602
PARTISAN REVIEW
Moliere etc.
An
old fashioned white fire place, which is closed up is in the
middle of the room opposite the doors from the hall, (with the small clas–
sics as noted, on the right,) and a desk and old Remington typewriter on
the left. Over the desk (which is a table) is a magnificent photograph of
Whitman with autographs and on the street wall between the windows is
an enormous full length gilt mirror. Against the hall wall, (opposite the
fireplace bookcase and Whitman) is a wide, low couch covered with pil–
lows and one cute little orange velvet one and there is a painting on that
wall of a girl in green dress against a dull yellow background framed
in
a
heavy gilt, regulation oil painting frame. They have a few chairs-one
wicker I think and some straight ones. Presently they gave me [a] towel and
told me "the first room at the top of the stairs on the right" and after 1
came down Alfred went up and presently we sat down to supper. (When
we had first come in, Alfred had said he would go out for some chops but
1 prevented him and as it turned out they are on a vegetable diet and can't
eat meat for a while, or anything but chicken.) We had potatoes and lima
beans and salsify and carrots 1 think, beautifully cooked and applesauce and
bread [and] jam. They gave me six times more than I could eat. They have
pretty china with a small red and green design on it, and silver spoons like
ours and pepper in the pot and paper napkins and a dish of fruit. 1 said,
while Alfred was out,
"It
is such a pleasure to know you and
Mr.
Kreymborg and to be here but I am afraid it will tire you to have me since
you have both been sick." "Not a bit," Mrs. Kreymborg said, "Don't you
think of it. We're enjoying it so."
A.K.
came in at [that] moment and I said,
"I was just telling Mrs. Kreymborg that it is a great delight to know you
both and find you-as you are." "What did you think we were like?" he
said. "Oh," 1 said, "very tall, with dark hair, very intimidating." Alfred
grinned and gave a sniff-"Shall 1 tell her?" he said. "Gertrude told me to
go and see you and if you were nice, to bring you home to supper."
"Otherwise not," I said. They laughed.
On the way down, Alfred had told me about Amy Lowell and the
Poetry Society. He said "there is a poetry society in town, where they wear
evening dress and give dinners and have celebrities speak. You haven't
heard of it? Well, doesn't amount to anything. You want to keep away from
it." 1 said 1 supposed that Amy Lowell had been to it and he said "Yes, we
had her at a meeting one night. She's impossible. About so wide-and she
can't talk about anything but herself. Seemed to take no interest in any–
thing but her own work, and 'Pound.' She has had a falling out with
him-I think she's made it up but she told us all about it. She doesn't go
with the crowd." I said I liked some of her work and he said "So do I but
she was a great disappointment." Alfred then went on to say that he liked
Ezra Pound personally though his work had fallen short and then 1
