II + 

About nine o’clock Carillo put his head in the door. Downstairs the jazz band had just started to play. + 

“Well?” demanded Vettori, getting to his feet. + 

“Blackie wants to see you,” said Carillo. + 

“All right.” + 

Carillo went out. + 

“What you suppose he wants?” said Vettori. + 

Rico, who was sitting with his chair tipped back against the wall reading a magazine, shook his head without looking up or answering. He was deep in the reading of a story about a rich society girl who fell in love with a bootlegger. Rico read everything he could find that had anything to do with society. He was fascinated by a stratum of existence which seemed so remote and unreal to him. + 

Blackie Avezzano, who managed Sam’s garage, came in and shut the door behind him. He was small and bowlegged, and he was so dark that he had been taken for a mulatto many times. + 

Vettori impatiently exclaimed: + 

“Well, what’s on your mind, Blackie?” + 

Rico went on reading his magazine. Blackie sat down at the table and seemed to be making an effort to collect his thoughts. + 

“All right, spit it out,” said Vettori. + 

Blackie couldn’t speak very good English, but as Rico didn’t know a word of Italian and Vettori preferred to speak English, he did the best he could. + 

“Tony, he took sick. Listen, I tell you, Tony he no know what. He took sick. I see him, listen, I tell you, what-you-say, he no got his guts. The Madre she send me call the doctore. Listen, he say, Tony, what-you-say, you been a drink. Now listen, you cut out a drink. That’s all. Tony he no drink. What a hell! One bottle of beer he can no drink. He no got his guts, that’s all.” + 

Vettori looked at Rico, who went on reading. + 

“Rico,” he said. + 

“I heard him,” said Rico, “I ain’t deaf.” + 

Blackie got up and stood twisting his cap in his hand. Vettori took out his billfold and handed Blackie a ten. + 

“Blackie,” he said, “keep your eyes open, understand?” + 

“All right,” said Blackie, “I watch, see, I know. Tony no good. All right, I watch.” + 

When he had gone Rico said: + 

“Well, that’s that.” + 

“We can’t take no chances,” said Vettori. + 

“I’ll give him till tomorrow,” said Rico; “he can’t go far wrong with Blackie watching him. After that if he don’t settle down there won’t be no more Tony.” + 