X + 

Prepared as Clyde was to dislike all this, so steeped had he been in the moods and maxims antipathetic to anything of its kind, still so innately sensual and romantic was his own disposition and so starved where sex was concerned, that instead of being sickened, he was quite fascinated. The very fleshly sumptuousness of most of these figures, dull and unromantic as might be the brains that directed them, interested him for the time being. After all, here was beauty of a gross, fleshly character, revealed and purchasable. And there were no difficulties of mood or inhibitions to overcome in connection with any of these girls. One of them, a quite pretty brunette in a black and red costume with a band of red ribbon across her forehead, seemed to be decidedly at home with Higby, for already she was dancing with him in the back room to a jazz melody most irrationally hammered out upon the piano. + 

And Ratterer, to ClydeвАЩs surprise, was already seated upon one of the gilt chairs and upon his knees was lounging a tall young girl with very light hair and blue eyes. And she was smoking a cigarette and tapping her gold slippers to the melody of the piano. It was really quite an amazing and Aladdin-like scene to him. And here was Hegglund, before whom was standing a German or Scandinavian type, plump and pretty, her arms akimbo and her feet wide apart. And she was askingвБ†вАФwith an upward swell of the voice, as Clyde could hear: вАЬYou make love to me tonight?вАЭ But Hegglund, apparently not very much taken with these overtures, calmly shook his head, after which she went on to Kinsella. + 

And even as he was looking and thinking, a quite attractive blonde girl of not less than twenty-four, but who seemed younger to Clyde, drew up a chair beside him and seating herself, said: вАЬDonвАЩt you dance?вАЭ He shook his head nervously. вАЬWant me to show you?вАЭ + 

вАЬOh, I wouldnвАЩt want to try here,вАЭ he said. + 

вАЬOh, itвАЩs easy,вАЭ she continued. вАЬCome on!вАЭ But since he would not, though he was rather pleased with her for being agreeable to him, she added: вАЬWell, how about something to drink then?вАЭ + 

вАЬSure,вАЭ he agreed, gallantly, and forthwith she signaled the young Negress who had returned as waitress, and in a moment a small table was put before them and a bottle of whisky with soda on the sideвБ†вАФa sight that so astonished and troubled Clyde that he could scarcely speak. He had forty dollars in his pocket, and the cost of drinks here, as he had heard from the others, would not be less than two dollars each, but even so, think of him buying drinks for such a woman at such a price! And his mother and sisters and brother at home with scarcely the means to make ends meet. And yet he bought and paid for several, feeling all the while that he had let himself in for a terrifying bit of extravagance, if not an orgy, but now that he was here, he must go through with it. + 

And besides, as he now saw, this girl was really pretty. She had on a Delft blue evening gown of velvet, with slippers and stockings to match. In her ears were blue earrings and her neck and shoulders and arms were plump and smooth. The most disturbing thing about her was that her bodice was cut very lowвБ†вАФhe dared scarcely look at her thereвБ†вАФand her cheeks and lips were paintedвБ†вАФmost assuredly the marks of the scarlet woman. Yet she did not seem very aggressive, in fact quite human, and she kept looking rather interestedly at his deep and dark and nervous eyes. + 

вАЬYou work over at the Green-Davidson, too, donвАЩt you?вАЭ she asked. + 

вАЬYes,вАЭ replied Clyde trying to appear as if all this were not new to himвБ†вАФas if he had often been in just such a place as this, amid such scenes. вАЬHow did you know?вАЭ + 

вАЬOh, I know Oscar Hegglund,вАЭ she replied. вАЬHe comes around here once in a while. Is he a friend of yours?вАЭ + 

вАЬYes. That is, he works over at the hotel with me.вАЭ + 

вАЬBut you havenвАЩt been here before.вАЭ + 

вАЬNo,вАЭ said Clyde, swiftly, and yet with a trace of inquiry in his own mood. Why should she say he hadnвАЩt been here before? + 

вАЬI thought you hadnвАЩt. IвАЩve seen most of these other boys before, but I never saw you. You havenвАЩt been working over at the hotel very long, have you?вАЭ + 

