U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [485]
There was no sound from upstairs. Margo began to get the jeebies wondering what Margolies was doing up there. She went back to the couch to get herself another spot of gin and Rodney Cathcart jumped up al of a sudden and put his arms around her from behind and bit her ear.
"Quit that caveman stuff," she said, standing stil . She didn't want to wrestle with him for fear he'd muss her dress. "That's me," he whispered in her ear. "I find you most exciting." Margolies was standing in front of them with some
papers in his hand. Margo wondered how long he'd been there. Rodney Cathcart let himself drop back on the couch and closed his eyes. "Now sit down, Margo darling," Margolies was saying in an even voice. "I want to tel you a story. See if it awakens anything in you." Margo felt herself flushing. Behind her Rodney Cathcart was giving long deep breaths as if he were asleep.
"You are tired of the giddy whirl of the European capitals," Margolies was saying. "You are the daughter of an old armyofficer. Your mother is dead. You go every-where, dances, dinners, affairs. Proposals are made for your hand. Your father is a French or perhaps a Spanish general. His country cal s him. He is to be sent to Africa to repel the barbarous Moors. He wants to leave you in a convent but you insist on going with him. You are following this?"
"Oh, yes," said Margo eagerly. "She'd stow away on the ship to go with him to the war."
"On the same boat there's a young American col egeboy
-412-who has run away to join the foreign legion. We'l get the reason later. That'l be your friend Si. You meet. . . . Everything is lovely between you. Your father is very il . By this time you are in a mud fort besieged by natives, howling bloodthirsty savages. Si breaks through the block-ade to get the medicine necessary to save your father's life.
. . . On his return he's arrested as a deserter. You rush to Tangier to get the American consul to intervene. Your father's life is saved. You ride back just in time to beat the firingsquad. Si is an American citizen and is decorated. The general kisses him on both cheeks and hands his lovely daughter over into his strong arms. . . . I don't want you to talk about this now. . . . Let it settle deep into your mind. Of course it's only a rudimentary sketch. The story is nonsense but it affords the director certain oppor-tunities. I can see you risking al , reputation, life itself to save the man you love. Now I'l take you home. . . . Look, Si's asleep. He's just an animal, a brute blond beast." When Margolies put her wrap around her he let his
hands rest for a moment on her shoulders. "There's another thing I want you to let sink into your heart . . . not your intel igence . . . your heart. . . . Don't answer me now. Talk it over with your charming companion. A little later, when we have this picture done I want you to marry me. I am free. Years ago in another world I had a wife as men have wives but we agreed to misunderstand and went our ways. Now I shal be too busy. You have no conception of the intense detailed work involved. When I am directing a picture I can think of nothing else, but when the creative labor is over,. in three months' time perhaps, I want you to marry me. . . . Don't reply now." They didn't say anything as he sat beside her on the way home to Santa Monica driving slowly through the thick white clammy morning mist. When the car drove up to her door she leaned over and tapped him on the
-413-cheek. "Sam," she said, "you've given me the loveliest evening." Agnes was al of a twitter about where she'd been so late. She was walking around in her dressinggown and had the lights on al over the house. "I had a vague brood-ing feeling after you'd left, Margie. So I cal ed up Madame Esther to ask her what she thought. She had a message for me from Frank. You know she said last time he was trying to break through unfortunate influences."
"Oh, Agnes, what did it say?""It said success is in your grasp, be firm. Oh, Margie, you've just got to marry him.
. . . That's what Frank's been trying to tel us.""Jiminy crickets," said Margo, fal ing on her bed when she got upstairs, "I'm al in. Be a darling and hang up my clothes for me, Agnes."