Read Online Neither Five Nor Three (Helen Macinnes) by Helen MacInnes - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Helen MacInnes
Ads: Link
arms.
“Didn’t you enjoy the party at all?” She was almost in tears.
He kissed her eyes and mouth. “Yes, it was a good party.”
“I’m so sorry, Scott, that I ever asked Paul Haydn.”
“He seemed to be enjoying himself.”
She smiled, shaking her head. “The same old Paul! He left with the prettiest girl—as usual.” Then she glanced round the room. “What a mess all this is!”
Scott kissed her again. His smile had returned, the frown had cleared from his brow. “Forget it. We’ll go out and have a quiet dinner together. Then I’ll bring you home fairly early tonight.”
“Do I look so tired?”
“No, you look wonderful. You were wrong about Haydn. I’m the man who’s leaving this party with the prettiest girl. Now what about putting on your hat? The one that’s only a couple of roses?”
“All right!” Her eyes were smiling now. “But I’m a bit scared of original hats after seeing Thelma’s tonight.”
“You aren’t Thelma.”
Rona said pityingly, “She’s so unhappy. What’s wrong with people like Thelma?”
He didn’t answer that. He looked around the room. “Get Mrs. Kasprowicz to come up here, tomorrow. Just leave everything tonight, Rona. Promise?”
She was tired enough to agree, to try to forget that her budget was already overstrained this week. Parties cost a lot these days. She said, “I don’t know how Peggy and Jon manage. Yet they do. And look at them tonight—as smartly dressed as anyone! You know, I always feel so guilty when I remember Jon makes less money than I do. Can you imagine it? He’s got brilliant degrees, he’s had years of training and study when he earned nothing, and what does he make? Four thousand dollars a year as an assistant professor.”
Scott let her go. “Yes,” he said, beginning to walk restlessly around the room. “It’s bitterly unfair. But what do you expect in a country where a movie star makes more than the President?”
“Scott, I didn’t mean it that way. All I was doing was to admire Peggy and Jon. It doesn’t make them bitter. Worried, yes. But not bitter. They couldn’t be so happy if they let themselves go bitter.”
“They don’t even know where their interests lie,” he said. Why admire fools, even if they were good-natured fools? He halted suddenly, and he turned to look at Rona. “Why did you mention them, anyway?” Marriage...was it so important to a woman as all that? Rona and he—they had each other, they were faithfully in love. Wasn’t that enough? Provided they could wait together, did waiting matter? Yet, thinking of Jon and Peggy Tyson, remembering the way he envied them even if he pitied them, he could give no true answer to his own questions. Rationally, he could find an argument. But with Rona, he couldn’t argue rationally. That was what Orpen said, and what he kept denying to Orpen. I’m going to see Orpen, tonight, he decided. Once I bring Rona back here. I’ll see him. Then he remembered Orpen was at a meeting tonight. But he would see Orpen on Friday definitely. He’d tell Orpen then.
Rona was saying, “Why did I mention them?” She gestured helplessly. “I don’t really know,” she answered slowly. “Or perhaps it was just because Peggy and Jon seem to be living a fuller life than most of us in this room tonight. Fuller and richer. And isn’t that better, too? Yet, from the point of view of earning power, most of us could have bought and sold them. That was all.”
Scott said, “I’ve been deciding one thing, tonight. We are getting married. We’ll set a definite date for this summer. We’ve waited long enough.” He smiled, and the strain and worry left his face. “Will you take a chance on my earning power?”
“Oh, Scott!” She threw her arms around him. She was no longer tired and unhappy. Her smile was no longer uncertain. He caught her, holding her close to him, kissing her soft dark hair.
“We’ll manage,” he said. “Well be all right, Rona. Just
“Didn’t you enjoy the party at all?” She was almost in tears.
He kissed her eyes and mouth. “Yes, it was a good party.”
“I’m so sorry, Scott, that I ever asked Paul Haydn.”
“He seemed to be enjoying himself.”
She smiled, shaking her head. “The same old Paul! He left with the prettiest girl—as usual.” Then she glanced round the room. “What a mess all this is!”
Scott kissed her again. His smile had returned, the frown had cleared from his brow. “Forget it. We’ll go out and have a quiet dinner together. Then I’ll bring you home fairly early tonight.”
“Do I look so tired?”
“No, you look wonderful. You were wrong about Haydn. I’m the man who’s leaving this party with the prettiest girl. Now what about putting on your hat? The one that’s only a couple of roses?”
“All right!” Her eyes were smiling now. “But I’m a bit scared of original hats after seeing Thelma’s tonight.”
“You aren’t Thelma.”
Rona said pityingly, “She’s so unhappy. What’s wrong with people like Thelma?”
He didn’t answer that. He looked around the room. “Get Mrs. Kasprowicz to come up here, tomorrow. Just leave everything tonight, Rona. Promise?”
She was tired enough to agree, to try to forget that her budget was already overstrained this week. Parties cost a lot these days. She said, “I don’t know how Peggy and Jon manage. Yet they do. And look at them tonight—as smartly dressed as anyone! You know, I always feel so guilty when I remember Jon makes less money than I do. Can you imagine it? He’s got brilliant degrees, he’s had years of training and study when he earned nothing, and what does he make? Four thousand dollars a year as an assistant professor.”
Scott let her go. “Yes,” he said, beginning to walk restlessly around the room. “It’s bitterly unfair. But what do you expect in a country where a movie star makes more than the President?”
“Scott, I didn’t mean it that way. All I was doing was to admire Peggy and Jon. It doesn’t make them bitter. Worried, yes. But not bitter. They couldn’t be so happy if they let themselves go bitter.”
“They don’t even know where their interests lie,” he said. Why admire fools, even if they were good-natured fools? He halted suddenly, and he turned to look at Rona. “Why did you mention them, anyway?” Marriage...was it so important to a woman as all that? Rona and he—they had each other, they were faithfully in love. Wasn’t that enough? Provided they could wait together, did waiting matter? Yet, thinking of Jon and Peggy Tyson, remembering the way he envied them even if he pitied them, he could give no true answer to his own questions. Rationally, he could find an argument. But with Rona, he couldn’t argue rationally. That was what Orpen said, and what he kept denying to Orpen. I’m going to see Orpen, tonight, he decided. Once I bring Rona back here. I’ll see him. Then he remembered Orpen was at a meeting tonight. But he would see Orpen on Friday definitely. He’d tell Orpen then.
Rona was saying, “Why did I mention them?” She gestured helplessly. “I don’t really know,” she answered slowly. “Or perhaps it was just because Peggy and Jon seem to be living a fuller life than most of us in this room tonight. Fuller and richer. And isn’t that better, too? Yet, from the point of view of earning power, most of us could have bought and sold them. That was all.”
Scott said, “I’ve been deciding one thing, tonight. We are getting married. We’ll set a definite date for this summer. We’ve waited long enough.” He smiled, and the strain and worry left his face. “Will you take a chance on my earning power?”
“Oh, Scott!” She threw her arms around him. She was no longer tired and unhappy. Her smile was no longer uncertain. He caught her, holding her close to him, kissing her soft dark hair.
“We’ll manage,” he said. “Well be all right, Rona. Just
Similar Books
