wasn’t being critical. You sound like your conscience is hurting you or something.”
“I dare say that’s true. I have a very tender conscience. Having a tender conscience is quite a heavy burden sometimes, old boy.”
“You are to be commended for having a tender conscience. It’s extremely rare.”
“Is that your honest opinion? Thanks, old boy. You’re making me feel a great deal better. I knew I could count on you for understanding.”
“Not at all.”
“If only the son of a bitch hadn’t said the coffee was too weak.”
“Well, I’ll plug a couple of beers.”
“What? Oh, yes, you do that, old boy. It ought to be good and cold now, and it will go wonderfully with the bullheads.”
I plugged the beers and opened a can of beans and set it at the edge of the fire to warm, and we sat there and drank the beers and listened to the bullheads sizzle and enjoyed ourselves. Pretty soon the fish were brown and crisp, and the beans were warm, and we ate the fish and the beans with bread and had two more cans of beer with them and two after them. After we were finished with the last two beers, we got blankets and spread them on the ground and lay down on them in our clothes, except for shoes, which we removed.
“Are you sleepy?” Harvey said.
“Yes, I am,” I said. “I’m pretty sleepy.”
“I’m quite sleepy myself. It’s the fresh night air that does it. There’s nothing like fresh night air to make you sleepy.”
“That’s true. The sound of the river and the sound of the air stirring in the trees are helpful also. Don’t you think so?”
“Very helpful. Lulling. They’re lulling sounds.”
“Of course it doesn’t hurt anything to have your belly full of bullheads, either.”
“Now you’re being rather coarse, old boy. I was hoping we could keep it romantic.”
“I’m sorry. I’m very partial to romance myself.”
“I know about that. However, I must say that it doesn’t seem to be working out just right for you.”
“I think probably you’re speaking of something else. I was thinking of romance in the literary sense.”
“Do you object to speaking of it the other way?”
“Not generally, but I object to speaking of it specifically.”
“You mean you don’t want to talk about you and Jolly, old boy?”
“Well, that’s specific.”
“Yes, it is. I admit that. I only refer to your romance because I have developed an intense interest in it. It’s a fact that I have your welfare very much at heart,” Harvey said.
“Thanks. However, you needn’t concern yourself any longer. In the first place, it could hardly be called a romance, and in the second place, whatever it was, it isn’t any longer.”
“Pardon me for being cynical, old boy, but I rather doubt that.”
“It’s true, just the same,” I said.
“I hope not. I sincerely do. I always found you and Jolly a charming pair. I was all for you.”
“I appreciate your support, but there were things against us. Principally, we were illegal.”
“There’s no denying that, and I consider it regrettable. Did you find it a great handicap?”
“I found it a very great handicap indeed, and now I wish to quit speaking of it.”
“Immediately? I was hoping that you would be willing to tell me how it got started. In thinking about it, it has occurred to me that I’ve never known.”
I hesitated before I said, “It was pretty ordinary.”
“Ordinary? With Jolly involved? I consider that incredible, old boy.”
“Well, I’ll admit that it didn’t stay ordinary very long. The truth is, she got the notion that she was ignorant and needed to know more than she did, so she came out to the college to take some classes, and one of the classes was one I happened to be teaching.”
“I don’t find that ordinary at all. In fact, I find it exceptionally romantic. I’m very pleased.” He sounded almost smug about it.
“I’m glad that it pleases you.”
“Did she stay in the class all term?”
“No.
“I dare say that’s true. I have a very tender conscience. Having a tender conscience is quite a heavy burden sometimes, old boy.”
“You are to be commended for having a tender conscience. It’s extremely rare.”
“Is that your honest opinion? Thanks, old boy. You’re making me feel a great deal better. I knew I could count on you for understanding.”
“Not at all.”
“If only the son of a bitch hadn’t said the coffee was too weak.”
“Well, I’ll plug a couple of beers.”
“What? Oh, yes, you do that, old boy. It ought to be good and cold now, and it will go wonderfully with the bullheads.”
I plugged the beers and opened a can of beans and set it at the edge of the fire to warm, and we sat there and drank the beers and listened to the bullheads sizzle and enjoyed ourselves. Pretty soon the fish were brown and crisp, and the beans were warm, and we ate the fish and the beans with bread and had two more cans of beer with them and two after them. After we were finished with the last two beers, we got blankets and spread them on the ground and lay down on them in our clothes, except for shoes, which we removed.
“Are you sleepy?” Harvey said.
“Yes, I am,” I said. “I’m pretty sleepy.”
“I’m quite sleepy myself. It’s the fresh night air that does it. There’s nothing like fresh night air to make you sleepy.”
“That’s true. The sound of the river and the sound of the air stirring in the trees are helpful also. Don’t you think so?”
“Very helpful. Lulling. They’re lulling sounds.”
“Of course it doesn’t hurt anything to have your belly full of bullheads, either.”
“Now you’re being rather coarse, old boy. I was hoping we could keep it romantic.”
“I’m sorry. I’m very partial to romance myself.”
“I know about that. However, I must say that it doesn’t seem to be working out just right for you.”
“I think probably you’re speaking of something else. I was thinking of romance in the literary sense.”
“Do you object to speaking of it the other way?”
“Not generally, but I object to speaking of it specifically.”
“You mean you don’t want to talk about you and Jolly, old boy?”
“Well, that’s specific.”
“Yes, it is. I admit that. I only refer to your romance because I have developed an intense interest in it. It’s a fact that I have your welfare very much at heart,” Harvey said.
“Thanks. However, you needn’t concern yourself any longer. In the first place, it could hardly be called a romance, and in the second place, whatever it was, it isn’t any longer.”
“Pardon me for being cynical, old boy, but I rather doubt that.”
“It’s true, just the same,” I said.
“I hope not. I sincerely do. I always found you and Jolly a charming pair. I was all for you.”
“I appreciate your support, but there were things against us. Principally, we were illegal.”
“There’s no denying that, and I consider it regrettable. Did you find it a great handicap?”
“I found it a very great handicap indeed, and now I wish to quit speaking of it.”
“Immediately? I was hoping that you would be willing to tell me how it got started. In thinking about it, it has occurred to me that I’ve never known.”
I hesitated before I said, “It was pretty ordinary.”
“Ordinary? With Jolly involved? I consider that incredible, old boy.”
“Well, I’ll admit that it didn’t stay ordinary very long. The truth is, she got the notion that she was ignorant and needed to know more than she did, so she came out to the college to take some classes, and one of the classes was one I happened to be teaching.”
“I don’t find that ordinary at all. In fact, I find it exceptionally romantic. I’m very pleased.” He sounded almost smug about it.
“I’m glad that it pleases you.”
“Did she stay in the class all term?”
“No.
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