his appetite.
*
“… It wasn’t so much that Thing about you and me,” said Win. “As a matter of fact, Ted knew all about that. He was awfully sweet about it, as a matter of fact. I mean, we weren’t children, were we? As a matter of fact, it was the business about Ted’s microscope.”
“What microscope? I don’t know what you mean— microscope ,” said Pym.
“I don’t want you to feel guilty about this, Johnny.”
“Why should I feel guilty ?Tell me about the microscope.”
Win said: “We were good pals, you and I—weren’t we? I mean—friends. As a matter of fact, you were awfully good to me, weren’t you?”
“Oh, please!”
“Well, you remember after Ted and I got married?”
“I remember.”
“As a matter of fact, Johnny, you asked me for some money.”
“As I remember it, Win, you had asked me for some money for Ted. I let you have the two pounds. You knew perfectly well that if it had been for yourself I should never have asked for the money back,” said Pym, smoothing his forehead with an anxious hand. “You know me well enough to know that it is not in my nature to go around dunning people. But you did say it was for Ted, and after all you were married to Ted, and …”
“It’s my own fault, Johnny. I deserve everything I got. As a matter of fact, I deserve twenty times more, and then somemore. You remember, Johnny, what good pals we were? You were always so sweet, Johnny. My God, you were decent! As a matter of fact, you’re the most decent person I’ve ever known. Well, you know I was pretty well dressed then, and all that sort of thing? I know you asked for your money back only because you were, as a matter of fact, hard up—otherwise you wouldn’t have. I know you, Johnny! Well, as a matter of fact I didn’t have a bean. And do you know what I did? I pawned Ted’s microscope.”
“But why, for heaven’s sake? You must have been crazy!”
“Well, as a matter of fact I must have been, rather. I’m an awful bloody little fool. It must be the way I’m made, I suppose. But you’d have lent me so much more than I could pay back, and you really had been so bloody nice and kind….”
Red with shame and anger, Pym said: “I never wanted anything back that I gave you. I only called it ‘loans’ to spare your feelings. I wish to God I’d dropped down dead before I took that two pounds from you. I would never have taken money from you if I’d been starving; only you did say that the last couple of pounds you borrowed was for Ted; and you did look pretty prosperous; and it was you who brought up the subject of repayment in the first place. Damn you, couldn’t you have made some excuse—said you couldn’t get the money after all—instead of behaving like a crazy little crook and pawning other people’s microscopes?”
Win’s large, childish blue eyes filled with tears, and her mouth quivered as she replied: “You’re right. I’m an awful little liar, as a matter of fact. When I borrowed the last two pounds off of you, it wasn’t really for Ted at all. It was for me.”
“Then why in God’s name did you have to go and tell me that it was for Ted? Why lie? And, incidentally, why put me in a false position? Couldn’t you have said you wanted the money for yourself? Would I have refused?”
A big tear bounced down Win’s cheek and ran into her mouth.
“Oh, don’t you see, that’s just it! You’d lent me so much already … I was ashamed. And then, afterwards …well … I was afraid you’d meet Ted and ask him for the money. As a matter of fact, I was terrified. You know how it is, Johnny—one thing led to another. I told him I’d borrowed his microscope to lend to my young nephew.”
“What young nephew?”
“I haven’t got a young nephew, Johnny. That was a lie, too; but I had to tell him something, didn’t I? Well, the long and the short of it is, he found the pawn-ticket. That’s how it all came out.”
“All came out!” cried
*
“… It wasn’t so much that Thing about you and me,” said Win. “As a matter of fact, Ted knew all about that. He was awfully sweet about it, as a matter of fact. I mean, we weren’t children, were we? As a matter of fact, it was the business about Ted’s microscope.”
“What microscope? I don’t know what you mean— microscope ,” said Pym.
“I don’t want you to feel guilty about this, Johnny.”
“Why should I feel guilty ?Tell me about the microscope.”
Win said: “We were good pals, you and I—weren’t we? I mean—friends. As a matter of fact, you were awfully good to me, weren’t you?”
“Oh, please!”
“Well, you remember after Ted and I got married?”
“I remember.”
“As a matter of fact, Johnny, you asked me for some money.”
“As I remember it, Win, you had asked me for some money for Ted. I let you have the two pounds. You knew perfectly well that if it had been for yourself I should never have asked for the money back,” said Pym, smoothing his forehead with an anxious hand. “You know me well enough to know that it is not in my nature to go around dunning people. But you did say it was for Ted, and after all you were married to Ted, and …”
“It’s my own fault, Johnny. I deserve everything I got. As a matter of fact, I deserve twenty times more, and then somemore. You remember, Johnny, what good pals we were? You were always so sweet, Johnny. My God, you were decent! As a matter of fact, you’re the most decent person I’ve ever known. Well, you know I was pretty well dressed then, and all that sort of thing? I know you asked for your money back only because you were, as a matter of fact, hard up—otherwise you wouldn’t have. I know you, Johnny! Well, as a matter of fact I didn’t have a bean. And do you know what I did? I pawned Ted’s microscope.”
“But why, for heaven’s sake? You must have been crazy!”
“Well, as a matter of fact I must have been, rather. I’m an awful bloody little fool. It must be the way I’m made, I suppose. But you’d have lent me so much more than I could pay back, and you really had been so bloody nice and kind….”
Red with shame and anger, Pym said: “I never wanted anything back that I gave you. I only called it ‘loans’ to spare your feelings. I wish to God I’d dropped down dead before I took that two pounds from you. I would never have taken money from you if I’d been starving; only you did say that the last couple of pounds you borrowed was for Ted; and you did look pretty prosperous; and it was you who brought up the subject of repayment in the first place. Damn you, couldn’t you have made some excuse—said you couldn’t get the money after all—instead of behaving like a crazy little crook and pawning other people’s microscopes?”
Win’s large, childish blue eyes filled with tears, and her mouth quivered as she replied: “You’re right. I’m an awful little liar, as a matter of fact. When I borrowed the last two pounds off of you, it wasn’t really for Ted at all. It was for me.”
“Then why in God’s name did you have to go and tell me that it was for Ted? Why lie? And, incidentally, why put me in a false position? Couldn’t you have said you wanted the money for yourself? Would I have refused?”
A big tear bounced down Win’s cheek and ran into her mouth.
“Oh, don’t you see, that’s just it! You’d lent me so much already … I was ashamed. And then, afterwards …well … I was afraid you’d meet Ted and ask him for the money. As a matter of fact, I was terrified. You know how it is, Johnny—one thing led to another. I told him I’d borrowed his microscope to lend to my young nephew.”
“What young nephew?”
“I haven’t got a young nephew, Johnny. That was a lie, too; but I had to tell him something, didn’t I? Well, the long and the short of it is, he found the pawn-ticket. That’s how it all came out.”
“All came out!” cried
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