«Did Arnold come to you this morning?»
«He came to see me. Why do you say 'come to you' in that meaningful way? He was very upset by your spiteful review. Why ever did you send it to him? Why cause pain just like that? You wouldn't like it if someone did it to you.»
«Did he come to cry on your shoulder?»
«No. He came to discuss a business project.»
«Business?»
«Yes. We're going into business together. I have a lot of spare money, so has he. I didn't spend all my time in Illinois at the Ladies' Guild. I helped Evans run his business. At the end I ran his business. I'm not going to idle around over here. I'm going into lingerie. And Arnold is going with me.»
«Why did you never tell me you were Jewish?»
«You were never interested enough to find out.»
«So you and Arnold are going to make money together. Has it occurred to you to wonder how Rachel might feel?»
«Aren't you after Rachel?»
«What makes you imagine that?»
«Rachel told Arnold you were.»
«Rachel told Arnold I was after her?»
«Yes. They had a good laugh together.»
«You're lying,» I said. I left the room. Christian called after me, «Brad, let's be friends, please.»
I had reached the front door with some general intention of going to fetch Priscilla and with a more immediate need to get away from Christian when the bell rang. I opened the door at once and there was Arnold.
He gave a well-prepared smile, apologetic, ironical, rueful.
I said, «Your business partner is here.»
«So she told you?»
«Yes. You're going into lingerie. Come in.»
«Hello, honey,» said Christian behind me, welcoming Arnold. They trooped into the sitting-room, and after a moment's hesitation I followed them. Christian, who was still putting her shoes on, was wearing a handsome cotton dress of an exceptionally vivid shade of green. Of course I could see now that she was Jewish: that curvy clever mouth, that wily rounded-off nose, those veiled snaky eyes. She was as handsome as her dress, a queen in Israel.
I said to Arnold, «Did you know that she was Jewish?»
«Who? Christian? Of course. I found it out on our first meeting.»
«How?»
«I asked.»
«Brad thinks we're having some sort of romance,» said Christian.
«Look,» said Arnold, «there's nothing between Chris and me except friendship. You've heard of that, haven't you?»
«It can't exist between a man and a woman,» I said. I had only just, with sudden clairvoyance, realized this for certain.
«It can if they're intelligent enough,» said Christian.
«Married people can't have friendships,» I said. «If they do, they're faithless.»
«Don't worry about Rachel,» said Arnold.
«But I do, oddly enough. I felt very worried about her when I saw her the other day with a black eye you'd given her.»
«I didn't give her the black eye. It was accidental. I explained to you.»
«I'll go,» said Christian, «but let me just make a little speech before I do. Gee, I'm sorry about all this. But honestly, Brad, you're living in a dream world. I was very emotionally disturbed when I got back here and I came straight to you. Some men would have been flattered. I may be over fifty but I'm not a has-been. I got three proposals of marriage on the boat, and all from people who didn't know I was rich. Anyway what's wrong with being rich? It's a quality, it's attractive. Rich people are nicer, they're less nervy. I'm quite a proposition. And I came to you. As it happened I met Arnold and we talked and he asked a lot of questions, he was interested. That makes people friends and we are friends. But we haven't started up a love affair. Why should we? We're too intelligent. I'm not a little girl in a mini-skirt looking for kicks. I'm a damned clever woman who wants to have fun for the rest of her life, real fun, and happiness, not just emotional messes. I guess I can see into my motivation by now. I was years in deep analysis back in Illinois. I want friendships with men. I want to help people. Do you know that helping people is the way to be happy? And I'm curious. I want to know lots of people and see what makes them tick. I'm not going to get stuck in any hole-and-corner dramas. I'm going to live in the open. And right out in the open is where Arnold and I have been. You just haven't understood. I want to be friends with you, Brad. I want us to redeem the past by our friendship, like sort of redemptive love-I groaned.
«Don't mock me, I'm trying, I know I may seem ridiculous-«Not in the least,» I said.
«Well why not, naturally he was interested, and I was truthful. It's not a sacred subject, why shouldn't I talk about it. I guess you and I ought to try to be honest with each other and talk it all out of our systems. I know it would do me a power of good. Say, have you ever been analysed?»
«Analysed'-'– Certainly not!!»
«Well, don't be too sure it would be a waste of time. You seem pretty snarled up to me.»
«Ask your friend to go, would you?» I said to Arnold. He smiled.
«I'm going, I'm going, Brad. Look, don't answer me now, but think about this. I do beg you most humbly, and I mean humbly, to talk to me sometime soon, to talk properly, talk about the past, talk about what went wrong, and do it not because it will help you but because it will help me. That's all. Think it over. See you.»
She made for the door. I said, «Wait a minute. To someone who has spent years in deep analysis this may seem crude, but I simply do not like you and I do not want to see you.»
«I know you're sort of scared-«I am not scared. I just happen to detest you. You are the sort of insinuating power-mongering woman that I detest. I cannot forgive you and I do not want to see you.»
«I guess this sort of classical love-hate-«Not love. Just hate. Be honest enough to see that, since you're so intelligent. And another thing. When I have had my little talk with Arnold I am coming over to fetch my sister, and after that any connection between you and me ceases.»
«Look, Brad, there's something more I want to say after all. I guess I see into your motivation-«Get out. Or do you want me to resort to violence?»
She laughed a red-tongued white-toothed laugh, merrily. «Oh-ho, what would that mean, I wonder? You'd better watch it, I learnt Karate at the Ladies' Guild. Well, I'm off. But think over what I said. Why choose hatred? Why not choose happiness and doing a little good to each other for a change? All right, all right, I'm off, cheery- bye.»
She clacked out and I could hear her laughing as she pulled the front door to behind her.
I turned on Arnold, «I don't know what you think that Rachel-«
«No.» The feeling of sheer loving pity for Rachel came back to me, no nonsense about legs, just pity, pity.
«Wait a bit, wait a bit. Rachel's all right. It's you who's getting all steamed up about me and Christian. Of course you naturally feel possessive about Christian-«I do not!»
«But there's really and truly nothing there except friendship. Rachel understands that now. You're the one who has invented this myth about me and your ex-wife. And you seem to be using it as an excuse for pestering Rachel in a way I might resent if I were more old-fashioned. Fortunately Rachel has a sense of humour about it. She told me how you came round this morning, accusing me and all ready to comfort her! Of course I know, we all know, that you're keen on Rachel. Your being so has been an aspect of our friendship. You were keen on both of us. And don't misunderstand me, Rachel hasn't just regarded this as a joke, she's been very touched. Any woman likes a suitor. But when you start pestering her with attentions and suggesting I'm unfaithful at the same time it becomes something that she rightly won't put up with. I don't know whether you really think that Chris and I are lovers, or whether you pretend to Rachel that you think it. But she certainly doesn't believe anything of the
