Free House Party by Patrick Dennis Page B

and she had a perfectly good man out here this weekend, but no, Felicia had to . . . Kathy took a final slug of her drink and started as one of the ice cubes slid up and struck her gently on the nose. Manning, she cried silently, for God's sake just look at me! Aloud she said: "Manning, would you ask Jonas to fill this up—darling." Then she hated herself for being cheap and feline, and Felicia- like, and also for drinking too much.
    "Righto, darling," Manning said. "Well, so theh we all were in this grubby little pension aoutside Raome—the aonly thing we could get, mind you—when laow and behaold, who should come along but your aold Nicky." Manning was enjoying himself. He was proud of being able to size up people and things and situations quickly. He congratulated himself on seeing beyond Kathy when they first met. Naturally he had known the Ames name and the banking connection, but Uncle Ned, this soignée cousin Felicia, this party of distinctively attractive people had come as a dividend. This was the sort of crowd Manning had never quite been able to get into—genteel without being stuffy, worldly without being depraved. Manning could travel comfortably with them in second gear without straining in low or racing in high, just as he was being comfortably semi-British with Felicia now. Bending low to hand Kathy her drink, Manning smiled his tender appreciation into her dark eyes.
    Kathy's heart soared. Yes, the weekend was going to be perfect. "Oh Uncle Ned," she cried, "please tell me that screamingly funny story about being with King Edward in Marienbad!" Uncle Ned beamed.
    Mrs. Ames looked at Joe Sullivan. He'd been so surly when Elly introduced him. He scowled at her. She scowled right back. Then she winked. His jaw dropped. Mrs. Ames smiled. Joe scowled again. Mrs. Ames wondered if she hadn't had just a drop too much to drink. Really, Elly was an original; always bringing home some stray dog or cat and now this attractive, belligerent young man. Mrs. Ames wondered what ailed him. In fact, she wondered what ailed all young people. This Joe Sullivan was so brooding and intense. Mrs. Ames wondered if he might not be a young Communist. She'd never met one of any age. No. She dismissed the notion and then wondered if Mr. Sullivan would be terribly surprised if she were to cross the terrace, brush the cowlick off his forehead and give him a motherly kiss. Goodness, she said to herself, I have drunk too much.
    Turning to her sister, Mrs. Ames said urbanely: "Violet, I won't let you monopolize Mr. Burgess any longer. You must let me talk to him. Mr. Burgess, I understand you're in law . . ."
    At this precise moment, according to Felicia's instructions, Fraulein led Robin and Emily, rosy in their night clothes, out to the terrace for a public maternal kiss. Their arrival created a minor sensation.
    "Why, here are my babies!" Violet screamed. "Come kiss your granny!"
    And now Fang, awakened from his slumber at Uncle Ned's feet, leaped up, barked and made a beeline for Violet's lap.
    "Oh! Get down!" Violet screamed. "Get down! You'll ruin my dress!"
    Fang licked her face and the children squealed ecstatically.
    "Fang!" Uncle Ned called. "Down boy. Down, sir. Down, I say!"
    ". . . lawyers must know so very, very much, Mr. Burgess, I always . . ."
    ". . . but just half a drink, please, Paul."
    "Get this horrid beast off!”
    "But then if you knaow Sonny and Cecily, you must knaow Baba and . . ."
    "Fang! Heel! Heel, sir! Oh, where's that Sturgis!”
    "Fraulein, will you take them in!"
    "But gnädige frau told me . . ."
    "Oh, Uncle Ned, that nasty black tongue! Stop him!"
    "Down, I say!" Uncle Ned whacked ineffectually at Fang's pompom of a tail.
    "I don't care what I told you. Take them in. Simply take them in and put them to bed! I'm so sorry, Mr. Stone. You were saying?"
    "I had sev-er-al cousins who were lawyers too, Mr. Burgess. Perhaps you knew Bryan Pruitt who was with Pruitt, Peabody, Marchbanks . . ."
    "Kin Ah fix you