tulips?'' "You don't enjoy to talk to me, Toby."
"Sure, You're friendly and cute and you got a good brain aside from a few phony ideas."
"And what about me? Am I friendly and cute too?" asked Mrs. Copperfield.
"Sure. You're all friendly and cute."
"Copperfield, I think we have just been insulted," said Pacifica, drawing herself up.
Mrs. Copperfield started to march out of the room in mock anger, but Pacifica was already thinking of something else and Mrs. Copperfield found herself to be in the ridiculous position of the performer who is suddenly without an audience. She came back to the bar.
"Listen," said Pacifica, "go upstairs and knock on Mrs. Quill's door. Tell her that Mr. Toby wants to meet her very much. Don't say Pacifica sent you. She will know this anyway and it will be easier for her if you don't say it. She will love to come down. That I know like if she was my mother."
"Oh, I'd love to, Pacifica," said Mrs. Copperfield, running out of the room.
When Mrs. Copperfield arrived in Mrs. Quill's room, Mrs. Quill was busy cleaning the top drawer of her dresser. It was very quiet in her room and very hot.
"I never have the heart to throw these things away," said Mrs. Quill, turning around and patting her hair. "I suppose you've met half of Colon," she said sadly, studying Mrs. Copperfield's flushed face.
"No, I haven't, but would you care to come down and meet Mr. Toby?"
"Who is Mr. Toby, dear?"
"Oh, please come, please come just for me."
"I will, dear, if you'll sit down and wait while I change into something better."
Mrs. Copperfield sat down. Her head was spinning, Mrs. Quill pulled out a long black silk dress from her closet. She drew it over her head and then selected some strings of black beads from her jewel-box, and a cameo pin. She powdered her face carefully and stuck several more hairpins into her hair.
"I'm not going to bother to take a bath," she said when she had finished. "Now, do you really think that I should meet this Mr. Toby, or do you think perhaps another night would be better?"
Mrs. Copperfield took Mrs. Quill's hand and pulled her out of the room. Mrs. Quill's entrance into the barroom was gracious and extremely formal. She was already using the hurt that her beau had caused her to good advantage.
"Now, dear," she said quietly to Mrs. Copperfield, "tell me which one is Mr. Toby."
"That one over there, sitting next to Pacifica," Mrs. Copperfield said hesitantly. She was fearful lest Mrs. Quill should find him completely unattractive and leave the room.
"I see. The stout gentleman,"
"Do you hate fat people?"
"I don't judge people by their bodies. Even when I was a young girl I liked men for their minds. Now that I'm middle-aged I see how right I was."
"I've always been a body-worshipper," said Mrs. Copperfield, "but that doesn't mean that I fall in love with people who have beautiful bodies. Some of the bodies I've liked have been awful. Come, let's go over to Mr. Toby."
Toby stood up for Mrs. Quill and took off his hat.
"Come sit down with us and have a drink."
"Let me get my bearings, young man. Let me get my bearings."
"This bar belongs to you, don't it?" said Toby, looking worried.
"Yes, yes," said Mrs. Quill blandly. She was staring at the top of Pacifica's head, "Pacifica," she said, "don't you drink too much. I have to watch out for you,"
"Don't you worry, Mrs. Quill. I have been taking care of myself for a long time." She turned to Lou and said solemnly: "Fifteen years." Pacifica was completely natural. She behaved as though nothing had occurred between her and Mrs. Quill. Mrs. Copperfield was enchanted. She put her arms around Mrs. Quill's waist and hugged her very tight.
"Oh," she said, "oh, you make me so happy!"
Toby smiled, "The girl's feelin' good, Mrs. Quill. Now don't you want a drink?"
"Yes, I'll have a glass of gin. It pains me the way these girls come away from their homes so young. I had my home and my mother and my sisters and my brothers until the
"Sure, You're friendly and cute and you got a good brain aside from a few phony ideas."
"And what about me? Am I friendly and cute too?" asked Mrs. Copperfield.
"Sure. You're all friendly and cute."
"Copperfield, I think we have just been insulted," said Pacifica, drawing herself up.
Mrs. Copperfield started to march out of the room in mock anger, but Pacifica was already thinking of something else and Mrs. Copperfield found herself to be in the ridiculous position of the performer who is suddenly without an audience. She came back to the bar.
"Listen," said Pacifica, "go upstairs and knock on Mrs. Quill's door. Tell her that Mr. Toby wants to meet her very much. Don't say Pacifica sent you. She will know this anyway and it will be easier for her if you don't say it. She will love to come down. That I know like if she was my mother."
"Oh, I'd love to, Pacifica," said Mrs. Copperfield, running out of the room.
When Mrs. Copperfield arrived in Mrs. Quill's room, Mrs. Quill was busy cleaning the top drawer of her dresser. It was very quiet in her room and very hot.
"I never have the heart to throw these things away," said Mrs. Quill, turning around and patting her hair. "I suppose you've met half of Colon," she said sadly, studying Mrs. Copperfield's flushed face.
"No, I haven't, but would you care to come down and meet Mr. Toby?"
"Who is Mr. Toby, dear?"
"Oh, please come, please come just for me."
"I will, dear, if you'll sit down and wait while I change into something better."
Mrs. Copperfield sat down. Her head was spinning, Mrs. Quill pulled out a long black silk dress from her closet. She drew it over her head and then selected some strings of black beads from her jewel-box, and a cameo pin. She powdered her face carefully and stuck several more hairpins into her hair.
"I'm not going to bother to take a bath," she said when she had finished. "Now, do you really think that I should meet this Mr. Toby, or do you think perhaps another night would be better?"
Mrs. Copperfield took Mrs. Quill's hand and pulled her out of the room. Mrs. Quill's entrance into the barroom was gracious and extremely formal. She was already using the hurt that her beau had caused her to good advantage.
"Now, dear," she said quietly to Mrs. Copperfield, "tell me which one is Mr. Toby."
"That one over there, sitting next to Pacifica," Mrs. Copperfield said hesitantly. She was fearful lest Mrs. Quill should find him completely unattractive and leave the room.
"I see. The stout gentleman,"
"Do you hate fat people?"
"I don't judge people by their bodies. Even when I was a young girl I liked men for their minds. Now that I'm middle-aged I see how right I was."
"I've always been a body-worshipper," said Mrs. Copperfield, "but that doesn't mean that I fall in love with people who have beautiful bodies. Some of the bodies I've liked have been awful. Come, let's go over to Mr. Toby."
Toby stood up for Mrs. Quill and took off his hat.
"Come sit down with us and have a drink."
"Let me get my bearings, young man. Let me get my bearings."
"This bar belongs to you, don't it?" said Toby, looking worried.
"Yes, yes," said Mrs. Quill blandly. She was staring at the top of Pacifica's head, "Pacifica," she said, "don't you drink too much. I have to watch out for you,"
"Don't you worry, Mrs. Quill. I have been taking care of myself for a long time." She turned to Lou and said solemnly: "Fifteen years." Pacifica was completely natural. She behaved as though nothing had occurred between her and Mrs. Quill. Mrs. Copperfield was enchanted. She put her arms around Mrs. Quill's waist and hugged her very tight.
"Oh," she said, "oh, you make me so happy!"
Toby smiled, "The girl's feelin' good, Mrs. Quill. Now don't you want a drink?"
"Yes, I'll have a glass of gin. It pains me the way these girls come away from their homes so young. I had my home and my mother and my sisters and my brothers until the
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