your life. Because, if you cooperate, if the three of you do, we could equalize, somehow. For example, those articles we found when we searched Burke’s place last night, that partnership agreement, we might void for some reason—such as fraud figuring in. That would restore Mr. Landry his titles, and might lead to a handsome profit. Now that we know the shoes were a trumped-up thing, we’d be disposed to treat him kindly. But if the three of you keep on associating yourselves with Burke, it breaks the bank for you. It so happens I’ll be in charge of the trading passes next month when the invasion starts to roll, and, I promise you, this oily, slippery, crooked Irishman will not be on board the boat. That’ll extinguish all titles because, don’t forget: The godpappy has to be there, in person, to claim his seizure receipt. Without it he can’t litigate. Do you hear what I’m telling you, Bill?”
“I hear you, so far as that goes.”
“But you still refuse to cooperate?”
“I have nothing more to say.
“You persist in shielding Burke?”
“I’m not shielding anyone.”
“ Yes he is , he ’ s shielding a woman! ”
“Madame, hold your tongue!”
The colonel snapped it out like the crack of a whip, and she shut up for a second or two. Then to Dan she said: “You think your old headquarters boat is the only way to Alexandria? Well, there’s others.”
“That’s right, you can walk—or swim.”
“We’ll get Frank there, don’t worry.”
“Then I wish you luck.”
After ordering the guard to quarters, the colonel told Burke: “You may go.” Then, except for the military, we were all clumping downstairs. In the lower hall, Mr. Landry grabbed my arm, saying: “Bill, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t throw away that money. I know Frank did me a grievous wrong, but to get back at him, I’d have to—”
“It’s all right, business is business.”
“I should have talked against him, perhaps, but——”
“Well, I didn’t; why should you?”
“Bill, I may say you surprised me. That woman—”
“ Oh , the hell you say! ”
I ripped it out, very bitter, and in fact was perfectly furious that not only she but he, after what I’d accomplished for them, should have the gall to object to a thing already explained by the officers themselves—even the colonel had caught the reason for my bringing a woman in. At my tone he cut it off, and started mumbling about my fee for acting as his counsel, “which I should have brought up sooner, but didn’t.” To me, that was just a pain in the neck, and I started for the door. Then something hit me on the chin—warm, wet, and ticklish, and I realized she had spat from where she was standing nearby. The previous day, the smell of spit from her lips had been intoxicating to me, but now it made me so sick I thought I might lose my breakfast. I ducked out onto the street, and turned the corner before I got out my handkerchief and wiped the stuff off.
Chapter 12
A T THE HOTEL I WASHED MY FACE , then went down for something to eat. Back in the suite again, I sat down and tried to take stock. I was rocked to the heels, I knew, by what she’d meant to me and by what she’d done to me—unreasonably, I thought. But there was no doubt in my mind as to what I should do about her. It was clear I had to forget her, root her out of my heart completely, so no trace of her would be left. After a while I concluded the best way to do it was to get back to the original tune, the twenty-five thousand dollars and how I would get it. Remembering the talk about bankers we’d had the night before, I began wondering if they weren’t the answer and figuring how I might meet some. Then the numbness seemed to start wearing off, but I was deluding myself—more afterclaps were due, and my troubles had hardly started. Around three, I guess, a knock came on the door, but I waited a second or two before opening, to steel myself to be tough, in case she was there, taking
“I hear you, so far as that goes.”
“But you still refuse to cooperate?”
“I have nothing more to say.
“You persist in shielding Burke?”
“I’m not shielding anyone.”
“ Yes he is , he ’ s shielding a woman! ”
“Madame, hold your tongue!”
The colonel snapped it out like the crack of a whip, and she shut up for a second or two. Then to Dan she said: “You think your old headquarters boat is the only way to Alexandria? Well, there’s others.”
“That’s right, you can walk—or swim.”
“We’ll get Frank there, don’t worry.”
“Then I wish you luck.”
After ordering the guard to quarters, the colonel told Burke: “You may go.” Then, except for the military, we were all clumping downstairs. In the lower hall, Mr. Landry grabbed my arm, saying: “Bill, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t throw away that money. I know Frank did me a grievous wrong, but to get back at him, I’d have to—”
“It’s all right, business is business.”
“I should have talked against him, perhaps, but——”
“Well, I didn’t; why should you?”
“Bill, I may say you surprised me. That woman—”
“ Oh , the hell you say! ”
I ripped it out, very bitter, and in fact was perfectly furious that not only she but he, after what I’d accomplished for them, should have the gall to object to a thing already explained by the officers themselves—even the colonel had caught the reason for my bringing a woman in. At my tone he cut it off, and started mumbling about my fee for acting as his counsel, “which I should have brought up sooner, but didn’t.” To me, that was just a pain in the neck, and I started for the door. Then something hit me on the chin—warm, wet, and ticklish, and I realized she had spat from where she was standing nearby. The previous day, the smell of spit from her lips had been intoxicating to me, but now it made me so sick I thought I might lose my breakfast. I ducked out onto the street, and turned the corner before I got out my handkerchief and wiped the stuff off.
Chapter 12
A T THE HOTEL I WASHED MY FACE , then went down for something to eat. Back in the suite again, I sat down and tried to take stock. I was rocked to the heels, I knew, by what she’d meant to me and by what she’d done to me—unreasonably, I thought. But there was no doubt in my mind as to what I should do about her. It was clear I had to forget her, root her out of my heart completely, so no trace of her would be left. After a while I concluded the best way to do it was to get back to the original tune, the twenty-five thousand dollars and how I would get it. Remembering the talk about bankers we’d had the night before, I began wondering if they weren’t the answer and figuring how I might meet some. Then the numbness seemed to start wearing off, but I was deluding myself—more afterclaps were due, and my troubles had hardly started. Around three, I guess, a knock came on the door, but I waited a second or two before opening, to steel myself to be tough, in case she was there, taking
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