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PARTISAN REVIEW
an accident where no one was hurt, and Gretchen hoped to imitate
this earnest, tense, breathless excitement. She herself was more stolid,
more disorganized, and yet more explosive. She had dark, curly hair,
a dark olive face (which required the services of an expensive derma–
tologist), was plump, had just recently stopped wearing braces, and
usually felt enormous next to her blond graceful friend.
She felt especially so the next Saturday afternoon when they
stood in front of the Museum in the lovely sunshine. Most people
would grant that Sheila's clothes were a little-oh, tacky, old–
fashioned, perhaps. But Sheila herself-for, clothes, after all were
just material
things--she
was closer to the infinite order. It was often
remarked of her that she resembled an old German drawing of some
young maiden; the same comparison could hardly be made of
Gretchen. The younger girl, the future painter, was wearing her
Guatemalan jacket and her black cotton skirt and espadrilles. She
carried a woven satchel brought from Mexico by Byron's aunt and
bearing the legend
"Es Propiedad de Margarita,"
and presumably
she should have liked the way she looked. But she had forgotten to
wear the ankh pendant, and Sheila, wearing hers, looked for
it
with
a surprised and silently reproachful stare. It was enough to make
Gretchen feel bad.
But the day was marvelous, and Gretchen expected to have a
good time.
Finally, Melvin and Simeon came, and they weren't too awful.
Simeon shook hands and Melvin nodded pleasantly. They were so
different, really, from the way Gretchen remembered them, that she
didn't know yet whether she liked them very much. Simeon was pale
and sallow, and had that sickly kind of attractiveness which some
girls like. Melvin was large and dark and looked as if he played
tennis. Without anyone's saying a word, it was quickly settled that
Sheila be with Simeon and Gretchen with Melvin.
"Gretchen, don't you think it's such a lovely day," Sheila said
brightly, as if continuing a conversation.
"Mmm," Gretchen cooperated. "Too nice to go inside. But we
have to, don't we."
"Well, we
have
been outside all morning-practically," Sheila
smiled.
This was conspiratorial enough, so Melvin asked, "Where have
