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PARTISAN REVIEW
gues ts, just because one of them... And what a re you go ing to tell the
police? Tha t someone stuck a knife in a doll and she's lea king? T he
best is to say no thing. One has to know how to lose with di gnity. We'll
send her in fo r repairs and fo rget a bo ut it. "
" 1 can 't," sa id Mary. ' 'I'm goin g to ca ll a pri va te detective. Don 't
let an yone touch her: the fin gerprints must be on the knife."
He tri ed to reason with her, remindin g her the g ues ts were wa itin g
downsta irs. They agreed to lock the doll in , as she was . But the moment
Mary left the room , he took o ut his handkerchi ef, soaked it in cleaning
fluid , and wiped off the handl e of the knife.
IV
Horace fin a ll y managed to convince Ma ry to say no thing a bout
the wounded doll. The day Frank came for her, he bro ught Lo ui se, hi s
girlfriend . She and Mary went into the dinin g-room, where their vo ices
sounded like a lot of cha tterin g birds being let o ut of their cages to mix
in the air. They were used to ta lking and listening a t the same time.
Meantime Ho race and Frank shut themse lves in the stud y. T hey
spo ke one at a time, in undertones, as if taking turns a t drinking out o f
a
Jug.
Horace sa id : "1 was the o ne who stuck the knife in her, so I'd have
an excuse to send her in to you."
And they stood there, bowin g their heads in sil ence.
Mary was curi o us to know what they were di scuss in g and , desert–
ing Louise for a minute, came to li sten a t the door. She tho ught she
recognized her husband 's voice; but it sounded hoa rse and blurred. (At
that moment , still mumblin g into hi s chin, Ho race was sa ying:
" It
may
be crazy, but I' ve heard of sculpto rs fa lling in love with their sta tues ." )
In a whil e, Ma ry came back to listen aga in , but could o nl y make out
the word "poss ible," pronounced first by her husband , then by Frank .
(Actua lly, Ho race had just sa id: " It must be poss ibl e," and Frank had
answered:
" If
it's poss ible, I'll do it ").
One a fternoon , a few days la ter, Ma ry rea lized Horace was ac tin g
strange. He' d be wa tching her fondl y and then suddenl y turn away,
looking worri ed. As he crossed the courtya rd a t o ne po int, she ca ll ed
him , went out
to
meet him and putting her ann s aro und hi s neck sa id:
" Ho race, you can 't fool me. I know wha t's o n your mind. "
" Wha t?" he sa id, gap in g wildl y.
" It 's Da isy."
He turned pa le.
