U.S.A_ - John Dos Passos [525]
Tony burst into tears. "You've got to give it to me. He'l break every bone in my body." Margo looked at her wristwatch that lay on the dress-ingtable beside the big powderbox. Eight o'clock. Sam would be coming by any minute now. "Al right," she said, "but next time this house is going to be guarded by detectives. . . . Get that," she said. "And any monkey-business and you birds land in jail. If you think Sam Margolies can't keep it out of the papers you've got an-other think coming. Go downstairs and tel Agnes to make you out a check and give you any cash she has in the house." Margo went back to her dressing.
A few minutes later Agnes came up crying. "What shal we do? I gave them the check and two hundred dol ars.
. . . Oh, it's awful. Why didn't Frank warn us? I know he's watching over us but he might have told us what to do about that dreadful man." Margo went into her dress-closet and slipped into a brand new eveninggown. "What we'l do is stop that check first thing in the morning. You
-420-cal up the homeprotection office and get two detectives out here on day and night duty right away. I'm through, that's al ."
Margo was mad, she was striding up and down the
room in her new white spangly dress with a trimming of ostrich feathers. She caught sight of herself in the big triple mirror standing between the beds. She went over and stood in front of it. She looked at the three views of herself in the white spangly dress. Her eyes were a flash-ing blue and her cheeks were flushed. Agnes came up behind her bringing her the rhinestone band she was going to wear in her hair. "Oh, Margie," she cried, "you never looked so stunning."
The maid came up to say that Mr. Margolies was wait-ing. Margo kissed Agnes and said, "You won't be scared with the detectives, wil you, dearie?" Margo pul ed the ermine wrap that they'd sent up on approval that after-noon round her shoulders and walked out to the car. Rodney Cathcart was there lol ing in the back seat in his dressclothes. A set of perfect teeth shone in his long brown face when he smiled at her. Sam had got out to help her in, "Margo darling, you take our breaths away, I knew that was the right dress," he said. His eyes were brighter than usual. "Tonight's a very important night. It is the edict of the stars. I'l tel you about it later. I've had our horoscopes cast." In the crowded throbbing vestibule Margo and Rodney Cathcart had to stop at the microphone to say a few words about their new picture and their association with Sam Margolies as they went in through the beating glare of lights and eyes to the lobby. When the master of cere-monies tried to get Margolies to speak he turned his back angrily and walked into the theater as if it was empty, not looking to the right or the left. After the show they went to a restaurant and sat at a table for a while. Rodney Cathcart ordered some kidneychops. "You mustn't eat too
-421-much, Si," said Margolies. "The pièce de résistance is at my flat." Sure enough there was a big table set out with cold salmon and lobstersalad and a Filipino butler opening champagne for just the three of them when they went back there after the restaurant had started to thin out. This time Margo tore loose and ate and drank al she could hold. Rodney Cathcart put away almost the whole salmon, muttering that it was topping and even