‘You wouldn’t want to see the man hurt, would you?’ he asked, as though that would settle her attitude.

She kept moving her eyes around, and sat back.’ Well, I don’t say it’s the best thing to be happening, but if that’s the only way to …’

He laughed. ‘Oh come now, you know you wouldn’t want that.’

She kept moving her eyes and opening her mouth to speak and closing it again. Something in him cried out that she must say no more or he would have to confess openly that he had been talking all along about no one but himself and her. And then there would be no arguing about going to Fred; he would simply have to go and save her.

Jolly and sudden, he clapped both hands down on the table, and said,’ I say we take in a picture.’

In reply she stared at him, calculating something that was beyond this room. ‘Listen,’ she said.

‘What.’

There’s only one thing to do. I been thinking about doing it a long time but I didn’t want to. But now I think I better.’

‘What, dear?’

‘I’ll go in to Fred and …’

‘No, dear.’

‘Wait a minute. He doesn’t know who I am. I didn’t want him to know. I wanted to just be a private person the rest of my life. I thought this kind of excitement blew over in California, but it’s getting bigger instead of smaller. I’ll go in to him ….

‘No, dear, you’re not.’

‘I’ll tell him who I am. I can name names he’ll recognize. We’ll get in with them once and for all and see what happens.’

He shook his head with absolute decision. ‘No,’ he said.

Her sigh shook. ‘I say yes, Lully.’

‘You will not go to him. I’m not six years old, and he isn’t my father. Come on, we’ll see a picture.’

He got up. She remained in her chair, figuring.

‘I forbid it, Gert. Absolutely. I forbid it.’

She got up and with a peeved sigh replaced a strand of her hair in almost a lazy way. The outlines of her breasts showed when she raised her arms and he longed for her and for the time when he had lived only for night. He got up and went around the table to her.

‘Let’s forget it, Gert,’ he urged softly, looking into her face.

She lowered her arms and blinked thoughtfully, then looked up at him. He took her hand and kissed it. He smiled at the foolish gesture and at himself as he let her hand go.

‘Come on. We go to the movies and forget it.’

She allowed her mouth to smile and avoided his eyes. ‘OK, I’ll put something on,’ she said, and went out of the kitchen, listless and wronged.

He watched through the door until she disappeared up the stairs. In the parlor he could see his mother in her wheelchair leaning back with her eyes closed, listening to a waltz on the radio.