american tragedy

Chapter 16 (2)
Chapter 111 (2)
"Ah, my dear fellow, the happiest thing is to hear we're going to dance!" put in Hortense.

Clyde noticed that her mouth was very cute, and when she smiled, she pursed her lips in a very charming way, which made Clyde admiring, happy, almost carried away.In his opinion, she looked very pleasing, and her charm really made him swallow the coffee he just drank in his mouth, almost choking.He laughed out loud.

At this moment, Homus turned to him and said, "Look, I made him laugh like this."

"Oh, you've done more than that to me," Clyde said aloud.He suddenly had an idea, his heart was full of enthusiasm, and his courage grew. Under her influence, he suddenly felt courageous, and then said: "Hey, I'm a little dizzy when I see so many beautiful faces."

Ratterer kindly reminded him: "Oh, don't be so hasty, don't be so quick to fall for them, Clyde. Those dates will chase you like hell, you better not start it, or they want to go where I'll tell you to take them there." Sure enough, Louise wasn't embarrassed by what her brother had just said.Say, "You can dance, Mr. Griffiths?"

"No, I won't." After being asked by Louise, he immediately came back to reality, very annoyed, and felt that he had such a flaw, and he couldn't bear it among this group of people."But I do wish I could dance now," he said courteously, with a sort of entreaty, and looked at Hortense, Greta, and Louise.But no one pretended not to notice that he liked it so much, except Hortense, who was pleased with it and felt a little itchy in her heart.She didn't think she liked him very much, but it was always a pleasure that she had the upper hand so easily and overwhelmed her opponent.Because she felt that she was his favorite person, she couldn't help being a little complacent. "Isn't that a pity? He only blames his damn family education. He feels that he has been cheated. He can't even dance. It seems so stupid. Louise also showed some difficulty and indifference. but Greta, though not as much of a favorite as Hortense, relieved him, "Oh, that's not so hard to learn.As long as you are happy, just a few minutes after eating, you can deal with it first by learning the eight-step method. "

Clyde was very grateful and expressed his gratitude. He made up his mind that as long as he had the opportunity, he could learn here.Why, he thought, did he not go to dancing school? But the most painful thing was that Hortense, although he had expressed his love for her, seemed very indifferent.Perhaps it was the man just mentioned, the man with whom she danced, that made it impossible for him to interest her, he had always had such troubles in love.

But just after supper, while everyone was talking, the dance record was put on first, and it was Hortense who held out her hand to him, never letting her opponent get the upper hand, not that she was particularly helpful to Clyde. Favor, or fascination with him, at least not as flustered for him as Greta.But Clyde clearly intended to do this, but misunderstood the reason for his change of attitude, and thought that she liked him more than he estimated. He was thinking this, so she held his hand, thinking that this man was too shy up.She made him put his right hand around her waist and the other on her shoulder, and she directed his attention to her feet and his own, and began to teach him a first step in dancing.But because he was too hasty, and his expressions of gratitude too explicit, almost ridiculous, she didn't like him very much, and thought him too untactful and childish.At the same time, he had his loveliness, which made her happy to help him.Presently he was able to dance with her with considerable ease, and afterward he danced a little with Greta and Louise, but always wishing to dance with Hortense, and at last it was said that he had learned to be quite adept, as long as he If you want to go, you can go to the dance with them.

The thought of being able to get close to her and dance with her later made him very excited.So although three young men came to accompany them, one of them was Bert Gertler, because Clyde had agreed to go to the theater with Ratterer, but he couldn't help expressing his desire to go with him.Since he worked so hard, Rattler finally gave up his intention of going to the theater.After a while, they set off.Clyde was displeased at not being able to go with Hortense, and Bert Gertler was with her, and he hated his rival for it.But both Louise and Greta were very kind to him, which made him feel at ease, and he tried to be courteous to them.Rattler realized that he liked Hortense very much, and said to him when he was alone with him: "It's better not to watch Hortense too closely. I don't think she is sincere to anyone. She has seduced her." Fuck this Gertler guy, and some others. She might just tease you, and you might get nothing."

In spite of this sincere and well-intentioned advice, Clyde did not give up, and the mere sight of her, coupled with the allure of her smile, the charm of her movements, and the magic of youth, completely enchanted him.In order to make her smile at him again, look at him again, and shake his hand again, he would rather sacrifice everything, no matter what he was asked to do, he was willing.The girl he was in contact with was like a moth, she had no definite goal at all, but she just reached the age where she could play with the opposite sex, thinking that she could use boys of the same age or a little older for the purpose of pleasure, or It is convenient and cost-effective to get some favorite clothes to wear, but despite this, Clyde is still deeply in love and obsessed.

