‘We go places, don’t we?’

‘You’re not the type to do it, Lully,’ she said, and he felt the crunch of truth in her words. ‘You can’t dance, you don’t know how to drink, you …. you’re just not the type.’ She saw his blush. ‘I’m not complaining about that; I didn’t marry you for that. I really didn’t. But at least I thought you’d be the other kind …’

‘But I am …’ he started weakly.

‘But you haven’t got a friend on the block. You haven’t got a friend, Lully.’

‘But I didn’t lie to you, dear. I used to go bowling with Fred and …’ He saw the vein in the side of her neck.

‘That’s what I mean. Honest to God now, could you see yourself being invited by anybody on this block any more?’

He thought.

She saw that he was convinced.

‘That’s what I mean,’ she concluded, and leaned back successfully. ‘Either we move and find friends, or we find some here.’

‘Well, I’ll … I’ll …’ he stared abstractly, ‘I’ll … on Sunday is the best time. People are outside on Sunday. Bligh is a nice chap. We’ll get something up, we’ll …’ But he saw the vision of it on Sunday, and stopped talking.

‘And what happens if he ain’t interested?’ she asked.

He looked at her now. His voice was thin as it always was in defense.’ Well, they’re not all in the organization.’

She leaned ahead on her elbows, ‘Lully,’ she said quietly, patiently, ‘people don’t give you the eye that way unless they been put on to something.’

She leaned back again and watched his staring eyes. Her voice became plaintive. ‘I thought you’d make a life for me, Lully: I thought I’d stay home and fix up the place for you. I ain’t even had a chance to cook something nice. I’m a good cook. I ain’t even had a chance to put up new curtains. All it’s been is trouble and more trouble.’

She waited, but his gaze remained unbroken.

‘Not that I mind working,’ she put in after a moment.

He did not answer. She lit another cigarette, and looked off idly toward the door, blowing smoke.

For a long minute he studied her profile. Then, ‘Dear?’ he said. She turned, exhaling smoke. He saw how she was suppressing her interest in what he was about to say, and knew that what she wanted to discuss was her quitting the job. He would have asked her if that was why she married him, but whatever the answer was it would change nothing, so he let it pass. ‘I want to tell you something else,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘Supposing I went in to Fred.’

‘Yes.’

‘Let me start another way. I spoke to Finkelstein that time.’

‘Yes.’

‘I know for a feet that he’s not going to move no matter what happens.’

‘If nobody buys from him he’ll move soon enough. They don’t stay where there’s no money.’