“Jez ole Joe had rotten luck, he had to marry her. He’s only nineteen.”
“I suppose you would think it was hard luck.”
“Myrtle I didn’t mean us.”
“I bet you did. An anyways have you ever seen the girl?”
“I bet it aint his.”
“What?”
“The kid.”
“Billy how dreadfully you do talk.”
Fortysecond Street. Union League Club. “It was a most amusing gathering … most amusing. … Everybody was there. For once the speeches were delightful, made me think of old times,” croaked a cultivated voice behind her ear. The Waldorf. “Aint them flags swell Billy. … That funny one is cause the Siamese ambassador is staying there. I read about it in the paper this morning.”
When thou and I my love shall come to part, Then shall I press an ineffable last kiss Upon your lips and go … heart, start, who art … Bliss, this, miss … When thou … When you and I my love …
Eighth Street. She got down from the bus and went into the basement of the Brevoort. George sat waiting with his back to the door snapping and unsnapping the lock of his briefcase. “Well Elaine it’s about time you turned up. … There aren’t many people I’d sit waiting three quarters of an hour for.”
“George you mustn’t scold me; I’ve been having the time of my life. I haven’t had such a good time in years. I’ve had the whole day all to myself and I walked all the way down from 105th Street to Fiftyninth through the Park. It was full of the most comical people.”
“You must be tired.” His lean face where the bright eyes were caught in a web of fine wrinkles kept pressing forward into hers like the prow of a steamship.
“I suppose you’ve been at the office all day George.”
“Yes I’ve been digging out some cases. I cant rely on anyone else to do even routine work thoroughly, so I have to do it myself.”
“Do you know I had it all decided you’d say that.”
“What?”
“About waiting three quarters of an hour.”
“Oh you know altogether too much Elaine. … Have some pastries with your tea?”
“Oh but I dont know anything about anything, that’s the trouble. … I think I’ll take lemon please.”
Glasses clinked about them; through blue cigarettesmoke faces hats beards wagged, repeated greenish in the mirrors.
“But my de‑e‑ar it’s always the same old complex. It may be true of men but it says nothing in regard to women,” droned a woman’s voice from the next table. … “Your feminism rises into an insuperable barrier,” trailed a man’s husky meticulous tones. “What if I am an egoist? God knows I’ve suffered for it.” “Fire that purifies, Charley. …” George was speaking, trying to catch her eye. “How’s the famous Jojo?”
“Oh let’s not talk about him.”
“The less said about him the better eh?”
“Now George I wont have you sneer at Jojo, for better or worse he is my husband, till divorce do us part. … No I wont have you laugh. You’re too crude and simple to understand him anyway. Jojo’s a very complicated rather tragic person.”
“For God’s sake don’t let’s talk about husbands and wives. The important thing, little Elaine, is that you and I are sitting here together without anyone to bother us. … Look when are we going to see each other again, really see each other, really. …”
“We’re not going to be too real about this, are we George?” She laughed softly into her cup.
“Oh but I have so many things to say to you. I want to ask you so many things.”
She looked at him laughing, balancing a small cherry tartlet that had one bite out of it between a pink squaretipped finger and thumb. “Is that the way you act when you’ve got some miserable sinner on the witnessbox? I thought it was more like: Where were you on the night of February thirtyfirst?”
“But I’m dead serious, that’s what you cant understand, or wont.”
A young man stood at the table, swaying a little, looking down at them. “Hello Stan, where the dickens did you come from?” Baldwin looked up at him without smiling. “Look Mr. Baldwin I know it’s awful rude, but may I sit down at your table a second. There’s somebody looking for me who I just cant meet. O God that mirror! Still they’d never look for me if they saw you.”
“Miss Oglethorpe this is Stanwood Emery, the son of the senior partner in our firm.”
“Oh it’s so wonderful to meet you Miss Oglethorpe. I saw you last night, but you didn’t see me.”
“Did you go to the show?”
“I almost jumped over the foots I thought you were so wonderful.”
He had a ruddy brown skin, anxious eyes rather near the bridge of a sharp fragillycut nose, a big mouth never still, wavy brown hair that stood straight up. Ellen looked from one to the other inwardly giggling. They were all three stiffening in their chairs.
“I saw the danderine lady this afternoon,” she said. “She impressed me enormously. Just my idea of a great lady on a white horse.”
“With rings on her finger and bells on her toes, And she shall make mischief wherever she goes.” Stan rattled it
