when a sentence from the young woman stopped him.

- Ah! She exclaimed, I mustn't forget to give the baby his milk bottle.

It cooled down immediately the professional seducer whom didn't expect to find this beauty in possession of a new-born baby.

- Oh my! He exclaimed, what have I done? Is she a mother?

He listened more.

- That's right! Poor baby! declared Tito's cheerful voice…and above all, give him a good amount! Don't forget that yesterday he nearly broke his bottle between his teeth because he was so hungry. You are a cruel mother.

- Don't worry! I took two litres of milk and I think he will be alright for the whole night.

At that point, some groaning, which seemed a bit too strong to Cassatti to be those of a new new-born child, disturbed the conversation. Curious, he pushed the door and had a look. He saw that Bianca's baby was no other than a baby leopard that she was feeding like a good circus mother.

Then he went in deliberately. The Count saw that the young acrobat was dressing alone in her trailer. Tito's voice came through the partition and he seemed nevertheless relieved to realise he could stay in relative isolation with the young woman.

And Bianca, who didn't even turn her head as she was busy giving his milk bottle to her favourite animal, suddenly felt a human presence: the count's ankle-boots creaked on the parquet floor. She turned suddenly and was astounded to see this man. And if she didn't tell him to go away instantly, it's just because he offered such a strong likeness to Tito that it stopped her protest on her lips.

It was really prodigious. In spite of her embarrassment in front of this indiscreet gentleman and the real horror she felt for his practices, she didn't express her true feelings, as she couldn't express any ill feelings towards Tito's look alike.

Finally, she recovered, shook her head and said in a reproachful manner:

- Sir, were you not told that you were not allowed in the dressing rooms?

On the other side of the partition, Tito asked:

- What's happening, Bianca?

The young woman didn't want any scene so she reassured the clown:

- Nothing, Tito. I have a visit. It won't take a minute.

Count Cassatti had spotted on a nearby chair his flowers. He pointed them out in a polite way, with an affectionate voice as he knew very well how to soften his hard tones when he talked to a desired woman. He whispered:

- I shouldn't really mention the quality of these flowers, and yet, dear Lady, I should nevertheless say that I selected the most beautiful roses in Italy. This is what we call here 'the garden queen'. In your dressing room, there are at the right place to die. Your beauty equals theirs and I am sure they are happy to bring you the homage of their sacrifice.

He had turned out this madrigal with quite a bit of wit, hoping it would melt Bianca's unsociability. Actually, the young woman couldn't reply dishonestly to this extravagant compliment by any insolent remark. The Count after all had not said anything offending. She bowed briefly with her head and forcing herself to sound nice while she didn't feel like it, she replied:

- Yes, Sir! I agree, these roses are superb, but, I beg you, do not send anymore…I wouldn't know where to put them.

All noises had ceased in the nearby dressing room. Tito was just finishing touching up his make up and he listened to the conversation, while moving noiselessly the toilet requisites. He wondered who was this intruder and perhaps already guessed it could be that man he saw during the afternoon near the landing site.

Count Cassatti, instead of going away after the icy reception he was getting, went up to Bianca and wanted to kiss her hand. The young woman avoided his gesture. She clang on to the make up table and even more dryly, guessing that subtle nuances were useless with somebody that decided, she told him very determined to be obeyed:

- Now, Sir, will you be kind enough to leave? I must go for the second part of the show. The public is waiting.

This notice was reinforced by Tito whom from his dressing room understood he could help Bianca without being ill-timed. He raised his voice above the usual pitch and sounding as authoritarian as the Count:

- Are you ready, Bianca? We must go to the ring at once…I can hear the band.