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Without being quite conscious of it, Whit drifted from the sacredLeft Bank to
the bourgeois Right. Beinke, was selling a horse collar to afarmer. At the
somewhat gloomy harness shop we descended and went in. Why notmake a place for
Emily in his own office?
He hadntexplained that more than six times before.
Like most active young Americans, he discovered the extremedifficulty of going
slow. We drove into a poor farmyard; we were faced by an enormous andcheerful
old woman. He drew the words out lingeringly, but she cut him off with a
crisptelephonic G-by.
But theDibbleses are essentially an artistic family.
And
looking upon it, for once Monsieur Schoelkopf spoke: You willbe, some time, a
good banker. At the poolroom itappeared that he had merely bought a pack of
cigarettes and goneon. VIHe told himself that she was supercilious, that she
wasuninteresting, that he did not like her. Whit sprang up, muttering Urghhg,
which Miles took as a tributeto his wit. It was infinitely harder to spendfifty
minutes on a square inch of painting.
But if I did not think much about
Lutkins, the office did. Thats why I suggested dining early, so it wouldnt be
taken.
They passed a crying child on a doorstepbeside a discouraged
delicatessen.
Peter Pete, and I imaginethe good saint will like it. At her
suggestion they walked up, through thelate-winter clamminess.
Titus bellowed,
Say, youhavent met my young friend Whinney Dibble.
You are going back to your
poisonous Middle West. Friend of mine here from the citys got apresent for him.
Miles OSullivan had denounced the puerilityof American fried chicken.
Monsieur
Schoelkopf was delighted to accept Whit, also his tenthousand francs in
advance.
As he plodded home the shivering fog that lay over him hid
thefuture.
He stopped, gasped and added quietly: Emily,will you marry me?
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