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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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"We owe the milkman sixty cents," added Hurstwood. "Yes, and there’s the coal man," said Carrie. Hurstwood said nothing. He had seen the new things she was buying; the way she was neglecting household duties; the readiness with which she was slipping out afternoons and staying. He felt that something was going to happen. All at once she spoke: "I don’t know," she said; "I can’t do it all. I don’t earn enough." This was a direct challenge. Hurstwood had to take it up. He tried to be calm. "I don’t want you to do it all," he said. "I only want a little help until I can get something to do." "Oh, yes," answered Carrie. "That’s always the way. It takes more than I can earn to pay for things. I don’t see what I’m going to do." "Well, I’ve tried to get something," he exclaimed. "What do you want me to do?" "You couldn’t have tried so very hard," said Carrie. "I got something." "Well, I did," he said, angered almost to harsh words. "You needn’t throw up your success to me. All I asked was a little help until I could get something. I’m not down yet. I’ll come up all right." He tried to speak steadily, but his voice trembled a little. Carrie’s anger melted on the instant. She felt ashamed. "Well," she said, "here’s the money," and emptied it out on the table. "I haven’t got quite enough to pay it all. If they can wait until Saturday, though, I’ll have some more." "You keep it," said Hurstwood, sadly. "I only want enough to pay the grocer." She put it back, and proceeded to get dinner early and in good time. Her little bravado made her feel as if she ought to make amends. In a little while their old thoughts returned to both. "She’s making more than she says," thought Hurstwood. "She says she’s making twelve, but that wouldn’t buy all those things. I don’t care. Let her keep her money. I’ll get something again one of these days. Then she can go to the deuce." He only said this in his anger, but it prefigured a possible course of action and attitude well enough. "I don’t care," thought Carrie. "He ought to be told to get out and do something. It isn’t right that I should support him." In these days Carrie was introduced to several youths, friends of Miss Osborne, who were of the kind most aptly described as gay and festive. They called once to get Miss Osborne for an afternoon drive. Carrie was with her at the time. "Come and go along," said Lola. "No, I can’t," said Carrie. "Oh, yes, come and go. What have you got to do?" "I have to be home by five," said Carrie. "What for?" "Oh, dinner." "They’ll take us to dinner," said Lola. "Oh, no," said Carrie. "I won’t go. I can’t." "Oh, do come. They’re awful nice boys. We’ll get you back in time. We’re only going for a drive in Central Park." Carrie thought a while, and at last yielded. "Now, I must be back by half-past four," she said. The information went in one ear of Lola and out the other. After Drouet and Hurstwood, there was the least touch of cynicism in her attitude toward young men-especially of the gay and frivolous sort. She felt a little older than they. Some of their pretty compliments seemed silly. Still, she was young in heart and body and youth appealed to her. |
