Chapter 7A Difficult Time

          ‘I saw Morris often when you were away,’ said Catherine’s aunt.

          ‘I know from his letters that you were very nice to him. 1 won’t forget that, aunt.’

          ‘He liked to come and talk. I gave him tea — that was all. Your Aunt Almond thought it was too much. He liked to sit in your father’s room,’ she said and smiled.

          Catherine was quiet for a minute.

They talked for some time as lovers. Catherine questioned him closely about his job and he asked about Europe and her father’s opinion.

          ‘I’m sorry that he went into Father’s room,’ she said. Then she asked, ‘Does he have a job?’

          ‘Yes, only a week ago, he found a job. He’s working with a friend, buying and selling something. He asked me to tell you as soon as you arrived.’

          ‘Oh, that’s good to hear!’ said Catherine, very happy.

          ‘You see, Morris was right to wait for the right job. What can your father say now?’

          ‘Father’s opinion is the same as before, only stronger. But his opinion isn’t important to me any more,’ she said.

          ‘You’re much stronger now,’ said Mrs Penniman. ‘What about your father’s money?’

          ‘I’m not interested in my father’s money. Morris doesn’t think it’s important.’

          ‘Perhaps he thinks it’s a little important,’ said Aunt Lavinia after a minute,

          ‘I have money from my mother. And now Morris has a job. He and I have everything. I’m never going to ask my father for anything. I am home and 1 want to marry.’

❖

          Morris came to Washington Square the next day.

          ‘I’m very happy to see you again,’ he said with a smile.

          ‘They talked for some time as lovers. Catherine questioned him closely about his job and he asked about Europe and her father’s opinion. He often got up and walked round the room, and came back and smiled again.

          Morris smiled all the time. ‘I must try to move him,’ he said. ‘I’m a proud man. I want to show him that he’s wrong.’

          ‘Morris, we must ask for nothing. I know now that he doesn’t like me much. It’s because of my mother. She was very beautiful and I’m not. He’s always thinking of her. Aunt Penniman told me that.’

          Morris was angry. ‘What a difficult family!’

          ‘You must be nice to me, Morris. You must always like me.’

           Morris said, ‘I will.’ It was not difficult to say.

♦

          The doctor spoke to Mrs Almond. ‘I know of his visits to my house. I can see where he sat in the chair by the fire.’

          ‘His plan is to take anything,’ said Mrs Almond. ‘He lived on Lavinia for a year.’

          Mrs Penniman wrote to Morris. She wanted to see him. Morris angrily threw her letter into the fire. She wanted to come to his office. He said no — his office was very difficult to find. They met for a walk. Mrs Penniman had nothing new to say. But Morris had something to say.

          ‘I know the doctor is the same. He’s never going to give us anything. Don’t talk to me about him. The fight is finished. I’m the loser. I’m not going to marry Catherine!’

          ‘Morris, she loves you very much. Do you know that?’

          ‘No, I don’t. I don’t want to know. You must be a good friend to her. The doctor can help you.’

          ‘The doctor! He’ll say, “I told you! He was no good!” ’

          Morris went very red. ‘You can tell her that I don’t want to come between her and her father. And I don’t want her to lose her money because of me.’

          ‘You’re very clever with words,’ said Mrs Penniman.

          ‘I must do something very clever with my life next,’ he said. ‘This is not clever at all.’

♦

          Morris came to see Catherine. He said suddenly, ‘I’m going away to New Orleans. I’m going to buy some coffee.’

          ‘Take me with you,’ said Catherine.

          ‘No, it’s a dirty and dangerous place. People get ill there.’

          ‘Then you must not go. When people are going to marry, buying coffee is not important. Think about me, not coffee. We must not wait too long.’ She spoke strongly, her hands on Morris’s arm. Was this the time to break with Catherine?

          ‘I don’t like this noisy Catherine. I like you when you’re quiet,’ said Morris.

