This Side of Paradise F. Scott Fitzgerald (mini ebook reader .txt) đ
- Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
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There arenât any. Men donât know how to be really angry or really happyâ âand the ones that do, go to pieces.
CeceliaWell, Iâm glad I donât have all your worries. Iâm engaged.
RosalindWith a scornful smile. Engaged? Why, you little lunatic! If mother heard you talking like that sheâd send you off to boarding-school, where you belong.
CeceliaYou wonât tell her, though, because I know things I could tellâ âand youâre too selfish!
RosalindA little annoyed. Run along, little girl! Who are you engaged to, the iceman? the man that keeps the candy-store?
CeceliaCheap witâ âgoodbye, darling, Iâll see you later.
RosalindOh, be sure and do thatâ âyouâre such a help.
Exit Cecelia. Rosalind finished her hair and rises, humming. She goes up to the mirror and starts to dance in front of it on the soft carpet. She watches not her feet, but her eyesâ ânever casually but always intently, even when she smiles. The door suddenly opens and then slams behind Amory, very cool and handsome as usual. He melts into instant confusion.
HeOh, Iâm sorry. I thoughtâ â
SheSmiling radiantly. Oh, youâre Amory Blaine, arenât you?
HeRegarding her closely. And youâre Rosalind?
SheIâm going to call you Amoryâ âoh, come inâ âitâs all rightâ âmotherâll be right inâ âunder her breath. unfortunately.
HeGazing around. This is sort of a new wrinkle for me.
SheThis is No Manâs Land.
HeThis is where youâ âyouâ âpause.
SheYesâ âall those things. She crosses to the bureau. See, hereâs my rougeâ âeye pencils.
HeI didnât know you were that way.
SheWhat did you expect?
HeI thought youâd be sort ofâ âsort ofâ âsexless, you know, swim and play golf.
SheOh, I doâ âbut not in business hours.
HeBusiness?
SheSix to twoâ âstrictly.
HeIâd like to have some stock in the corporation.
SheOh, itâs not a corporationâ âitâs just âRosalind, Unlimited.â Fifty-one shares, name, goodwill, and everything goes at $25,000 a year.
HeDisapprovingly. Sort of a chilly proposition.
SheWell, Amory, you donât mindâ âdo you? When I meet a man that doesnât bore me to death after two weeks, perhaps itâll be different.
HeOdd, you have the same point of view on men that I have on women.
SheIâm not really feminine, you knowâ âin my mind.
HeInterested. Go on.
SheNo, youâ âyou go onâ âyouâve made me talk about myself. Thatâs against the rules.
HeRules?
SheMy own rulesâ âbut youâ âOh, Amory, I hear youâre brilliant. The family expects so much of you.
HeHow encouraging!
SheAlec said youâd taught him to think. Did you? I didnât believe anyone could.
HeNo. Iâm really quite dull.
He evidently doesnât intend this to be taken seriously.
SheLiar.
HeIâmâ âIâm religiousâ âIâm literary. Iâveâ âIâve even written poems.
SheVers libreâ âsplendid! She declaims.
âThe trees are green,
The birds are singing in the trees,
The girl sips her poison
The bird flies away the girl dies.â
Laughing. No, not that kind.
SheSuddenly. I like you.
HeDonât.
SheModest tooâ â
HeIâm afraid of you. Iâm always afraid of a girlâ âuntil Iâve kissed her.
SheEmphatically. My dear boy, the war is over.
HeSo Iâll always be afraid of you.
SheRather sadly. I suppose you will.
A slight hesitation on both their parts.
HeAfter due consideration. Listen. This is a frightful thing to ask.
SheKnowing whatâs coming. After five minutes.
HeBut will youâ âkiss me? Or are you afraid?
SheIâm never afraidâ âbut your reasons are so poor.
HeRosalind, I really want to kiss you.
SheSo do I.
They kissâ âdefinitely and thoroughly.
HeAfter a breathless second. Well, is your curiosity satisfied?
SheIs yours?
HeNo, itâs only aroused.
He looks it.
SheDreamily. Iâve kissed dozens of men. I suppose Iâll kiss dozens more.
HeAbstractedly. Yes, I suppose you couldâ âlike that.
SheMost people like the way I kiss.
HeRemembering himself. Good Lord, yes. Kiss me once more, Rosalind.
SheNoâ âmy curiosity is generally satisfied at one.
HeDiscouraged. Is that a rule?
SheI make rules to fit the cases.
HeYou and I are somewhat alikeâ âexcept that Iâm years older in experience.
SheHow old are you?
HeAlmost twenty-three. You?
SheNineteenâ âjust.
HeI suppose youâre the product of a fashionable school.
SheNoâ âIâm fairly raw material. I was expelled from Spenceâ âIâve forgotten why.
HeWhatâs your general trend?
SheOh, Iâm bright, quite selfish, emotional when aroused, fond of admirationâ â
HeSuddenly. I donât want to fall in love with youâ â
SheRaising her eyebrows. Nobody asked you to.
HeContinuing coldly. But I probably will. I love your mouth.
SheHush! Please donât fall in love with my mouthâ âhair, eyes, shoulders, slippersâ âbut not my mouth. Everybody falls in love with my mouth.
HeItâs quite beautiful.
SheItâs too small.
HeNo it isnâtâ âletâs see.
He kisses her again with the same thoroughness.
SheRather moved. Say something sweet.
HeFrightened. Lord help me.
SheDrawing away. Well, donâtâ âif itâs so hard.
HeShall we pretend? So soon?
SheWe havenât the same standards of time as other people.
HeAlready itâsâ âother people.
SheLetâs pretend.
HeNoâ âI canâtâ âitâs sentiment.
SheYouâre not sentimental?
HeNo, Iâm romanticâ âa sentimental person thinks things will lastâ âa romantic person hopes against hope that they wonât. Sentiment is emotional.
SheAnd youâre not? With her eyes half-closed. You probably flatter yourself that thatâs a superior attitude.
HeWellâ âRosalind, Rosalind, donât argueâ âkiss me again.
SheQuite chilly now. Noâ âI have no desire to kiss you.
HeOpenly taken aback. You wanted to kiss me a minute ago.
SheThis is now.
HeIâd better go.
SheI suppose so.
He goes toward the door.
SheOh!
He turns.
SheLaughing. Scoreâ âHome Team: One hundredâ âOpponents: Zero.
He starts back.
SheQuickly. Rainâ âno game.
He goes out.
She goes quietly to the chiffonier, takes out a cigarette-case and hides it in the side drawer of a desk. Her mother enters, notebook in hand.
Mrs. ConnageGoodâ âIâve been wanting to speak to you alone before we go downstairs.
RosalindHeavens! you frighten me!
Mrs. ConnageRosalind, youâve been a very expensive proposition.
RosalindResignedly. Yes.
Mrs. ConnageAnd you know your father hasnât what he once had.
RosalindMaking a wry face. Oh, please donât talk about money.
Mrs. ConnageYou
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