The Washington herald., 1922-09-12
The Beautiful
And Damned
Continued from Yesterday.
By F. Scott Fitzgerald.

than cling desperately to Barnes
who. dancing with the ominouJ re.
gidity OF an army officer. tramp,
without humor around the small
space Anthony is trying to h al
Rschaers whisper-without attract
ing Gloria.s attention.
But the grotesque, the unbelieva-
BILE. the histrionic incident is
about to occur. one of those
incidents in which life seems
set upon the passionate imi-
tation of the lowest forms Of
literature. Paramore has been
trying to emulate Gloria, and
as the commotion reaches its
height he begins to spin round
and round. more and more dig
zily-he staggers, RECEIVERS.
staggers again and then falls
in the direction of the hall. &.
almost into the arms of old
Adam Patch. whose approach
has been rendered inaudible
by the pandemonium in the
room.
Adam Patch is very white. He
leans upon a stick. The man
with him is Edward Shuttle
worth, and it is he who seizes
Paramore by the shoulder and
defects the course of his fall
away from the venerable phi
lanthropist.
The time required for quiet to
descend upon the room like a
monstrous pail may be esti-
mated at two minutes. though
for a short period after that
the phonograph gags and the
notes of the japanese train
song dribble from the end of
Tana's flute. or the nine peo-
pie only Barnes. Paramore and
Tana are unaware Of the late
comer's identity. OF the nine
not one is aware that Adam
Patch has that morning made
contribution of S5O.OOO to
the cause of national prohibit
tion.
1t is given to Paramore to
break the gathering silence;
the high tide of his life's de-
pravity is reached in his in
credible remark)
toward the kitchen on his hands
! work here.
now. so weighted with intol-
erably contagious apprehen-
sion. that Rachael gives a ner-
vous little Eiggle. and Dick
finds himself telling over and
over a line from Swinburne,
grotesquely appropriate to the
scene:
"One gaunt bleak blossom of
scentless breath"
-. Out Of the hush the voice of
Anthony. sober and strained.
saying something to Adam
Patch; then this. too. dies
away)
Shuttleworth: CPassi o nateIy)
Your grandfather thought he would
motor over to see your house.
phoned from Rye and left a mes
sage.
"a series of little gasps. ema-
mating, apparently, from no.
where. from no one. fall into
the next pause. Anthony is the
color OF chalk. Gloria's lips
are parted and her level gaze
at the old man is tense and
frightened. There is not one
smile in the room. Not one?
Or does Cross Patchs drawn
mouth tremble slightly open,
to expose the even rows OF his
thin teeth? He speaks-five
mild and simble words)
Adam Patch: Well go back now.
Shuttleworth-
CAnd that is all. He turns. and
assisted by his cane goes out
through the hall. through the
front door, and with hellish
portentousness his uncertain
footsteps crunch on the gravel
path unde: the August moon.)
Retrospect.
In this extremity they were like
two goldfish in a bowl from which
all the water had been drawn: they
could not even swim across to each
other
Gloria would be rs in May. There
was nothing. she said. that she
wanted. except to be young and
beautiful for a long time. to be
gay and happy. and to have money
and love. She wanted what most
women want. but she wanted it
much more fiercely and passion
ately. She had been married over
two years. At first there had been
days Of serene understanding, ris-
ing to ecstaCies Of proprietorship
and pride Alternating with these
periods had occurred sporadic
hates. enduring a short hour. and
forgetfulness lasting no longer
than an afternoon. That had been
for half a year.
Then the serenity. the content.
had become less jubilant, had be-
come Eray-very rarely. with the
spur of jealousy or forced separa-
tion, the ancient ecstacies re-
turned. the apparent communion
Of soul and soul. the emotional ex-
element 1t was possible for her
70 hate Anthony for as much as
a full day, to be carelessly in
censed at him for as long as a
week Recrimination had displaced
affection as an indulgence. almost
as an entertainment. and there
were nights when they would go to
sleep trying to remember who was
angry and who should be reserved
next morning. And as the second
year waned there had entered two
new elements. Gloria realized that
Anthony had become capable of
utter indifference toward her. a
temporary indifference. more than
half lethargic. but one from which
she could no longer stir him by a
whispered word. or a certain inti-
mate smile. There were days when
her caresses affected him as a
sort of suffOcation. She was con-