“I don’t see why she’s so dissatisfied,” Fred Wilson told him. “Why you’re quite a fine-looking physical specimen. You really look pretty damned good. I’ll bet you’re the terror of the Racquet Club. What does it cost you to keep in that wonderful shape? Look at him, Frank. Did you ever see as expensive a looking top of a man as that?”
“You made a mistake though, governor,” Frank told him. “You’re wearing the wrong end of your pajamas. Frankly I’ve never seen a man wearing that bottom part before. Do you really wear that to bed?”
“Can’t you filthy-mouthed swine let a lady sleep?” the man said.
“Why don’t you just go down below,” Frank said to him. “You’re liable to get in trouble around here using all those epithets. You haven’t got your chauffeur here to look after you. Does your chauffeur always take you to school?”
“He doesn’t go to school, Frank,” Fred Wilson said, putting aside his guitar. “He’s a big grown-up boy. He’s a businessman. Can’t you recognize a big businessman?”
“Are you a businessman, sonny?” Frank asked. “Then you know it’s good business for you to run along down into your cabin. There isn’t any good business for you up here.”
“He’s right,” Fred Wilson said. “You haven’t any future around with us. Just go down to your cabin. You’ll get used to the noise.”
“You filthy swine,” the man said and looked at them all.
“Just take that beautiful body down below, will you?” Wilson said. “I’m sure you’ll get the lady to sleep.”
“You swine,” the man said. “You rotten swine.”
“Can’t you think up any other names?” Frank said. “Swine’s getting awfully dull. You better go down below before you catch cold. If I had a wonderful chest like that I wouldn’t risk it out here on a windy night like this.”
The man looked at them all as though he were memorizing them.
“You’ll be able to remember us,” Frank told him. “If not I’ll remind you any time I see you.”
“You filth,” the man said and turned and went below.
“Who is he?” Johnny Goodner asked. “I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“I know him and he knows me,” Frank said. “He’s no good.”
“Can’t you remember who he is?” Johnny asked.
“He’s a jerk,” Frank said. “What difference does it make who he is outside of that?”
“None, I guess,” Thomas Hudson said. “You two certainly swarmed on him.”
“That’s what you’re supposed to do with a jerk. Swarm on him. We weren’t really rude to him.”
“I thought you made your lack of sympathy clear,” Thomas Hudson said.
“I heard a dog barking,” Roger said. “The flares probably scared his dog. Let’s cut the flares out. I know you’re having fun, Frank. You’re getting away with murder and nothing bad’s happened. But why terrify the poor bloody dog?”
“That was his wife barking,” Frank said cheerily. “Let’s shoot one into his cabin and illuminate the whole domestic scene.”
“I’m getting the hell out of here,” Roger said. “You joke the way I don’t like. I don’t think jokes with motorcars are funny. I don’t think drunken flying is funny. I don’t think scaring dogs is funny.”
“Nobody’s keeping you,” Frank said. “Lately you’re a pain in the ass to everybody anyway.”
“Yes?”
“Sure. You and Tom christing around. Spoiling any fun. All you reformed bastards. You used to have plenty of fun. Now nobody can have any. You and your brand new social conscience.”
“So it’s social conscience if I think it would be better not to set Brown’s dock on fire?”
“Sure. It’s just a form of it. You’ve got it bad. I heard about you on the coast.”
“Why don’t you take your pistol and go play somewhere else?” Johnny Goodner said to Frank. “We were all having fun till you got so rough.”
“So you’ve got it, too,” Frank said.
“Take it a little easy,” Roger warned him.
“I’m the only guy here still likes to have any fun,” Frank said. “All you big overgrown religious maniacs and social workers and hypocrites—”
“Captain Frank,” Rupert leaned down over the edge of the dock.
“Rupert’s my only friend,” Frank looked up. “Yes, Rupert?”