232
DAVID JACKSON
Jane than
his
own answer, Nicolas replied, "I sent 'em back,
as
was."
Meredith was amazed. He had always worked hard on
his
own proofs, making minute changes, reluctant to let them go.
"You
did?"
"Look, those jokers don't pay
me
nothin. So Nicolas don't
do their work!"
"Well, I guess ..."
"That's certainly
one
way of looking at it," Mary Jane put
in. "Now how about lunch, Meredith?"
Such tricks were not new to Nicolas. He'd figure out why,
later, Mary Jane wanted to be rid of him. The best thing now to
do would be to put Meredith under obligation to him by leaving
and making it clear he did not feel wanted. Even as he thought,
he acted.
"Well, I guess Nicolas better be goin?" he announced to
Meredith, in slightly hurt tones.
"We could maybe all meet, tonight," Meredith hastened to
suggest, peering at Mary Jane who went right on smiling. "I
know a place, it's perhaps a little odd, called
(Die Dritte'-it's
a
bar, with music."
"Yeh, I know the place.
O.K."
Nicolas looked at Mary
lane, "You
COrllln,
too?"
"If
Meredith likes it, I'll go," she said, looking at Meredith.
And, "Swell,"
he
said, as if everything were solved, "we'll
get there at, oh, 9: OO? How's that?"
"Great," Nicolas stood his ground a moment longer, a
sullen moment further muddying the air and allowing responsi–
bility its lead. Meredith started hesitantly toward the door when
Nicolas was blessed with one of his improvisations.
With a wink, he shook his head at Meredith. "Look, that
Frau at the door hugs me. Nicolas'll just-take off through here."
He went to the window, slipped the hasp, opened the bars and
scooted over the sill, dropping lightly to the terrace. "See you
later," he called to Meredith, then sauntered off across the lawns
