William Gaddis - J R

— No well, well okay. I mean go ahead I, see I just thought I was helping you out and I mean now you…

— All right look, look. I’ll stop on my way out and see this Piscator for you and give him these papers and then whatever you…

— Okay wait a second… he got a leg down, digging in pockets — I mean where you only got like this ninety-four cents… he had out a glistening black wallet secured by a heavy elastic — wait you want this for your shoe hey? I mean where the bottom’s coming off like you can put this rubber band around it.

— Yes well, if you don’t need it yes I…

— Okay and look, I mean you might need some expenses see… he had a wad out of the wallet, tugged out the corner of a ten and thrust it back, untangled a single, another — and I mean we can just settle up when you get all these payments okay?

— Yes well I, as soon as…

— Okay look here’s four dollars, okay? And see I was just thinking, I mean later if you got nothing to do if you want to take this here old Mister Wonder to dinner see it wouldn’t cost you anything because I already got you this invitation to this here gala banquet which here’s the delicious full course menu of it, see? And where it says you get to see this here movie Golden Evenings which will cast a haunting glow over this festive occasion, may we make reservations for yourself and your spouse see so I made these reservations where you can pretend he’s this spouse because he’s real old anyway and you and him can talk about this brewery deal which I wrote it all down while you’re having this here festive occasion and wait, wait that real smooth quarter I just gave you it looks real old, hey? If it’s nineteen sixteen it’s worth like a hundred dollars… he called after Bast pursuing it now in a long curve brought up short against a fine blucher, where a length of tweed shook and the urinal flushed.

— My God Bast, you all right there? In here being sick, are you? Good thing I caught you before you got back to work though, forgot to mention these hippos. Same damned thing along the Nile River there, overgrazing, talk about killing six or seven thousand of them to preserve the habitat, but what about our own bayou country down here, eh? Great fellow the hippo, give you the chance to change pace a little, get in a little hippo music? Liven things up down here in the Everglades maybe, preserving that from him eh? And take care of yourself there Bast, came back over the mass of shoulder thrust against the door, — don’t look well at all, no… he repeated as the door closed behind him, — didn’t look well at all… up the marble toward the Sardis column where he was hit knee, waist and elbow. — Here here! What in…

— Look out for the man hey!

— Children stop running! Now where are the, why Mister Crawley! what…

— What? What? Amy? What the devil are you doing here?

— We’ve just come in on a field trip.

— Oh. Thought you were still off teaching somewhere.

— Well yes I am, that’s what these children…

— Oh I see, all these little ruffians yours, are they?

— No it’s really an eighth grade trip, I’m just helping out. But I wouldn’t have expected to see you here.

— Oh? Yes, well, little change of scene of course, he muttered looking down as from the height of a shoal at the heads bobbing past, — came up for a chat with that young fellow you sent around to me in fact, young composer fellow…

— Not Edward, Bast? Here now? in the museum?

— A bit inaccessible right now I’m afraid yes, got him doing something for me you know.

— Edward? for you? But what in the world would he…

— Doing something in music for me yes, composing a little something you know.

— But I never would have, you don’t mean you’ve commissioned him to compose something? I think that’s simply marvelous of you Mister Crawley, I know he…

— Glad to help him along Amy, not every day there’s the chance to patronize the arts this way is it. Help the starving young composer along in his garret? Looks the part too doesn’t he, shame he can’t stick to it.

— To music? But that’s the only thing he really…

— Yes, problem is I try to talk to him about art and all he seems to talk about is money.

— But, Edward? Bast? I’d heard something yes, but…

— This business association he’s tied himself up in yes, pretty shrewd outfit of course but it would be a damn shame to see him sit back and let this fine talent of his go to pot, eh? Anybody can be a millionaire but a young fellow with a talent like that owes the world something, don’t you think? Ought to take better care of himself. Looking a little peaked yourself Amy.

— Well I’m just, just waiting until things are…

— Always said I admired your spirit a good deal more than your judgment you know, think you’d have proved whatever it is you want to prove by this time.

— There’s nothing I can do until all this with Lucien is settled and I can…

— This Joubert you mean, yes. Shouldn’t be long though, get that Nobili business straightened out and you’re rid of him, better get back to your charges though hadn’t you, don’t think they should be sailing cups in the fountain there…

— Boys! Come away from there…!

— Nice to see you Amy, I’ll give Beaton a call and try to move things along.

— If you could, I know Mister Beaton means well but all he seems to do is complicate things…

— Can’t blame him, just doing what he’s told you know and of course he’s had to stall things a little hasn’t he, give your Uncle John a chance to pick up enough of the stock to give this Joubert of yours a run for his money.

— What? What stock.

— What? This Nobili of course, takes time to pick it up a bit here, bit there without running the price up, even with the bank in there doing all the…

— But I thought they were buying it from Lucien, I thought the whole point was simply that he wanted the money and they wanted his controlling stock interest, Mister Beaton said…

— Was until he tried to hold them up, yes, little bit of an opportunist isn’t he, this Joubert of yours.

— He’s, and please don’t keep saying of mine he’s, if he already has the controlling interest what good is Uncle John running around buying it up in bits and pieces if he can never…

— No no, just until he has enough to start dumping it and drive down the price you know, thought Beaton had probably tried to explain it to you.

— But even if the price goes down and Lucien still won’t sell I don’t see what good…

— Won’t have much choice of course though will he, looks like he’s borrowed against it all over the lot and when the price drops and he runs out of collateral the banks will sell it for him, all a damn nuisance for your Uncle John of course but…

— But what will happen to…

— This Joubert of, Joubert? Might ruin him of course but I wouldn’t…

— No to Francis, to Francis.

— Who?

— Francis! My little boy Francis, they said Lucien would try to use him as a weapon, that he…

— Wouldn’t get mixed up in this Amy, too many compli…

— Mixed up in it! But I am mixed up in it, he’s my son! Francis is my son! If Lucien took him to Geneva I don’t know what I… boys! I’m sorry, I’d better go after them…

— Yes take care of yourself Amy, wouldn’t get mixed up in all this right now you know. Take care of yourself.

— But, goodbye then, I hope… boys! Here, give me these cups. Where’s everyone else?

— They went all over, could we just go back and look at the…

— Well where’s Mister Vogel?

— He went to the toilet Mrs Joubert, could we just…