Imagine, if William were a vulgar man, the fuss! But," she
admitted, "at bottom I shouldn't have cared. You are not half as
disreputable as I am, Lee. You have a proper look at this minute."
"Really," he protested, "there is no reason for you to be insulting,
when I deliberately led you astray."
"You do flatter yourself," Savina replied; "when it was I all the time:
I broke up your home."
"You needn't boast so loudly and pain everyone about us," he protested
cheerfully. She gazed contemptuously at the surrounding tables:
"The scheming presidents of concessions and their fat wives. Have you
noticed the men hurrying away apologetically in the evening, Lee? The
places on Sol and Gloria Streets! And, just as you meant, if they knew
who, what, we were, they'd want to have us arrested. You see, I am
infringing on the privileges sacred to men. It's all right for them to
do this, to go out to an appointment after ten o'clock and come back at
two satisfied--"
"Savina," he interrupted her, "I know all that you were going to say, I
could repeat it to you in your own words. You were about to assault the
double standard. Consider it done. You are right. Everyone with sense
is right there. But if I hear it again I'll think I am at Aeolian Hall
listening to an English author lecture. I'll put you in your car on
Forty-second Street and send you home."
"You can't send me home," she reminded him; "you are too proper and
have too many scruples.
Pages:
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319