— Oh, no I don’t think there’s time to get into anything as complicated as…
— No but see it’s real interesting Mrs Joubert, like now we already learned about the stock market and all with this here our share of America? See so now if we bought some of these futures like if we got in these here bellies and learned the…
— Got in what bellies what on earth are you talking about.
— These here frozen pork ones see if we got in these futures of them and learned like about hedging and how you get to help out these here fanners and all, see you just send away for these here free newsletters which wait could you just hold this stuff for me a second…
— And we can’t really ask the class to bring their own money in again to buy…
— No but that’s what’s neat see you don’t hardly put up much cash anyway because like you buy on this fifteen or like even five percent margin so it’s the broker who’s putting up the wait a second here it is see? Like if we got this newsletter we could learn all these here terms because the thing is sometimes it’s like kind of hard to understand like where it says here we are friendly to bellies for the long term and would begin cautious scale-down purchases in the low thirty…
— No I really don’t think we can start anything as…
— Okay but wait then see I got this here little booklet which I just want to ask you, see right here under Bank Financing? where it says there is this opportunity to increase the turnover in a firm’s capital with the leverage provided through bank loans on hedged commodities? I mean does that mean you really have these here commodities like all these bellies someplace? or like can you hedge in these futures of them and then get some bank to…
— Look please will you take this J R? She held the armload cradled where he’d settled to it like a portable writing desk, even rested an elbow on it — I really don’t understand all this that well myself, you’ll just have to ask Mister Glan, ask someone who…
— What you were going to say Glancy? He got both arms around the load, — I bet nobody’s asking him something now boy did you hear about this here brand new Cadillac he…
— Yes it was simply terrible, there are so many terrible…
— I know like it was this big El Dorado, he came on half a step behind down the corridor — which you know they have this thing where you sit in there and the whole car goes like up and down to stay level the same heighth off the ground even if you’re real fat like Glancy? and this thing at night where your bright lights go down by theirself when this other car’s coming? I mean there’s so much stuff… he got the half step ahead, — like did you ever think Mrs Joubert everything you see someplace there’s this millionaire for it?
— Is that all you think about!
— Sure I mean look back there… he’d blocked the door by way of opening it for her with his back against it, bringing the wind in, — like right now someplace there’s this water fountain millionaire and this locker millionaire and this here lightbulb one I mean like even the lightbulb there’s this glass millionaire and this one off where you screw the, oh wait wait a second… Down that bright empty corridor the telephone rang in the booth, — could you just wait up for me a second Mrs Joubert…? But she reached past him to push the door leaving him off balance there a foot in each direction where the wind brought in a wrapper from a Three Musketeers candy bar — see I just, just, okay wait a second I’m coming… and he ran up against her on the steps.
— Just stop for a minute! she caught an arm round his shoulders, — just stop and look…!
— What? at what…
— At the evening, the sky, the wind, don’t you ever just stop sometimes and look? and listen?
— Well I, I mean sure, I… He stood stiff in her embrace, his armload holding her off between them, — like it’s, I mean it’s like getting dark real early now…
— Yes look up at the sky look at it! Is there a millionaire for that? But her own eyes dropped to her hand on his shoulder as though to confirm a shock at the slightness of what she held there. — Does there have to be a millionaire for everything?
— Sure well, well no I mean like…
— And over there look, look. The moon coming up, don’t you see it? Doesn’t it make…
— What over there? He ducked away as though for a better view, — No but that’s, Mrs Joubert? that’s just, wait…
— No never mind, it doesn’t matter…
— No but Mrs Joubert…? The wind blew her from behind, seemed to blow him after her whirling the leaves up before them toward the station’s lights, — like I just wanted to ask you are we going on another field trip soon?
— To a bakery yes, she said over a shoulder, — I’m sure there’s a millionaire for that too.
— No but wait I meant like some museum… he was up beside her again, — like that one at New York where we…
— The Metropolitan, no the home economics class is going in to see their costume collection but you wouldn’t…
— Like do you think I could go along? I mean it sounds…
— You?
— Sure I mean it sounds real interesting, like it’s all these olden time clothes and all? I mean that sounds real in…
— No don’t be silly no you’re not in the sewing, is that the train?
— What those lights? No that’s over on the highway hey Mrs Joubert? did you ever hear of the Museum of Natural History?
— Of course but…
— See well anyways I was thinking like we’ve been having about Alaska and these here Eskimos and all? he came on near a trot beside her, — and like you know in our book Our Wilderness Friend? there’s this picture of this exhibit they have in there of these stuffed Eskimos? see so I was thinking…
— What?
— Of these here, wait you’re right in a puddle…
— What did you say? exhibit of what?
— Like didn’t you see that picture? These here stuffed Eskimos that shows how they live and all these here handicrafts they, what’s the matter…
— Do you really think that? can you, God can you think that? That they’d take Eskimos and, and…
— Sure well no I mean I, I mean like these other pictures they have in there of these exhibits that look real alive like these here stuffed wolves and all I… His voice was gone, buried in her breast with his burning cheek where she held him hard for the moment it took him to twist free enough to gasp — holy… to drop from reach to one knee wiping his free hand across his face, — what’s the matter anyhow I mean why does everybody always… and he broke off for the sound of the train above, — but hey? he called after her.
— No goodbye goodnight I can’t wait…
— No go ahead Mrs Joubert I just got these new shoelaces which keep untying but hey? remember that there field trip that little guy with those glasses? that kept bossing everybody around?
— Yes Mister Davidoff, she called back, tripped against the curb turned to him caught cringing there in a glancing blow of headlights as though about to spring, — that was Mister Davidoff… she caught herself at the foot of the concrete steps and then came up them to the top but one, and stopped there dead; caught breath sharply, — oh…! breaking up into the wind, into a run where the train groaned down the platform, — Jack…?
He’d stopped out of reach, newspapers disheveled under one arm wrapped outside with the Turf Guide where wind billowed the jacket so his shoulders appeared to rise turning toward her, — Amy!
— Oh no you’re… and she stopped. — No…
— No no wait Amy listen straighten right up, listen… he came on at her wadding his papers tight in a hasty gesture of resolution, — won the double Amy just stopped to celebrate, straighten right up I didn’t know you’d be here to meet me listen…