DANIEL ASA ROSE
563
One young couple on Manhattan's Rivers ide Dri ve awoke so
fa int th a t they h as til y made arrangement s to show lip at Roy's
place in Westhampton. As well as to ca tch a n ocean breeze, they
came to say goodbye.
11 . How did Roy like that?
Roy loved his ni ece H enri etta; h e cou ld do without Henry.
H e did not like that th ey were moving th e n ex t day to Cam–
bridge, England. H e did not like th at th ey were to pursue their
doctorates. He thought th ey were overschool ed a lready. They
were. But their appearance in Wes th ampton was conveni ent
because Roy had a goodbye present for Henri etta.
12. How did they react to R oy's identification of the elk tree?
They were sti cky with emba rrassment. However th ey were
o ft en and easil y emba rrassed these days. Pa rtl y it was becau se
H enri etta had recently lea rn ed th a t sh e was ca rrying th eir fir st
child ; they felt particu la rl y impress ion abl e, as if outside events
could not only have an unn a tura l e[fect on them selves but could
jinx th e embryo, as well. Consequently th ey were oft en and
eas il y bulli ed. Just th e evening before, for in sta n ce, they h ad
been bulli ed by a (hot and h a rri ed ) ba rma id on Bl eeker Street.
" Don 't you have an y food?" asked H enry when no menu h ad
arrived with their second drinks. " How was I supposed to kn ow
you wanted to ea t?" parri ed th e ba rma id effectively, g iving them
an order form to fill out. "Two spring chi cken s," H enri etta
wrote. They laughed and blush ed at the meaning.
"Three spring chi cken s" wou ld h a ve summed it up , fo r
there was n o doubt th e progen y of su ch
a
gent le coupl e wou ld be
of th e same cas t: plump, p a le, schol as ti c.
13. How do you know? Th ere's no God.
...
I'm pl ay ing, playing. The progen y tri ed to kill himself over
his first gir lfri end nin eteen yea rs later. H e tri ed to kill himse lf
over his divorce thirty years later. H e let a tour bu s strike hi s wife
dead in Pi cadilly Circus fift y years la ter. H e was bro ught up
British.
14. Is it fun playing?
Eh.
15 . Why didn't H enrietta correct her uncle about the elk tree?
She h ad no right to contradi ct him. She lost th a t ri ght when
