Read Online Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ernest Hemingway
Ads: Link
just hope I'm good
for her." "You are. How are you doing yourself?" "All right
I think." "Are you happy?" "Very." "Remember
everything is right until it's wrong. You'll know when it's wrong."
"You think so?" "I'm quite sure. If you don't it doesn't matter.
Nothing will matter then." "How fast will it go?" "I didn't
say anything about speed. What are you talking about?" "Sorry."
"It's what you have, so have a lovely time." "We do."
"So I see. There's only one thing." "What?" "Take good
care of her." "That's all you've got to tell me?" "One
small thing more: The get's no good." "There isn't any get yet."
"It's kinder to shoot the get." "Kinder?" "Better.
They talked about people for a while, the Colonel speaking outrageously, and
then David saw Catherine come through the door wearing a white sharkskin outfit
to show how really dark she was. "You do really look extraordinarily
beautiful," the Colonel said to Catherine. "But you must try to get
darker." "Thank you. I will," she said. "We don't have to
go out now in the heat do we? Can't we sit here in the cool? We can eat here in
the grill." "You're lunching with me," the Colonel said.
"No
please. You're lunching with us."
David
stood up uncertainly. There were more people at the bar now. Looking down at
the table he saw that he had drunk Catherine's drink as well as his own. He did
not remember drinking either of them.
It
was the siesta time and they lay on the bed and David was reading by the light
that came in the window on the left of the bed where he had pulled up one of
the slatted curtains about a third of its length. The light was reflected from
the building across the street. The curtain was not pulled high enough to show
the sky.
"The
Colonel liked me being so dark," Catherine said. "We must get to the
sea again. I have to keep it."
"We'll
go there whenever you want."
"That
will be wonderful. Can I tell you something? I have to."
"What?"
"I
didn't change back to be a girl for lunch. Did I behave all right?"
"You
didn't?"
"No.
Do you mind? But now I'm your boy and I'll do anything for you."
David
continued reading.
"Are
you angry?"
"No."
Sobered, he thought.
"It's
simpler now."
"I
don't think so."
"Then
I'll be careful. This morning everything I did felt so right and happy, so
clean and good in the daylight. Couldn't I try now and we see?"
"I'd
rather you didn't."
"Can
I kiss you and try?"
"Not
if you're a boy and I'm a boy."
His
chest felt as though there were an iron bar inside it from one side to the
other. "I wish you hadn't told the Colonel."
"But
he saw me, David. He brought it up and he knew all about it and understood. It
wasn't stupid to tell him. It was better. He's our friend. If I told him he
wouldn't talk. If I didn't tell him he had a right to."
"You
can't trust all people like that."
"I
don't care about people. I only care about you. I'd never make scandals with
other people."
"My
chest feels like it is locked in iron.
"I'm
sorry. Mine feels so happy."
"My
dearest Catherine."
"That's
good. You call me Catherine always when you want. I am your Catherine too. I'm
always Catherine when you need her. We'd better go to sleep or should we start
and see what happens?"
"Let's
first lie very quiet in the dark," David said and lowered the latticed
shade and they lay side by side on the bed in the big room in The Palace in
Madrid where Catherine had walked in the Museo del Prado in the light of day as
a boy and now she would show the dark things in the light and there would, it
seemed to him, be no end to the change.
–8–
IN
THE BUEN RETIRO in the morning it was as fresh as though it was a forest. It
was green and the trunks of the trees were dark and the distances were all new.
The lake was not where it had been and when they saw it through the trees it
was quite changed. "You walk ahead," she said. "I want
for her." "You are. How are you doing yourself?" "All right
I think." "Are you happy?" "Very." "Remember
everything is right until it's wrong. You'll know when it's wrong."
"You think so?" "I'm quite sure. If you don't it doesn't matter.
Nothing will matter then." "How fast will it go?" "I didn't
say anything about speed. What are you talking about?" "Sorry."
"It's what you have, so have a lovely time." "We do."
"So I see. There's only one thing." "What?" "Take good
care of her." "That's all you've got to tell me?" "One
small thing more: The get's no good." "There isn't any get yet."
"It's kinder to shoot the get." "Kinder?" "Better.
They talked about people for a while, the Colonel speaking outrageously, and
then David saw Catherine come through the door wearing a white sharkskin outfit
to show how really dark she was. "You do really look extraordinarily
beautiful," the Colonel said to Catherine. "But you must try to get
darker." "Thank you. I will," she said. "We don't have to
go out now in the heat do we? Can't we sit here in the cool? We can eat here in
the grill." "You're lunching with me," the Colonel said.
"No
please. You're lunching with us."
David
stood up uncertainly. There were more people at the bar now. Looking down at
the table he saw that he had drunk Catherine's drink as well as his own. He did
not remember drinking either of them.
It
was the siesta time and they lay on the bed and David was reading by the light
that came in the window on the left of the bed where he had pulled up one of
the slatted curtains about a third of its length. The light was reflected from
the building across the street. The curtain was not pulled high enough to show
the sky.
"The
Colonel liked me being so dark," Catherine said. "We must get to the
sea again. I have to keep it."
"We'll
go there whenever you want."
"That
will be wonderful. Can I tell you something? I have to."
"What?"
"I
didn't change back to be a girl for lunch. Did I behave all right?"
"You
didn't?"
"No.
Do you mind? But now I'm your boy and I'll do anything for you."
David
continued reading.
"Are
you angry?"
"No."
Sobered, he thought.
"It's
simpler now."
"I
don't think so."
"Then
I'll be careful. This morning everything I did felt so right and happy, so
clean and good in the daylight. Couldn't I try now and we see?"
"I'd
rather you didn't."
"Can
I kiss you and try?"
"Not
if you're a boy and I'm a boy."
His
chest felt as though there were an iron bar inside it from one side to the
other. "I wish you hadn't told the Colonel."
"But
he saw me, David. He brought it up and he knew all about it and understood. It
wasn't stupid to tell him. It was better. He's our friend. If I told him he
wouldn't talk. If I didn't tell him he had a right to."
"You
can't trust all people like that."
"I
don't care about people. I only care about you. I'd never make scandals with
other people."
"My
chest feels like it is locked in iron.
"I'm
sorry. Mine feels so happy."
"My
dearest Catherine."
"That's
good. You call me Catherine always when you want. I am your Catherine too. I'm
always Catherine when you need her. We'd better go to sleep or should we start
and see what happens?"
"Let's
first lie very quiet in the dark," David said and lowered the latticed
shade and they lay side by side on the bed in the big room in The Palace in
Madrid where Catherine had walked in the Museo del Prado in the light of day as
a boy and now she would show the dark things in the light and there would, it
seemed to him, be no end to the change.
–8–
IN
THE BUEN RETIRO in the morning it was as fresh as though it was a forest. It
was green and the trunks of the trees were dark and the distances were all new.
The lake was not where it had been and when they saw it through the trees it
was quite changed. "You walk ahead," she said. "I want
Similar Books
