THE BLEEDING HEART
and the country she had enjoyed before but this gain was offset
by the knowledge that there was no mystery left: she knew exactly
where the man lived and, moreover, to her regret, she knew
how
he lived.
The next to the last blossom was gone and then the last was
gone and the feeding hand retired under the covers. The old woman
looked at ·Waldo and at Rose and said, "You him." She pretended
neither to hear nor to see but stared at the sampler which had a
border of pine-cones. A foot surreptitiously moved under the coun–
terpane and Waldo walked off his mistress's hand so that Rose,
nauseated, saw that he had not eaten the bleeding-hearts at
all,
but
had only mauled them and then had dropped them onto the bed
where they lay in a heap like bloody matter. The command was re–
peated but she heard her host coming back and she got up to
open the door for
him.
She said, "I think your mother wanted me
to take the parrot."
"Oh, did she?" he asked with interest. "That shows she likes
you. Yes, sir, that shows you've made a big hit with Mother."
"But I don't like birds," she said.
"Really? How extraordinary! I had a very charming Brazilian
oriole to whom I was much attached. Waldo killed her, I never was
just sure how."
On the tray were a plate of English muffins and a jar of peanut
butter and one of marmalade and a store-bought pound cake and a
dish of pickled peaches. There were a can of evaporated
milk
and
a tin of bouillon cubes. This last he picked up, mouthing the words,
"This is what she thinks is tea. Isn't allowed tea. A stimulant." Waldo
laughed.
It took a long time to prepare the meal. A good deal of fur–
niture had to be moved before the kettle could be plugged in; then
he had to go back to the kitchen for spoons which he had forgotten
and then for some plates for the pickled peaches. Then he stopped
everything when he saw the mess Waldo had made with the flowers
and for a moment Rose thought he was going to lose this temper.
"Pest!" he said sharply and gave Waldo a baleful look. When every–
thing was ready, the old woman said "Radio" so the lamp had to
be unplugged and the radio plugged in and candles had to be lit.
The kettle made the radio splutter and creak and Waldo, the ever-
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