Page 113 - tender-is-the-night

‘How did you know about the duel? I thought we were to
keep it from you.’
‘Do you think Abe can keep a secret?’ He spoke with
incisive irony. ‘Tell a secret over the radio, publish it in a
tabloid, but never tell it to a man who drinks more than
three or four a day.’
She laughed in agreement, staying close to him.
‘So you understand my relations with Nicole are compli-
cated. She’s not very strong—she looks strong but she isn’t.
And this makes rather a mess.’
‘Oh, say that later! But kiss me now—love me now. I’ll
love you and never let Nicole see.’
‘You darling.’
They reached the hotel and Rosemary walked a little be-
hind him, to admire him, to adore him. His step was alert as
if he had just come from some great doings and was hurry-
ing on toward others. Organizer of private gaiety, curator of
a richly incrusted happiness. His hat was a perfect hat and
he carried a heavy stick and yellow gloves. She thought what
a good time they would all have being with him to-night.
They walked upstairs—five flights. At the first landing
they stopped and kissed; she was careful on the next land-
ing, on the third more careful still. On the next—there were
two more—she stopped half way and kissed him fleetingly
good-by. At his urgency she walked down with him to the
one below for a minute—and then up and up. Finally it was
good-by with their hands stretching to touch along the di-
agonal of the banister and then the fingers slipping apart.
Dick went back downstairs to make some arrangements for

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