          ‘But I don’t ask much of you. When are you coming again?’ ‘Saturday,’ he answered and smiled.

          ‘Come tomorrow. I’m very quiet now. Please, tomorrow.’

          ‘I said Saturday,’ he said, but did not smile this time. ‘Tomorrow I’ll be in the office.’ She looked at his hard, cold eyes.

          ‘Morris,’ she said quietly, ‘you’re going to leave me.’

          ‘Yes. I’ll write to you — that’s better.’

          ‘Morris, I gave up everything for you!’ she cried.

          ‘You can have it all back.’

          ‘Morris, why are you doing this now? What is different?’

          ‘Wait for my letter.’

          ‘Ah, you’re not coming back.’

          He got away from her and closed the door behind him.

Chapter 8After the Dance

          Catherine cried all day and sat up all night. She waited for Morris to come to the house. He did not come. He did not come the next day. He did not write.

          Catherine wrote a short letter to him: ‘Morris, I’m sorry and 1 don’t understand. You’re killing me!’ No answer.

          The doctor watched all this happening. After a few days he spoke to his sister, Lavinia. ‘The story is finished,’ he said. ‘I’m very happy to be in the right.’ He put his hands together, jumped up and laughed. ‘Hah! I knew it.’

One Sunday afternoon Catherine came back from a walk. Her face was red and her eyes were wet.

          One Sunday afternoon Catherine came back from a walk. Her face was red and her eyes were wet. Mrs Penniman questioned her closely and learned that her walk was to Mrs Montgomery’s house on Second Avenue. There she heard that Morris left New York some days before.

          ♦

          Two days later, a letter arrived from Philadelphia. The writer did not want to come between Catherine and her father or her father’s money. He wanted her to be happy and to stay friends with him in the years to come. He was sorry. Catherine thought it was a beautiful letter and read it many times over the next tew years.

          One day Dr Sloper found Catherine sitting with her work.

          ‘Can you tell me when you’re going to leave my house? When you go, your aunt goes too,’ he said.

          She got up. She put her work away. Her face was hot.

          ‘I’m not going away,’ said Catherine.

          ‘Did he break with you?’ said the doctor.

          ‘1 asked him to leave New York. He’s not coming back tor a long time,’ she said.

          ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘You’re not a nice girl, Catherine — to play with him for more than a year and then forget hint!’

♦

          Catherine learned a hard lesson. She never spoke of the pain inside her in the weeks and months following the break with Morris. Her father never learned the truth.

          ‘Catherine had her little dance,’ he said to Mrs Almond, ‘and now she’s sitting down.’

          At different times in the following years, four men asked Catherine to marry them. She said no to them all. She worked hard for churches and hospitals. She went out in society and everybody liked her.

Twenty years later, Morris Townsend, now fat and with very little hair, arrived at Washington Square.

          Dr Sloper died when he was seventy. Some of his money went to Catherine and her aunts. But most of it went to hospitals across the United States.

♦

          Twenty years later, Morris Townsend, now fat and with very little hair, arrived at Washington Square. Catherine did not ask him to sit down. This was not her Morris, her lover of years ago.

          ‘Can we be friends again?’ he asked, and came closer to her. ‘Catherine, I think of you always.’

          ‘Please don’t say these things,’ she answered.

          ‘We can forget the past now. We can do anything.’

          ‘1 cannot forget the past. Please do not come again,’ she said. Morris looked round the room at all the things. ‘Goodbye then. I’m sorry.’

          Outside the room, an excited Mrs Pennirnan waited.

          ‘Hah! That was a good plan, Mrs Pennirnan!’ said Morris, and pulled his hat hard on his head. ‘She’s not interested in me! But she never married — why?’

          ‘Good question,’ said Mrs Pennirnan. ‘But you must come back. You must try again.’

          ‘Come back! Never!’ and he walked out of the house. Catherine took up her work and sat down — for life.

— THE END –