Other
Read books online Ā» Other Ā» This Side of Paradise F. Scott Fitzgerald (mini ebook reader .txt) šŸ“–

Book online Ā«This Side of Paradise F. Scott Fitzgerald (mini ebook reader .txt) šŸ“–Ā». Author F. Scott Fitzgerald



1 ... 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 ... 79
Go to page:
candlesticks and long, even chants, and even if the American priests are rather burgeois, as Beatrice used to say, still you need only go to the sporty churches, and Iā€™ll introduce you to Monsignor Darcy who really is a wonder.

Kerryā€™s death was a blow, so was Jesseā€™s to a certain extent. And I have a great curiosity to know what queer corner of the world has swallowed Burne. Do you suppose heā€™s in prison under some false name? I confess that the war instead of making me orthodox, which is the correct reaction, has made me a passionate agnostic. The Catholic Church has had its wings clipped so often lately that its part was timidly negligible, and they havenā€™t any good writers any more. Iā€™m sick of Chesterton.

Iā€™ve only discovered one soldier who passed through the much-advertised spiritual crisis, like this fellow, Donald Hankey, and the one I knew was already studying for the ministry, so he was ripe for it. I honestly think thatā€™s all pretty much rot, though it seemed to give sentimental comfort to those at home; and may make fathers and mothers appreciate their children. This crisis-inspired religion is rather valueless and fleeting at best. I think four men have discovered Paris to one that discovered God.

But usā ā€”you and me and Alecā ā€”oh, weā€™ll get a Jap butler and dress for dinner and have wine on the table and lead a contemplative, emotionless life until we decide to use machine-guns with the property ownersā ā€”or throw bombs with the Bolshevik. God! Tom, I hope something happens. Iā€™m restless as the devil and have a horror of getting fat or falling in love and growing domestic.

The place at Lake Geneva is now for rent but when I land Iā€™m going West to see Mr. Barton and get some details. Write me care of the Blackstone, Chicago.

Sā€™ever, dear Boswell,

Samuel Johnson.

Book II The Education of a Personage I The DĆ©butante

The time is February. The place is a large, dainty bedroom in the Connage house on Sixty-eighth Street, New York. A girlā€™s room: pink walls and curtains and a pink bedspread on a cream-colored bed. Pink and cream are the motifs of the room, but the only article of furniture in full view is a luxurious dressing-table with a glass top and a three-sided mirror. On the walls there is an expensive print of Cherry Ripe, a few polite dogs by Landseer, and the King of the Black Isles, by Maxfield Parrish.

Great disorder consisting of the following items: (1) seven or eight empty cardboard boxes, with tissue-paper tongues hanging panting from their mouths; (2) an assortment of street dresses mingled with their sisters of the evening, all upon the table, all evidently new; (3) a roll of tulle, which has lost its dignity and wound itself tortuously around everything in sight, and (4) upon the two small chairs, a collection of lingerie that beggars description. One would enjoy seeing the bill called forth by the finery displayed and one is possessed by a desire to see the princess for whose benefitā ā€”Look! Thereā€™s someone! Disappointment! This is only a maid hunting for somethingā ā€”she lifts a heap from a chairā ā€”Not there; another heap, the dressing-table, the chiffonier drawers. She brings to light several beautiful chemises and an amazing pajama but this does not satisfy herā ā€”she goes out.

An indistinguishable mumble from the next room.

Now, we are getting warm. This is Alecā€™s mother, Mrs. Connage, ample, dignified, rouged to the dowager point and quite worn out. Her lips move significantly as she looks for it. Her search is less thorough than the maidā€™s but there is a touch of fury in it, that quite makes up for its sketchiness. She stumbles on the tulle and her ā€œdamnā€ is quite audible. She retires, empty-handed.

More chatter outside and a girlā€™s voice, a very spoiled voice, says: ā€œOf all the stupid peopleā ā€”ā€

After a pause a third seeker enters, not she of the spoiled voice, but a younger edition. This is Cecelia Connage, sixteen, pretty, shrewd, and constitutionally good-humored. She is dressed for the evening in a gown the obvious simplicity of which probably bores her. She goes to the nearest pile, selects a small pink garment and holds it up appraisingly.

Cecelia

Pink?

Rosalind

Outside. Yes!

Cecelia

Very snappy?

Rosalind

Yes!

Cecelia

Iā€™ve got it!

She sees herself in the mirror of the dressing-table and commences to shimmy enthusiastically.

Rosalind

Outside. What are you doingā ā€”trying it on?

Cecelia ceases and goes out carrying the garment at the right shoulder.

From the other door, enters Alec Connage. He looks around quickly and in a huge voice shouts: Mama! There is a chorus of protest from next door and encouraged he starts toward it, but is repelled by another chorus.

Alec

So thatā€™s where you all are! Amory Blaine is here.

Cecelia

Quickly. Take him downstairs.

Alec

Oh, he is downstairs.

Mrs. Connage

Well, you can show him where his room is. Tell him Iā€™m sorry that I canā€™t meet him now.

Alec

Heā€™s heard a lot about you all. I wish youā€™d hurry. Fatherā€™s telling him all about the war and heā€™s restless. Heā€™s sort of temperamental.

This last suffices to draw Cecelia into the room.

Cecelia

Seating herself high upon lingerie. How do you meanā ā€”temperamental? You used to say that about him in letters.

Alec

Oh, he writes stuff.

Cecelia

Does he play the piano?

Alec

Donā€™t think so.

Cecelia

Speculatively. Drink?

Alec

Yesā ā€”nothing queer about him.

Cecelia

Money?

Alec

Good Lordā ā€”ask him, he used to have a lot, and heā€™s got some income now.

Mrs. Connage appears.

Mrs. Connage

Alec, of course weā€™re glad to have any friend of yoursā ā€”

Alec

You certainly ought to meet Amory.

Mrs. Connage

Of course, I want to. But I think itā€™s so childish of you to leave a perfectly good home to go and live with two other boys in some impossible apartment. I hope it isnā€™t in order that you can all drink as much

1 ... 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 ... 79
Go to page:

Free ebook Ā«This Side of Paradise F. Scott Fitzgerald (mini ebook reader .txt) šŸ“–Ā» - read online now

Comments (0)

There are no comments yet. You can be the first!
Add a comment