Read Online Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ernest Hemingway
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to look
at you. So he turned away from her and walked to where there was a bench and
sat down. He could see a lake at a long distance and knew it was too far to
ever walk to. He sat there on the bench and she sat down beside him and said,
"It's all right." But remorse had been there to meet him in the
Retiro and now it was so bad he told Catherine that he would meet her at the
cafe of The Palace. "Are you all right? Do you want me to come with
you?" "No. I'm all right. I just have to go. "I'll see you
there," she said. She looked particularly beautiful that morning and she
smiled at their secret and he smiled at her and then took his remorse to the
cafe. He did not think he would make it but he did and later when Catherine came
he was finishing his second absinthe and the remorse was gone. "How are
you, Devil?" he said. "I'm your devil," she said. "Could I
have one of those too?" The waiter went away pleased to see her looking so
handsome and so happy and she said, "What was it?" "I just felt
rotten but I feel fine now." "Was it that bad?" "No,"
he lied. She shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I hoped there wouldn't be any
bad at all." "It went away. "That's good. Isn't it lovely to be
here in the summer and no one here? I thought of something."
"Already?" "We can stay on and not go to the sea. This is ours
now. The town and here. We could stay here and then drive back straight through
to la Napoule." "There aren't many more moves to make."
"Don't. We've only just started." "Yes… we can always go back
where we started." "Of course we can and we will." "Let's
not talk about it," he said. He had felt it start to come back and he took
a long sip of his drink. "It's a very strange thing," he said.
"This drink tastes exactly like remorse. It has the true taste of it and
yet it takes it away." "I don't like you to have to take it for that.
We aren't like that. We mustn't be." "Maybe I am." "You
mustn't be." She took a long sip out of her glass and another long sip and
looked around and then at him. "I can do it. Look at me and watch it
happen. Here in the outdoor cafe of The Palace in Madrid and you can see the
Prado and the street and the sprinklers under the trees so it's real. It's
awfully brusque. But I can do it. You can see. Look. The lips are your girl
again and I'm all the things you really want. Haven't I done it? Tell me.
"You
didn't have to."
"Do
you like me as a girl," she said very seriously and then smiled.
"Yes,"
he said.
"That's
good," she said. "I'm glad someone likes it because it's a god damned
bore."
"Don't
do it then."
"Didn't
you hear me say I did it? Didn't you watch me do it? Do you want me to wrench
myself around and tear myself in two because you can't make up your mind?
Because you won't stay with anything?"
"Would
you hold it down?"
"Why
should I hold it down? You want a girl don't you? Don't you want everything
that goes with it? Scenes, hysteria, false accusations, temperament isn't that
it? I'm holding it down. I won't make you uncomfortable in front of the waiter.
I won't make the waiter uncomfortable. I'll read my damned mail. Can we send up
and get my mail?"
"I'll
go up and get it."
"No.
I shouldn't be here by myself."
"That's
right," he said.
"You
see? That was why I said to send for it."
"They
wouldn't give a botones the key to the room. That was why I said I'd go."
"I'm
over it," Catherine said. "I'm not going to act that way. Why should
I act that way to you? It was ludicrous and un dignified. It was so silly I
won't even ask you to forgive me. Besides I have to go up to the room anyway.
"Now?" "Because I'm a god damned woman. I thought if I'd be a
girl and stay a girl I'd have a baby at least. Not even that." 'That could
be my fault." "Don't let's ever talk about faults. You stay here and
I'll bring back the mail. We'll read our mail and be nice good intelligent
American tourists who are disappointed because they came to Madrid
at you. So he turned away from her and walked to where there was a bench and
sat down. He could see a lake at a long distance and knew it was too far to
ever walk to. He sat there on the bench and she sat down beside him and said,
"It's all right." But remorse had been there to meet him in the
Retiro and now it was so bad he told Catherine that he would meet her at the
cafe of The Palace. "Are you all right? Do you want me to come with
you?" "No. I'm all right. I just have to go. "I'll see you
there," she said. She looked particularly beautiful that morning and she
smiled at their secret and he smiled at her and then took his remorse to the
cafe. He did not think he would make it but he did and later when Catherine came
he was finishing his second absinthe and the remorse was gone. "How are
you, Devil?" he said. "I'm your devil," she said. "Could I
have one of those too?" The waiter went away pleased to see her looking so
handsome and so happy and she said, "What was it?" "I just felt
rotten but I feel fine now." "Was it that bad?" "No,"
he lied. She shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I hoped there wouldn't be any
bad at all." "It went away. "That's good. Isn't it lovely to be
here in the summer and no one here? I thought of something."
"Already?" "We can stay on and not go to the sea. This is ours
now. The town and here. We could stay here and then drive back straight through
to la Napoule." "There aren't many more moves to make."
"Don't. We've only just started." "Yes… we can always go back
where we started." "Of course we can and we will." "Let's
not talk about it," he said. He had felt it start to come back and he took
a long sip of his drink. "It's a very strange thing," he said.
"This drink tastes exactly like remorse. It has the true taste of it and
yet it takes it away." "I don't like you to have to take it for that.
We aren't like that. We mustn't be." "Maybe I am." "You
mustn't be." She took a long sip out of her glass and another long sip and
looked around and then at him. "I can do it. Look at me and watch it
happen. Here in the outdoor cafe of The Palace in Madrid and you can see the
Prado and the street and the sprinklers under the trees so it's real. It's
awfully brusque. But I can do it. You can see. Look. The lips are your girl
again and I'm all the things you really want. Haven't I done it? Tell me.
"You
didn't have to."
"Do
you like me as a girl," she said very seriously and then smiled.
"Yes,"
he said.
"That's
good," she said. "I'm glad someone likes it because it's a god damned
bore."
"Don't
do it then."
"Didn't
you hear me say I did it? Didn't you watch me do it? Do you want me to wrench
myself around and tear myself in two because you can't make up your mind?
Because you won't stay with anything?"
"Would
you hold it down?"
"Why
should I hold it down? You want a girl don't you? Don't you want everything
that goes with it? Scenes, hysteria, false accusations, temperament isn't that
it? I'm holding it down. I won't make you uncomfortable in front of the waiter.
I won't make the waiter uncomfortable. I'll read my damned mail. Can we send up
and get my mail?"
"I'll
go up and get it."
"No.
I shouldn't be here by myself."
"That's
right," he said.
"You
see? That was why I said to send for it."
"They
wouldn't give a botones the key to the room. That was why I said I'd go."
"I'm
over it," Catherine said. "I'm not going to act that way. Why should
I act that way to you? It was ludicrous and un dignified. It was so silly I
won't even ask you to forgive me. Besides I have to go up to the room anyway.
"Now?" "Because I'm a god damned woman. I thought if I'd be a
girl and stay a girl I'd have a baby at least. Not even that." 'That could
be my fault." "Don't let's ever talk about faults. You stay here and
I'll bring back the mail. We'll read our mail and be nice good intelligent
American tourists who are disappointed because they came to Madrid
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