U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [486]
Margo was too excited to sleep. The room was too light. She kept seeing the light red through her eyelids. She must get her sleep. She'd look a sight if she didn't get her sleep. She cal ed to Agnes to bring her an aspirin. Agnes propped her up in bed with one hand and gave
her the glass of water to wash the aspirin down with the other; it was like when she'd been a little girl and Agnes used to give her medicine when she was sick. Then suddenly she was dreaming that she was just finishing the Everybody's Doing It number and the pink cave of faces was roaring with applause and she ran off into the wings where Frank Mandevil e was waiting for her in his black cloak with his arms stretched wide open, and she ran into his arms and the cloak closed about her and she was down with the cloak choking her and he was on top of her claw-ing at her dress and past his shoulder she could see Tony laughing, Tony al in white with a white beret and a diamond shoulder she could see Tony laughing, Tony al in white with a white beret and a diamond golfclub on his stock jumping up and down and clapping. It must have been her yel ing that brought Agnes. No, Agnes was tel ing her something. She sat up in bed shuddering. Agnes was al in a fluster. "Oh, it's
-414-dreadful. Tony's down there. He insists on seeing you, Margie. He's been reading in the papers. You know it's al over the papers about how you are starring with Rodney Cathcart in Mr. Margolies' next picture. Tony's wild. He says he's your husband and he ought to attend to your business for you. He says he's got a legal right."
"The little rat," said Margo. "Bring him up here. . . . What time is it?" She jumped out of bed and ran to the dressingtable to fix her face. When she heard them com-ing up the stairs she pul ed on her pink lace bedjacket and jumped back into bed. She was very sleepy when Tony came in the room. "What's the trouble, Tony?" she said.
"I'm starving and here you are making three thousand a week. . . . Yesterday Max and I had no money for
dinner. We are going to be put out of our apartment. By rights everything you make is mine. . . . I've been too soft . . . I've let myself be cheated." Margo yawned. "We're not in Cuba, dearie." She sat up in bed. "Look here, Tony, let's part friends. The con-tract isn't signed yet. Suppose when it is we fix you up a little so that you and your friend can go and start your polo school in Havana. The trouble with you is you're homesick."
"Wouldn't that be wonderful," chimed in Agnes. " Cuba would be just the place . . . with al the tourists going. down there and everything."
Tony drew himself up stiffly. "Margo, we are Chris-tians. We believe. We know that the church forbids di-vorce. . . . Agnes she doesn't understand."
"I'm a lot better Christian than you are . . . you know that you . . ." began Agnes shril y.
"Now, Agnes, we can't argue about religion before breakfast." Margo sat up and drew her knees up to her chin underneath the covers. " Agnes and I believe that Mary Baker Eddy taught the truth, see, Tony. Sit down here, Tony. . . . You're getting too fat, Tony, the boys
-415-won't like you if you lose your girlish figure. . . . Look here, you and me we've seen each other through some tough times." He sat on the bed and lit a cigarette. She stroked the spiky black hair off his forehead. "You're not going to try to gum the game when I've got the biggest break I ever had in my life."
"I been a louse. I'm no good," Tony said. "How about a thousand a month? That's only a third of what you make. You'l just waste it. Women don't need money."
"Like hel they don't. You know it costs money to make money in this business."
"Al right . . . make it five hundred. I don't under-stand the figures, you know that. You know I'm only a child."
"Wel , I don't either. You and Agnes go downstairs and talk it over while I get a bath and get dressed. I've got a dressmaker coming and I've got to have my hair done. I've got about a hundred appointments this after-noon. . . . Good boy, Tony." She patted him on the cheek and he went away with Agnes meek as a lamb.