The party had been nothing more than a passionate outburst of youthful courtship, and Kitty Keane's house was a humble house in a bad street with bare December trees.But Clyde, because of his sudden love for a pretty face, found it full of romantic, glorious joy, and the young men and women he met here, Rattler, Hegglund, and Hortense types. , are some energetic, unrestrained, and unscrupulous characters. As long as he can possess these characteristics, even if he has to give his heart, he is willing to do so.It's strange to say it.Although he was a bit on the nerves, with these new friends, he became inseparable from such joyous occasions.

In this conviviality he was destined to see the workings of such young men and women as he had seen in the past, and that meant luck or misfortune, according to your fancy.For example, there is an erotic dance.Louise, Hortense, and Greta all danced raptly, almost nonchalantly, without shyness, and many of these young men carried bottles of whiskey in their rear pockets, not only for themselves, but also for themselves. Pass it to others to drink regardless of gender.

The party was greatly enhanced by the drink, and they became more intimate with each other, and they flirted freely, Hortense, Louise, and Greta, all alike, and sometimes they quarreled.Clyde saw a young man hugging a girl behind a door, or holding a girl in his arms on a chair in a secluded corner.Or lying on the couch together, whispering the kind of intimate things she loves to hear, all of which are no surprises.Although he never noticed Hortense's behavior in this way, he still saw her sitting in the arms of several young men indifferently.Or whispering to a few jealous people behind the door.These circumstances sometimes discouraged him and irritated him at the same time, but he felt that he must never have anything to do with her again, she was too profane, too indecent, too indecent.

He drank some of the drinks offered to him, to show that he too was following the conventions of the others, and was good at playing the scene, and then he grew more courageous than usual, and he half begged, half reproached. in a tone of voice, criticizing Hortense's overly dissolute behaviour.

"You really know how to flirt, no matter who you play with, you don't care."It was after one o'clock at night, when he was dancing with her.A young man named Will Kens was playing dance music on a piano with a dull tone, and they danced to it.She was trying to teach him a new dance step with a kindly coquettish air and a pleasant, sensual look.

"Coquettish? What do you mean! I don't understand."

"Ah, I don't understand!" He was a little angry, but he still put on a smile to hide his true feelings. "I've heard people say you played them all."

"Ah, am I this kind of person? I haven't played you much yet!" She was quite angry.

"Come on, don't be angry. I don't mean anything else. You let so many people flirt with you. You can't deny that. Anyway, people seem to like you."

"Oh, of course I made them like it. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Well, let me tell you, I can spend more money on you than others. I have plenty of money."

"Oh, I don't know," she retorted, but the mention of money seemed to fascinate her, and at the same time she was flattered at the way she managed to get all the lads so excited.To be honest, she is really a little fool, frivolous by nature but beautiful in appearance, whenever she meets a mirror, she has to take a picture, appreciate her whole body, and practice her particularly charming smile.

Childish as Clyde was, he was rather handsome, and this fascinated her, and she liked to tease such fledglings, who seemed to her rather silly.But he worked at Greene-Davidson, was well dressed, and he said he had money and would spend it on her, which was certainly true, and some of the people she liked very much didn't have much money.

"A lot of rich people are willing to spend money on me?" She flicked her head and glanced at it, then smiled shyly.

Clyde's face immediately darkened, and she was too much for him to bear.His brow moved again.His eyes flashed with lust and anguish, and his distaste for life was expressed again.Needless to say, what she said was all true, and there were indeed others who had more money than him and were more willing to spend money.He was bragging himself, and she was laughing at him.

After a while, he said weakly: "I believe what you say, but people are not as passionate about their lovers as I am."

This heartless honesty made her very proud.She didn't think he was a bad person.They continued to dance around to the melodious music.

"Well, I'm not as funny as I am elsewhere. Everyone knows each other very well here. We play together a lot, and you mustn't take what you see to heart."

She was lying cleverly, but after she said that, he finally felt better. "Hey, as long as you're nice to me, I'd sacrifice anything," he said feverishly, "You're my favourite, you're so charming. I love you, when we go out to dinner, eat When it's over, I'll take you to the theater. Would you like to go?"

She hesitated at first, because she was not sure whether to go on with him, and Gertler, let alone anyone else, was very jealous and kept watching her! Even if Clyde was willing to spend money for her, She may not want to entangle with him, he is very impatient now.It may be more troublesome in the future.However, her coquettish nature did not allow her to lose him.He could fall into Greta's or Louise's hands.So she finally made an appointment with him on Tuesday.But he couldn't take her home tonight because Mr. Gertler was escorting her.See you next Tuesday at 06:30 near Greene Davidson.He also told her that they could have dinner at the Frisell's before going to the burlesque "The Corsair" at the Libby's.

(End of this chapter)