JAY MARTIN
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mind had co ll ap sed: he was pa ra lyzed by fears of o thers and accusa tions
of himself.
Henry vowed
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save the poo r devil , no ma ller how despera te the
required measures might be. He tried to penetra te the fogs of Osbo rn 's
parano ia to di scover wha t had actua ll y happened . H enry ta lked to
some o f j eann e's fri ends and neighbo rs and concluded tha t she was no t
pregnant, onl y growin g fa t from indol ence. After a whil e he simpl y
gave up and dec ided tha t the lruth was irrelevant. The ma in thing was
to save Di ck. Some time la ter when Osbo rn was rel eased from the
hos pita l and a ll owed
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return to Pari s, Henry determined that he
should light o ut , abandon j eanne and return to Ameri ca . There was
nowh ere in France tha t. he could hide from j eanne, if in fa ct she
decided to lrack him down. Certa inl y, as soon as Dick gOt back in Pa ri s,
she seized him like a spider; she didn 't quite devour him , but she
wouldn ' t let him out o f her sight. One day in la te jul y, Henry ran into
him o n th e Ri ght Bank. ' 'I'm just on my way
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the bank to draw out
some mon ey," he sa id uneas il y, ''[' ve gOt
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be back in a ha lf-hour. 1
don 't know wh at to do."
It
was a sunn y, breezy Pa ri s day . Outwa rdl y
Osbo rn looked like a hea lth y Ameri can-well -dressed , bareheaded ,
with a littl e pa un ch . But there was a di zziness in hi s eyes. " You 've go t
to help me o ut of thi s," he suddenl y urged Henry with des pera tion in
h is vo ice. " I don 't belong here. I wish I were home." He sta rted to
blubber and go
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pi eces. He groaned about his disgust with the cruelty
and sterility o f th e French , a peopl e he once ado red .
It
even drove him
crazy. he sa id . to have
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spea k in cessantl y in French .
H enry's thoughts were go ing fast and he took Di ck's a rm. He
fo rmed a crazy scheme - crazy enough
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wo rk . H enry decided to brea k
hi s pl an eas il y
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Osborn-o therwise sheer pani c mi ght follow. ' 'I'm
go ing to help you ." he sa id . " Let' s have a drink." Di ck looked a t him
with ho rror. HY'i teri a danced behind hi s eyes. T o have a drink , to invite
j eann e's di spl easure,
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be la te returning from hi s errand , to put hi s
trust in thi s irrespon sibl e Henry Mill er-even thi s sounded crazy to
Osborn. " Relax, sit down . Let's have a whi skey, an Ameri can whi s–
key," Henry sa id . The whi skey did it. As the Ameri can spirits arrived ,
looking velvety and go lden brown , hi s eyes brimmed with tea rs. He
seized H enry as if h e were hi s last fri end and sang the p ra ises of their
na tive land, whi ch he sa id he da red no t hope to see aga in . The ga r<;:on
a rrived with a second drink. " Bo ttoms up !" Henry commanded. Dick
downed it a t once. " Li sten, " Henry sa id , " if 1 were in your boots, I'd
go-I'd go to Ameri ca, witho ut hesita ti on , today." Osborn g lanced
a bo ut. as if the mere whi sperin g o f such an idea woul d be eno ugh to
