An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

then we can get out of here. You two had better go around

together and hand out a few hellos. Then we can meet at

the ice cream booth. After that, if you say so, we’ll leave,

eh? What do you say?”

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He looked at Zella Shuman as much as to say: “You know

what is the best thing to do,” and she smiled and replied:

“That’s right. We can’t leave right away. I see my cousin

Mary over there. And Mother. And Fred Bruckner. Rita and

I’ll just go around by ourselves for a while and then we’ll

meet you, see.” And Rita Dickerman forthwith bestowed

upon Clyde an intimate and possessive smile.

After about twenty minutes of drifting and browsing, Dillard

received some signal from Zella, and he and Clyde paused

near the ice cream booth with its chairs in the center of the

room. In a few moments they were casually joined by Zella

and Rita, with whom they had some ice cream and cake.

And then, being free of all obligations and as some of the

others were beginning to depart, Dillard observed: “Let’s

beat it. We can go over to your place, can’t we?”

“Sure, sure,” whispered Zella, and together they made their

way to the coat room. Clyde was still so dubious as to the

wisdom of all this that he was inclined to be a little silent. He

did not know whether he was fascinated by Rita or not. But

once out in the street out of view of the church and the

homing amusement seekers, he and Rita found themselves

together, Zella and Dillard having walked on ahead. And

although Clyde had taken her arm, as he thought fit, she

maneuvered it free and laid a warm and caressing hand on

his elbow. And she nudged quite close to him, shoulder to

shoulder, and half leaning on him, began pattering of the

life of Lycurgus.

There was something very furry and caressing about her

voice now. Clyde liked it. There was something heavy and

languorous about her body, a kind of ray or electron that

intrigued and lured him in spite of himself. He felt that he

would like to caress her arm and might if he wished—that

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he might even put his arm around her waist, and so soon.

Yet here he was, a Griffiths, he was shrewd enough to think

—a Lycurgus Griffiths—and that was what now made a

difference—that made all those girls at this church social

seem so much more interested in him and so friendly. Yet

in spite of this thought, he did squeeze her arm ever so

slightly and without reproach or comment from her.

And once in the Shuman home, which was a large old-

fashioned square frame house with a square cupola, very

retired among some trees and a lawn, they made

themselves at home in a general living room which was

much more handsomely furnished than any home with

which Clyde had been identified heretofore. Dillard at once

began sorting the records, with which he seemed most

familiar, and to pull two rather large rugs out of the way,

revealing a smooth, hardwood floor.

“There’s one thing about this house and these trees and

these soft-toned needles,” he commented for Clyde’s

benefit, of course, since he was still under the impression

that Clyde might be and probably was a very shrewd

person who was watching his every move here. “You can’t

hear a note of this Victrola out in the street, can you, Zell?

Nor upstairs, either, really, not with the soft needles. We’ve

played it down here and danced to it several times, until

three and four in the morning and they didn’t even know it

upstairs, did they, Zell?”

“That’s right. But then Father’s a little hard of hearing. And

Mother don’t hear anything, either, when she gets in her

room and gets to reading. But it is hard to hear at that.”

“Why do people object so to dancing here?” asked Clyde.

“Oh, they don’t—not the factory people—not at all,” put in

Dillard, “but most of the church people do. My uncle and

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aunt do. And nearly everyone else we met at the church to-

night, except Zell and Rita.” He gave them a most

approving and encouraging glance. “And they’re too broad-

minded to let a little thing like that bother them. Ain’t that

right, Zell?”

This young girl, who was very much fascinated by him,

laughed and nodded, “You bet, that’s right. I can’t see any

harm in it.”

“Nor me, either,” put in Rita, “nor my father and mother.

Only they don’t like to say anything about it or make me feel

that they want me to do too much of it.”

Dillard by then had started a piece entitled “Brown Eyes”

and immediately Clyde and Rita and Dillard and Zella

began to dance, and Clyde found himself insensibly drifting

into a kind of intimacy with this girl which boded he could

scarcely say what. She danced so warmly and

enthusiastically—a kind of weaving and swaying motion

which suggested all. sorts of repressed enthusiasms. And

her lips were at once wreathed with a kind of lyric smile

which suggested a kind of hunger for this thing. And she

was very pretty, more so dancing and smiling than at any

other time.

“She is delicious,” thought Clyde, “even if she is a little soft.

Any fellow would do almost as well as me, but she likes me

because she thinks I’m somebody.” And almost at the

same moment she observed: “Isn’t it just too gorgeous?

And you’re such a good dancer, Mr. Griffiths.”

“Oh, no,” he replied, smiling into her eyes, “you’re the one

that’s the dancer. I can dance because you’re dancing with

me.”

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He could feel now that her arms were large and soft, her

bosom full for one so young. Exhilarated by dancing, she

was quite intoxicating, her gestures almost provoking.

“Now we’ll put on ‘The Love Boat,’” called Dillard the

moment “Brown Eyes” was ended, “and you and Zella can

dance together and Rita and I will have a spin, eh, Rita?”

He was so fascinated by his own skill as a dancer,

however, as well as his natural joy in the art, that he could

scarcely wait to begin another, but must take Rita by the

arms before putting on another record, gliding here and

there, doing steps and executing figures which Clyde could

not possibly achieve and which at once established Dillard

as the superior dancer. Then, having done so, he called to

Clyde to put on “The Love Boat.”

But as Clyde could see after dancing with Zella once, this

was planned to be a happy companionship of two mutually

mated couples who would not interfere with each other in

any way, but rather would aid each other in their various

schemes to enjoy one another’s society. For while Zella

danced with Clyde, and danced well and talked to him

much, all the while he could feel that she was interested in

Dillard and Dillard only and would prefer to be with him. For,

after a few dances, and while he and Rita lounged on a

settee and talked, Zella and Dillard left the room to go to

the kitchen for a drink. Only, as Clyde observed, they

stayed much longer than any single drink would have

required.

And similarly, during this interval, it seemed as though it

was intended even, by Rita, that he and she should draw

closer to one another. For, finding the conversation on the

settee lagging for a moment, she got up and apropos of

nothing—no music and no words—motioned him to dance

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some more with her. She had danced certain steps with

Dillard which she pretended to show Clyde. But because of

their nature, these brought her and Clyde into closer

contact than before—very much so. And standing so close

together and showing Clyde by elbow and arm how to do,

her face and cheek came very close to him—too much for

his own strength of will and purpose. He pressed his cheek

to hers and she turned smiling and encouraging eyes upon

him. On the instant, his self-possession was gone and he

kissed her lips. And then again—and again. And instead of

withdrawing them, as he thought she might, she let him—

remained just as she was in order that he might kiss her

more.

And suddenly now, as he felt this yielding of her warm body

so close to him, and the pressure of her lips in response to

his own, he realized that he had let himself in for a

relationship which might not be so very easy to modify or

escape. Also that it would be a very difficult thing for him to

resist, since he now liked her and obviously she liked him.