274
PARTISAN REVIEW
Sunday afternoon, having come down from his own apartment to
discuss the major league pennant races with his uncle, the two heard
the sound of loud smacks succeeded by giggles.
"I never heard anything as disgusting as that," said Seymour to
Jasper. And Jasper too felt that the sounds of petting were unpleasant,
although like his grandmother Ruth he was impatient that his aunt
Rebecca get married.
When summer came, a crisis occurred. James proposed marriage
at last. But it turned out that he wanted Rebecca to continue to work
at the job which paid her such a big salary. Rebecca refused. She
explained that one did not get married except to change one's life,
and this would be no change for her. More than that, Rebecca wanted
her mother to live with her, at least for a time, and James wanted
a home of his own. The proposal fell through and James departed,
leaving Ruth Hart in tears in the kitchen from which she had over–
heard the discussion. Her strong will showed itself immediately and
she told her daughter that she did not want to live with her, she
wanted her to get married.
As
for Rebecca's job, Ruth told her
daughter that they could argue about that after the marriage, for
James would change his mind, he would like having his wife at home
all day. But Rebecca was immovable. She was not going to work,
if she married, and she was going to bring her mother with her.
After a week, James returned. He had decided to accept Re–
becca's conditions. He had braced himself for marriage and it was
too dismal to turn back.
Ruth Hart announced in triumph the news of her daughter's
engagement. The family took a cottage at the seashore and James
came to stay with them as a boarder. Again, he was slow in coming
to the point of saying when the marriage was going to occur. Ruth
became fearful again, for she was often afraid that what she desired
would not come true, some disaste·r would intervene. Meanwhile her
cooking reached new heights because of her effort to please James. At
last Rebecca forced the issue by bringing James's petting further and
further until she was able to tell James that they had to get married
soon. James felt the pride of the seducer who does the right thing
and this was a very important thing to him. The marriage occurred
and Ruth Hart enjoyed a mighty relaxation. Now if only Seymour
would make something of himself, she would be satisfied, and
if
Michael would return to his wife and children.
The depression began two months after the marriage and James
who had been playing the stock market lost all of his own savings,
