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PARTISAN REVIEW
and that's why men pay to look at them. Christ, how dumb can you
be? No, sir, I've figured it all out. I'm in it till I make my pile, then
clear out with enough dough not to have to worry and marry the first
jerk who asks me. I've already got some socked away, and in five
years I'll be able to retire, a lady. It's like what they call an annuity,
a guy was telling me about
it
once, but he'll never have it, he's a
jerk. And don't think I'm going to stick to this two-bit racket, I'm
going to work the carriage trade where men don't look for bargains.
And see," she continued as though her pride were at stake, "even
now I've got something to show for
it.
When I go out on Sunday,
I don't look like they found me
in
an alley."
She went over to a closet and pointed to a fur coat and a row
of shining dresses. "And look at these," she said, pulling out a pair
of suede shoes, "they're the best, fifty bucks. When I'm on my feet,
only the best is good enough for them."
J. J.
was overwhelmed by the frankness and practicality of her
outburst. But he began to feel at home, for she was presenting an
argument, a position which he could refute. He thought a moment,
and then began to answer her, measuring his words, as though he
were addressing an unenlightened audience.
"What you say," he began
in
a low voice, "has a superficial
plausibility. In a way, this is the law of our society, based on the
ethics of the jungle, and most people act as though they must get
the most out of it as quickly as possible, dog eat dog. But the trouble
is that nobody really wins, not those who do the eating any more than
those who are eaten. Sure, there are people who think they can out–
smart the system, make a lot of money by ruthless or shady means,
and then retire to a comfortable, respectable existence, maybe even
donating some of their profits to charities or social causes to ease
their conscience. But it doesn't work. Even
if
your
aim
is to be a
decent citizen, after you have made your money, you are changed,
yes, destroyed, by"-J.
J.
fumbled for the right words-"by the
in–
human, competitive process by which you have made it."
J. J.
looked
at her to gauge the effect of what he had just said. Then he con–
tinued in the paternal tone he had used on so many floundering
women. "Look at yourself. You won't be the same person by the
time you're ready to retire, assuming that your appetite for easy
money can be curbed to permit you to retire. You see, you're like
