In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

HOTEL CRILLON
Richard Schwanz swept through the double door in a long
camel hair coat, a red scarf, red kid gloves and a brown gangster hat.
The Hôpital du Val de Grace, though not specialists in pneumopathology,
was not way out in the suburbs and had the doctor for his
little girl, one that Dick's well connected native patrons went to for
patching up. Normally he would have been expected to use the
American Hospital in Neuilly, but Schwanz wanted dearly to be
thought of as a Frenchman and not an ex-pat. As he pranced over to
Sandro, his face fell a notch with each step. He held Sandro's scarred
face in his hands as if it was a broken vase.
"Tisk, tisk, look what the cat dragged in, you look just awful!
You'd better get that work done on your face or you'll scare the
children! Hello, Penny, well aren't you fresh as a daisy? Tough cookie,
are we? You wearing him out, these days?"
It was true that Sandro was unshaven, his lips chapped and
peeling. Dick removed his coat, gloves, scarf, and hat and stacked them
carefully on one of the few empty chairs. Under the coat he wore a
conservative gray suit, but with red socks. With the hat off and Ula
bald, the resemblance was unmistakable. Even Sandro stared, his eye
following the lumpy skull through the door into Ula's room. He tore
off a fresh strip of skin until his lip bled. Penny took off her own coat,
dumped it on the camel hair pile and kicked their bags closer to the
chair. She watched Sandro scowl and destroy his lips.
Dick came back, more somber now.
"Pneumonia! How do you get pneumonia in Italy? What stupid
romantic farce did she pull now? Who does she think she is Anita
Eckberg? Your lip is bleeding, Sandro, those beautiful Tivoglio lips.
Don't ruin them like the rest of your face. Oh, why, why are you all so
self-destructive?"
"Actually Dick, it was all thanks to Beatrice, and uh, I donoyou?"
Penny couldn't help herself.
"What the hell are you talking about, kid?" Dick looked around
nervously, Sandro just stared at the polished floor.
"Well, I guess I'll be going, you can stay at my place if Beatrice
gets too bitchy, I'm sorry about the little crisis we had before. I was
181