"Don't talk about it. Poor chap. I never knew it till just now."
"Oh, well," I said. "I suppose you like to add them up."
"Don't talk like a fool."
"You do."
"Oh, well. What if I do?"
"Nothing," I said. We were dancing to the accordion and some one was playing the banjo. It was hot and I felt happy. We passed close to Georgette dancing with another one of them.
"What possessed you to bring her?"
"I don't know, I just brought her."
"You're getting damned romantic."
"No, bored."
"Now?"
"No, not now."
"Let's get out of here. She's well taken care of."
"Do you want to?"
"Would I ask you if I didn't want to?"
We left the floor and I took my coat off a hanger on the wall and put it on. Brett stood by the bar. Cohn was talking to her. I stopped at the bar and asked them for an envelope. The patronne found one. I took a fifty-franc note from my pocket, put it in the envelope, sealed it, and handed it to the patronne.
"If the girl I came with asks for me, will you give her this?" I said. "If she goes out with one of those gentlemen, will you save this for me?"
"C'est entendu, Monsieur," the patronne said. "You go now? So early?"
"Yes," I said.
We started out the door. Cohn was still talking to Brett. She said good night and took my arm. "Good night, Cohn," I said. Outside in the street we looked for a taxi.
"You're going to lose your fifty francs," Brett said.
"Oh, yes."
