‘So you’ve got children Mrs McNiel?’ The thought chilled him somehow.
‘Juss one… what kin ye expect?’
‘Is it the Emergency Hospital?’
‘Yes I reckon they’ll let you see him as it’s a matter of business. He’s groanin somethin dreadful.’
‘Now if I could get a few good witnesses.’
‘Mike Doheny seen it all… He’s on the force. He’s a good frien of Gus’s.’
‘By gad we’ve got a case and a half… Why they’ll settle out of court… I’ll go right up to the hospital.’
A fresh volley of wails came from the other room.
‘Oh, that brat,’ she whispered, screwing up her face. ‘We could use the money all right Mr Baldwin…’
‘Well I must go.’ He picked up his hat. ‘And I certainly will do my best in this case. May I come by and report progress to you from time to time?’
‘I hope you will.’
When they shook hands at the door he couldn’t seem to let go her hand. She blushed.
‘Well goodby and thank you very much for callin,’ she said stiffly.
Baldwin staggered dizzily down the stairs. His head was full of blood. The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life. Outside it had begun to snow. The snowflakes were cold furtive caresses to his hot cheeks.
The sky over the Park was mottled with little tiptailed clouds like a field of white chickens.
‘Look Alice, lets us go down this little path.’
‘But Ellen, my dad told me to come straight home from school.’
‘Scarecat!’
‘But Ellen those dreadful kidnappers…’
‘I told you not to call me Ellen any more.’
‘Well Elaine then, Elaine the lily maid of Astalot.’
Ellen had on her new Black Watch plaid dress. Alice wore glasses and had legs thin as hairpins.
‘Scarecat!’
‘They’re dreadful men sitting on that bench. Come along Elaine the fair, let’s go home.’
‘I’m not scared of them. I could fly like Peter Pan if I wanted to.’
‘Why dont you do it?’
‘I dont want to just now.’
Alice began to whimper. ‘Oh Ellen I think you’re mean… Come along home Elaine.’
‘No I’m going for a walk in the Park.’
Ellen started down the steps. Alice stood a minute on the top step balancing first on one foot then on the other.
‘Scaredy scaredy scarecat!’ yelled Ellen.
Alice ran off blubbering. ‘I’m goin to tell your mommer.’
Ellen walked down the asphalt path among the shrubbery kicking her toes in the air.
Ellen in her new dress of Black Watch plaid mummy’d bought at Hearn’s walked down the asphalt path kicking her toes in the air. There was a silver thistle brooch on the shoulder of the new dress of Black Watch plaid mummy’d bought at Hearn’s. Elaine of Lammermoor was going to be married. The Betrothed. Wangnaan nainainai, went the bagpipes going through the rye. The man on the bench has a patch over his eye. A watching black patch. A black watching patch. The kidnapper of the Black Watch, among the rustling shrubs kidnappers keep their Black Watch. Ellen’s toes dont kick in the air. Ellen is terribly scared of the kidnapper of the Black Watch, big smelly man of the Black Watch with a patch over his eye. She’s scared to run. Her heavy feet scrape on the asphalt as she tries to run fast down the path. She’s scared to turn her head. The kidnapper of the Black Watch is right behind. When I get to the lamppost I’ll run as far as the nurse and the baby, when I get to the nurse and the baby I’ll run as far as the big tree, when I get to the big tree… Oh I’m so tired… I’ll run out onto Central Park West and down the street home. She was scared to turn round. She ran with a stitch in her side. She ran till her mouth tasted like pennies.
‘What are you running for Ellie?’ asked Gloria Drayton who was skipping rope outside the Norelands.
‘Because I wanted to,’ panted Ellen.
Winey afterglow stained the muslin curtains and filtered into the blue gloom of the room. They stood on either side of the table. Out of a pot of narcissus still wrapped in tissue paper starshaped flowers gleamed with dim phosphorescence, giving off a damp earthsmell enmeshed in indolent prickly perfume.
‘It was nice of you to bring me these Mr Baldwin. I’ll take them up to Gus at the hospital tomorrow.’
‘For God’s sake dont call me that.’
‘But I dont like the name of George.’
‘I dont care, I like your name, Nellie.’
He stood looking at her; perfumed weights coiled about his arms. His hands dangled like empty gloves. Her eyes were black, dilating, her lips pouting towards him across the flowers. She jerked her hands up to cover her face. His arm was round her little thin shoulders.
‘But honest Georgy, we’ve got to be careful. You mustn’t come here so often. I don’t want all the old hens in the house to start talkin.’
‘Don’t worry about that… We mustn’t worry about anything.’
‘I’ve been actin’ like I was crazy this last week… I’ve got to quit.’
‘You dont think I’ve been acting naturally, do you? I swear to God Nellie I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m not that kind of a person.’
She showed her even teeth in a laugh. ‘Oh you kin never tell about men.’
‘But if it weren’t something extraordinary and exceptional you dont think I’d be running after you this way do you? I’ve never been in love with anybody but you Nellie.’
‘That’s a good one.’
‘But it’s true… I’ve never gone in for that sort of thing. I’ve worked too hard getting through lawschool and all that to have time for girls.’
‘Makin up for lost time I should say.’
‘Oh Nellie dont talk like that.’
‘But honestly Georgy I’ve got to cut this stuff out. What’ll we do when Gus comes out of the hospital? An I’m neglectin the kid an everythin.’
‘Christ I dont care what happens… Oh Nellie.’ He pulled her face round. They clung to each other swaying, mouths furiously mingling.
‘Look out we almost had the lamp over.’
‘God you’re wonderful, Nellie.’ Her head had dropped on his chest, he could feel the pungence of her tumbled hair all through him. It was dark. Snakes of light from the streetlamp wound greenly about them. Her eyes looked up into his frighteningly solemnly black.
‘Look Nellie lets go in the other room,’ he whispered in a tiny trembling voice.
‘Baby’s in there.’
They stood apart with cold hands looking at each other. ‘Come here an help me. I’ll move the cradle in here… Careful not to wake her or she’ll bawl her head off.’ Her voice crackled huskily.
The baby was asleep, her little rubbery face tight closed, minute pink fists clenched on the coverlet.
‘She looks happy,’ he said with a forced titter.
‘Keep quiet cant you… Here take yer shoes off… There’s been enough trampin o men’s shoes up here… Georgy I wouldn’t do this, but I juss cant help…’
He fumbled for her in the dark. ‘You darling…’ Clumsy he brooded over her, breathing crazily deep.
‘Flatfoot you’re stringin us…’
‘I aint, honest I’d swear by me muder’s grave it’s de trutt… Latitude toityseven soutt by twelve west… You go dere an see… On dat island we made in de second officer’s boat when de Elliot P. Simkins foundered der was four males and fortyseven females includin women an children. Waren’t it me dat tole de reporter guy all about it an it came out in all de Sunday papers?’
‘But Flatfoot how the hell did they ever get you away from there?’
‘Dey carried me off on a stretcher or I’m a cockeyed Iyer. I’ll be a sonofabitch if I warnt founderin, goin down by de bows like de ole Elliot P.’