558
"A louse."
"But I thought you had a child together?"
"We do."
"But you never meet."
"No."
"Ah."
PARTISAN REVIEW
"Ah to you too. Well, message delivered, and thank you." She
rang off.
He attempted a laugh but again found himself pouring a drink.
Some months later she rang him. "What's all this about you
and I going up for a nice weekend at Henry and Angela's cottage?"
"It was mentioned."
"And what did you say, Sebastian?"
"I said I thought it was premature."
"Premature," she screamed, "Look, no, just a minute.... I
want us to meet. Just you and me. I want to talk."
"What about?"
She laughed. He felt encouraged: that was a real laugh. That's
better, he was thinking.
"What I want to talk about isn't - practicalities. Not where to
put the children or who pays for what. There's something ... I
don't know exactly how to put it." He did not say anything to en–
courage her, so there was a pretty long pause. Then she inquired,
reasonably, "Don't you ever feel as if you are up against something–
well, intangible?"
"What sort of thing?"
"With those two. Henry and Angela." He still did not help her,
and she went on with difficulty. "I mean, inadequate, that's what I
feel, I don't match up."
"Oh
that,"
said he, given a handhold, "Of course, inadequate,
but then, who doesn't feel inadequate?"
"For Christ's sake
no,
just don't do that."
"What?"
Just dismiss it."
"I didn't know I had."
"Of course you didn't. You people never do, do you?"
"Meaning us, the English?"
"Yes. That's it. Precisely."
"But I understand you married one?"
"I did. And I am pledged to wed another, Henry. Marcus, then
Henry. A rich education in sweeping things under the carpet."
