U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [523]
"Wouldn't that be wonderful," chimed in Agnes. " Cuba would be just the place . . . with al the tourists going. down there and everything."
Tony drew himself up stiffly. "Margo, we are Chris-tians. We believe. We know that the church forbids di-vorce. . . . Agnes she doesn't understand."
"I'm a lot better Christian than you are . . . you know that you . . ." began Agnes shril y.
"Now, Agnes, we can't argue about religion before breakfast." Margo sat up and drew her knees up to her chin underneath the covers. " Agnes and I believe that Mary Baker Eddy taught the truth, see, Tony. Sit down here, Tony. . . . You're getting too fat, Tony, the boys
-415-won't like you if you lose your girlish figure. . . . Look here, you and me we've seen each other through some tough times." He sat on the bed and lit a cigarette. She stroked the spiky black hair off his forehead. "You're not going to try to gum the game when I've got the biggest break I ever had in my life."
"I been a louse. I'm no good," Tony said. "How about a thousand a month? That's only a third of what you make. You'l just waste it. Women don't need money."
"Like hel they don't. You know it costs money to make money in this business."
"Al right . . . make it five hundred. I don't under-stand the figures, you know that. You know I'm only a child."
"Wel , I don't either. You and Agnes go downstairs and talk it over while I get a bath and get dressed. I've got a dressmaker coming and I've got to have my hair done. I've got about a hundred appointments this after-noon. . . . Good boy, Tony." She patted him on the cheek and he went away with Agnes meek as a lamb.
When Agnes came upstairs again after Margo had had
her bath, she said crossly, " Margie, we ought to have di-vorced Tony long ago. This German who's got hold of him is a bad egg. You know how Mr. Hays feels about scandals."
"I know I've been a damn fool."
"I've got to ask Frank about this. I've got an appoint-ment with Madame Esther this afternoon. Frank might tel us the name of a reliable lawyer."
"We can't go to Vardaman. He's Mr. Hardbein's law-yer and Sam's lawyer too. A girl sure is a fool ever to put anything in writing."
The phone rang. It was Mr. Hardbein cal ing up about the contract. Margo sent Agnes down to the office to talk to him. Al afternoon, standing there in front of the long pierglass while the dressmaker fussed around her with her
-416-mouth ful of pins she was worrying about what to do. When Sam came around at five to see the new dresses her hair was stil in the dryer. "How attractive you look with your head in that thing," Sam said, "and the lacy negligee and the little triangle of Brussels lace between your knees. . . . I shal remember it. I have total recal I never forget anything I've seen. That is the secret of visual imagination."
When Agnes came back for her in the Rol s she had
trouble getting away from Sam. He wanted to take them wherever they were going in his own car. "You must have no secrets from me, Margo darling," he said gently. "You wil see I understand everything . . . everything. . . . I know you better than you know yourself. That's why I know I can direct you. I have studied every plane of your face and of your beautiful little girlish soul so ful of desire. . . . Nothing you do can surprise or shock me."
"That's good," said Margo.
He went away sore.
"Oh, Margie, you oughtn't to treat Mr. Margolies like that," whined Agnes.
"I can do without him better than he can do without me," said Margo. "He's got to have a new star. They say he's pretty near on the skids anyway.""Mr. Hardbein says that's just because he's fired his publicityman," said Agnes.
It was late when they got started. Madame Esther's
house was way downtown in a dilapidated part of Los Angeles. They had the chauffeur let them out two blocks from the house and walked to it down an al ey between dusty bungalow courts like the places they'd lived in when they first came out to the coast years ago. Margo nudged Agnes. "Remind