U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [296]
too . . . Why, Don told me you're a dangerous woman." She shrugged her shoulders,
"When did Don find that out? Maybe you could be dangerous too, Paul." Next time they danced she put her cheek against his. When the music stopped he looked as if he was going to kiss her, but he didn't. "This is the most wonderful eve-ning I ever had in my life," he said, "I wish I was the kind of guy you real y wanted to have take you out."
"Maybe you could get to be, Paul . . . you seem to be learning fast. . . . No, but we're acting sil y . . . I hate ogling and flirting around . . . I guess I want the moon
. . . maybe I want to get married and have a baby." Paul was embarrassed. They sat silent watching the other dancers. Eveline saw a young French soldier lean over and kiss the little girl he was dancing with on the lips; kissing, they kept on dancing. Eveline wished she was that girl.
"Let's have a little more wine," she said to Paul. "Do you think we'd better? Al right, what the hec, we're having a big time."
Getting in the taxicab Paul was pretty drunk, laughing and hugging her. As soon as they were in the darkness of the back of the taxi they started kissing. Eveline held Paul off for a minute, "Let's go to your place instead of mine," she said. "I'm afraid of my concièrge."
"Al right . . . it's awful little," said Paul, giggling. "But ish gebibbel, we should worry get a wrinkle."
When they had gotten past the bitter eyes that sized
-331-them up of the old man who kept the keys at Paul's hotel they staggered up a long chil y winding stair and into a little room that gave on a court. "It's a great life if you don't weaken," said Paul, waving his arms after he'd locked and bolted the door. It had started to rain again and the rain made the sound of a waterfal on the glass roof at the bottom of the court. Paul threw his hat and tunic in the corner of the room and came towards her, his eyes shining.
They'd hardly gotten to bed when he fel asleep with his head on her shoulder. She slipped out of bed to turn the light off and open the window and then snuggled shiv-ering against his body that was warm and relaxed like a child's. Outside the rain poured down on the glass roof. There was a puppy shut up somewhere in the building that whined and yelped desperately without stopping. Eveline couldn't get to sleep. Something shut up inside her was whining like the puppy. Through the window she began to see the dark peak of a roof and chimneypots against a fading purple sky. Final y she fel asleep. Next day they spent together. She'd phoned in to the Red Cross that she was sick as usual and Paul forgot about the Sorbonne altogether. They sat al morning in the faint sunshine at a café near the Madeleine making plans about what they'd do. They'd get themselves sent back home as soon as they possibly could and get jobs in New York and get married. Paul was going to study engineer-ing in his spare time. There was a firm of grain and feed merchants in Jersey City, friends of his father's he knew he could get a job with. Eveline could start up her dec-orating business again. Paul was happy and confident and had lost his apologetic manner. Eveline kept tel ing her-self that Paul had stuff in him, that she was in love with Paul, that something could be made out of Paul. The rest of the month of May they were both a little lightheaded al the time. They spent al their pay the first
-332-few days so that they had to eat at little table d'hoôte res-taurants crowded with students and working people and poor clerks where they bought books of tickets that gave them a meal for two francs or two fifty. One Sunday in June they went out to St. Germain and walked through the forest. Eveline had spel s of nausea and weakness and had to lie down on the grass several times. Paul looked worried sick. At last they got to a little settlement on the bank of the Seine. The Seine flowed fast streaked with green and lilac in the afternoon light, brimming the low banks bordered by ranks of huge poplars. They
crossed a little ferry rowed by an old man that Eveline cal ed Father Time. Halfway over she said to Paul, "Do you know what's the matter with me, Paul? I'm going to have a baby."