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PARTISAN REVIEW
bring Jeanne down on his head . " How much do you have in th e bank ?
Is it yours or J eanne's fath er's?" Henry asked. Gelling satisfactory
answers to both ques tions, he outlined his plan. He gave his voice the
a ir of command and authority, like that of a major ordering academy
cadets about. Th e plan was insanely simple. At once-hatless-lacking
a cane-abandoning his mackintosh, his manuscripts, and even his
Yale diploma-without even re turning to his apartment to pick up a
toothbrush-Osborn was to board a boat to his native land. In hardl y
more than a week, Henry reminded him, he' d be back in Bridgeport.
The slaps tick plan was so preposterous that Osborn went right along
with it. Henry had never acted decisively in any of his own crises, but
he had become desperate enough to lea rn to be resourceful. " Jes us,
Osborn, " Henry said to buck him up, "why by tonight you'l l be in
London up to your ea rs in English."
Henry shepherded him through the ordeals of the bank, the British
consul a te and American Express, with a pause at a fin e restaurant and
a farewell bottl e of wine, the finest on the menu. With Dick 's money
stuffed into his pockets he was pretty exhilarated by the events himself.
By the time they were on their way to the Gare du Nord in a cab, he had
changed all but about 2,500 francs of Dick 's money into travel er's
checks and pounds. In great confusion Osborn tri ed to explain how to
break the news to J eanne and was getting muddled and feeling
responsible and preparing to co llapse on Henry's hands. But now
H enry was determined to see it through. " Never mind that, " he told
Dick. " How much dough do you want to give her?-that's all!"
Osborn looked ready to faint: " How much do you have?" "About 2,000
fran cs, more than she deserves," Henry replied . "I don't know ... "
Osborn said weakly, wanting to go and wanting to stay. "All right, I'll
give her all this French money," Henry sa id, holding up th e two–
thousand.
So it was settled. Henry pocketed the dough and promised to see
J eanne the very nex t day , and h e pushed the tottering wreck onto the
boat train, and Dick was off toward America.
America!-how much Henry himself had wanted to return to his
country. Once, he had begged his fri ends and his wife to send him the
funds to come home, fearful that he would starve to death in France.
He had been as desperate to get out as Osborn was. So, as h e sat in a
cafe on the Place Lafayette, he counted Osborn's money up to a total of
2,800 francs-$125. That was enough for a ticket to America. Who
would ever know if Jeanne never got the money at all? Even if Osborn
did write to her, who would believe him, a crazy fellow who had
