us in the room. I was the only Italian spectator. No one spoke.
"That is all. The next in five minutes," came the voice of the man standing at the entrance, behind the red curtain. Then he thrust his head into the room through a gap in the curtain and added: "Ready?"
The girl threw her cigarette on the floor, grasped the fringe of her petticoat with the tips of her fingers and slowly raised it. First her knees appeared, gently gripped by the silk sheath of her stockings, then the bare skin. She remained for a moment in this posture, a sad Veronica, her face severe, her mouth half-open in an expression of contempt. Then, slowly turning on her back, she lay at full length on the bed. Like the odious lobster when it mates, gradually opening its pincer-like claws, staring at the male with its small, round, shining black eyes, motionless and threatening, so the girl remained staring at the spectators. A profound silence reigned in the room.
"She is a virgin. You can touch. Don't be afraid. She doesn't bite. She is a virgin. A real virgin," said the man, thrusting his head into the room through the gap in the curtain.
Someone laughed, and seemed to repent of it. The "virgin" did not move, but stared at us with her eyes full of fear and loathing. I looked about me. Everyone was pale—pale with fear and loathing.
Suddenly the girl closed her legs, bringing her knees together with a soft thud. She raised herself up with a jerk, pulled down her dress, and with a rapid movement of the hand snatched the cigarette from the mouth of an English sailor who was standing near the edge of the bed.
"Get out, please," said the man's head framed in the gap in the red curtain, and we all slowly filed out through the little door at the end of the room, shuffling across the floor, overcome with shame and embarrassment.
"You people ought to be well satisfied to see Naples brought to this pass," I said to Jimmy when we were outside.
"It certainly isn't my fault," said Jimmy.
"Oh, no," I said, "it certainly isn't your fault. But it must give you all great satisfaction to feel that you have conquered a country like this," I added. "Without such scenes how would you make yourselves feel that you were conquerors? Be frank, Jimmy: you would not feel that you were conquerors without such scenes."
"Naples has always been like that," said Jimmy.
"No, it has never been like that," I said. "Such things have never been seen in Naples before. If you didn't like such things, if scenes like that didn't amuse you, they wouldn't happen in Naples. Such sights wouldn't be seen in Naples."
"We didn't make Naples," said Jimmy. "We found it ready made."
"You didn't make Naples," I said, "but it has never been like this before. If America had lost the war think of all the American virgins in New York or Chicago who would open their legs for a dollar. If you had lost the war there would be an American virgin on that bed, instead of that poor Neopolitan girl."
"Don't talk nonsense," said Jimmy. "Even if we had lost the war you wouldn't see things like that in America."
"You would have seen worse things in America if you had lost the war," I said. "To make himself feel that he is a hero every conqueror needs to see these things."
"Don't talk rubbish," said Jimmy.
"I would rather lose the war and spend my time sitting on that bed like that poor girl, than behave in such a way for the pleasure and glory of feeling that I was a conqueror."
"You came to see her too," said Jimmy. "Why did you come?"
"Because I am a coward, Jimmy, because I too need to see such things, so that I may feel that I am one of the defeated—that I am one of the unfortunate ones."
"Why don't you go and sit on that bed too," said Jimmy, "if it gives you so much pleasure to feel that you are on the side of the conquered?"
"Tell me the truth, Jimmy—would you be willing to pay a dollar to come and see me?"
"I wouldn't even pay a cent to come and see you," said Jimmy, spitting on the
"That is all. The next in five minutes," came the voice of the man standing at the entrance, behind the red curtain. Then he thrust his head into the room through a gap in the curtain and added: "Ready?"
The girl threw her cigarette on the floor, grasped the fringe of her petticoat with the tips of her fingers and slowly raised it. First her knees appeared, gently gripped by the silk sheath of her stockings, then the bare skin. She remained for a moment in this posture, a sad Veronica, her face severe, her mouth half-open in an expression of contempt. Then, slowly turning on her back, she lay at full length on the bed. Like the odious lobster when it mates, gradually opening its pincer-like claws, staring at the male with its small, round, shining black eyes, motionless and threatening, so the girl remained staring at the spectators. A profound silence reigned in the room.
"She is a virgin. You can touch. Don't be afraid. She doesn't bite. She is a virgin. A real virgin," said the man, thrusting his head into the room through the gap in the curtain.
Someone laughed, and seemed to repent of it. The "virgin" did not move, but stared at us with her eyes full of fear and loathing. I looked about me. Everyone was pale—pale with fear and loathing.
Suddenly the girl closed her legs, bringing her knees together with a soft thud. She raised herself up with a jerk, pulled down her dress, and with a rapid movement of the hand snatched the cigarette from the mouth of an English sailor who was standing near the edge of the bed.
"Get out, please," said the man's head framed in the gap in the red curtain, and we all slowly filed out through the little door at the end of the room, shuffling across the floor, overcome with shame and embarrassment.
"You people ought to be well satisfied to see Naples brought to this pass," I said to Jimmy when we were outside.
"It certainly isn't my fault," said Jimmy.
"Oh, no," I said, "it certainly isn't your fault. But it must give you all great satisfaction to feel that you have conquered a country like this," I added. "Without such scenes how would you make yourselves feel that you were conquerors? Be frank, Jimmy: you would not feel that you were conquerors without such scenes."
"Naples has always been like that," said Jimmy.
"No, it has never been like that," I said. "Such things have never been seen in Naples before. If you didn't like such things, if scenes like that didn't amuse you, they wouldn't happen in Naples. Such sights wouldn't be seen in Naples."
"We didn't make Naples," said Jimmy. "We found it ready made."
"You didn't make Naples," I said, "but it has never been like this before. If America had lost the war think of all the American virgins in New York or Chicago who would open their legs for a dollar. If you had lost the war there would be an American virgin on that bed, instead of that poor Neopolitan girl."
"Don't talk nonsense," said Jimmy. "Even if we had lost the war you wouldn't see things like that in America."
"You would have seen worse things in America if you had lost the war," I said. "To make himself feel that he is a hero every conqueror needs to see these things."
"Don't talk rubbish," said Jimmy.
"I would rather lose the war and spend my time sitting on that bed like that poor girl, than behave in such a way for the pleasure and glory of feeling that I was a conqueror."
"You came to see her too," said Jimmy. "Why did you come?"
"Because I am a coward, Jimmy, because I too need to see such things, so that I may feel that I am one of the defeated—that I am one of the unfortunate ones."
"Why don't you go and sit on that bed too," said Jimmy, "if it gives you so much pleasure to feel that you are on the side of the conquered?"
"Tell me the truth, Jimmy—would you be willing to pay a dollar to come and see me?"
"I wouldn't even pay a cent to come and see you," said Jimmy, spitting on the
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