666
PARTISAN REVIEW
own purchases; and every night at closing time it was necessary to
count the money in the till and lock up. However, he was not dis–
satisfied, for he lived much in his thoughts of Max and Miriam. The
college boy had called her and they had arranged a meeting for this
coming Friday night. The shoemaker would personally have preferred
Saturday, which he felt would make it a date of the first magnitude,
but he learned Friday was Miriam's choice, so he said nothing. The
day of the week did not matter. What mattered was the aftermath.
Would they like each other and want to be friends? He sighed at aU
the time that would have to pass before he knew for sure. Often he
was tempted to talk to Miriam about the boy to ask whether she
thought she would like his type-he had told her only that he liked
Max and had suggested he call her-but the one time he tried she
snapped at him-justly-how should she know?
At last Friday came. Feld was not feeling particularly well so
he stayed in bed, and Mrs. Feld thought it better to remain with him
in the bedroom when Max called. Miriam received the boy, and her
parents could hear their voices, his throaty one, as they talked. Just
before leaving, Miriam brought Max to the bedroom door and he
stood there a minute, a tall, somewhat hunched figure wearing a
thick, droopy suit, and apparently at ease as he greeted the shoemaker
and
his
wife, which was surely a good sign. And Miriam, although
she had worked all day, looked fresh and pretty. She was a large–
framed girl with a well-shaped body, and she had a fine open face
and soft hair. They made, Feld thought, a first-class couple.
Miriam returned after 11: 30. Her mother was already asleep
but the shoemaker got out of bed and after locating his flannel bath–
robe went into the kitchen, where Miriam, to his surprise, sat at the
table, reading.
"So where did you go?" Feld asked pleasantly.
"For a walk," she said, not looking up.
"I advised
him,"
Feld said, clearing his throat, "he shouldn't
spend much money."
"I didn't care."
The shoemaker boiled up some water for tea and sat down at
the table with a cupful and a thick slice of lemon.
"So how," he sighed after a sip, "did you enjoy?"
"It was all right."
