“Martha, I love you desperately, I need you desperately. I want to marry you just as soon as possible, and I never want us to be apart again, whatever happens.”
“My sweet, I love you and need you just as much. Why else do you think I came out to America? I’ll never leave you, never fear. ”
“I do fear. I fear mightily! When I thought I was alone in this morgue just now, I had a vision of what it will be like to grow old in a world grown old. We can’t stop growing old, but at least let’s do it together and make it tolerable.”
“We will, we will, darling! You’re upset. Let’s get out of here. I think I can walk now, if you give me your arm.”
He held away from her, grinning, with his hands behind his back.
“Are you sure you don’t want a good look at my thumbs first , before you commit yourself?”
“I’ll take a rain check on them, as Jack would say. Walk me as far as the window just to see how I make out. Oh, my legs – I thought I’d die, Algy…”
As she hobbled across the dirty floor on Timberlane’s arm, Fat Choy sirens began to scream across the city. Their hollow voices came distantly, but from all round. The world was making itself felt again.
Mingling with them came the lower note of police car sirens. They got to the window, cobwebbed behind narrow bars. Timberlane wrestled it open and peered out, his face tight between twin lances of iron.
He was in time to see two police cars slide up to the sidewalk below. Doors opened, uniformed men poured out. Among them, stepping from the rear car, was Jack Pilbeam. Timberlane shouted and signalled.
The men looked up.
“Jack!” he bellowed down, “Can you put off your travels for twenty-four hours? Martha and I need a best man!”
Right thumb raised above his head, Pilbeam disappeared from view. Next moment, the sound of his footsteps came echoing up the forsaken stairwell.