вАЬNo,вАЭ said Clyde, a little irritated by this, his eyebrows and the skin of his forehead rising and falling as he talkedвБ†вАФa form of contraction and expansion that went on involuntarily whenever he was nervous or thought deeply. вАЬWhat of it?вАЭ + 

вАЬOh, nothing. I just knew you hadnвАЩt. You donвАЩt look very much like these other boysвБ†вАФyou look different.вАЭ She smiled oddly and rather ingratiatingly, a smile and a mood which Clyde failed to interpret. + 

вАЬHow different?вАЭ he inquired, solemnly and contentiously, taking up a glass and drinking from it. + 

вАЬIвАЩll bet you one thing,вАЭ she went on, ignoring his inquiry entirely. вАЬYou donвАЩt care for girls like me very much, do you?вАЭ + 

вАЬOh, yes, I do, too,вАЭ he said, evasively. + 

вАЬOh, no, you donвАЩt either. I can tell. But I like you just the same. I like your eyes. YouвАЩre not like those other fellows. YouвАЩre more refined, kinda. I can tell. You donвАЩt look like them.вАЭ + 

вАЬOh, I donвАЩt know,вАЭ replied Clyde, very much pleased and flattered, his forehead wrinkling and clearing as before. This girl was certainly not as bad as he thought, maybe. She was more intelligentвБ†вАФa little more refined than the others. Her costume was not so gross. And she hadnвАЩt thrown herself upon him as had these others upon Hegglund, Higby, Kinsella and Ratterer. Nearly all of the group by now were seated upon chairs or divans about the room and upon their knees were girls. And in front of every couple was a little table with a bottle of whisky upon it. + 

вАЬLook whoвАЩs drinking whisky!вАЭ called Kinsella to such of the others as would pay any attention to him, glancing in ClydeвАЩs direction. + 

вАЬWell, you neednвАЩt be afraid of me,вАЭ went on the girl, while Clyde glanced at her arms and neck, at her too much revealed bosom, which quite chilled and yet enticed him. вАЬI havenвАЩt been so very long in this business. And I wouldnвАЩt be here now if it hadnвАЩt been for all the bad luck IвАЩve had. IвАЩd rather live at home with my family if I could, only they wouldnвАЩt have me, now.вАЭ She looked rather solemnly at the floor, thinking mainly of the little inexperienced dunce Clyde wasвБ†вАФso raw and green. Also of the money she had seen him take out of his pocketвБ†вАФplainly quite a sum. Also how really good-looking he was, not handsome or vigorous, but pleasing. And he was thinking at the instant of Esta, as to where she had gone or was now. What might have befallen herвБ†вАФwho could say? What might have been done to her? Had this girl, by any chance, ever had any such unfortunate experience as she had had? He felt a growing, if somewhat grandiose, sympathy, and looked at her as much as to say: вАЬYou poor thing.вАЭ Yet for the moment he would not trust himself to say anything or make any further inquiries. + 

вАЬYou fellows who come into a place like this always think so hard of everybody. I know how you are. But weвАЩre not as bad as you think.вАЭ + 

ClydeвАЩs brows knit and smoothed again. Perhaps she was not as bad as he thought. She was a low woman, no doubtвБ†вАФevil but pretty. In fact, as he looked about the room from time to time, none of the girls appealed to him more. And she thought him better than these other boysвБ†вАФmore refinedвБ†вАФshe had detected that. The compliment stuck. Presently she was filling his glass for him and urging him to drink with her. Another group of young men arrived about thenвБ†вАФand other girls coming out of the mysterious portals at the rear to greet themвБ†вАФHegglund and Ratterer and Kinsella and Higby, as he saw, mysteriously disappeared up that back stairs that was heavily curtained from the general room. And as these others came in, this girl invited him to come and sit upon a divan in the back room where the lights were dimmer. + 

And now, seated here, she had drawn very close to him and touched his hands and finally linking an arm in his and pressing close to him, inquired if he didnвАЩt want to see how pretty some of the rooms on the second floor were furnished. And seeing that he was quite alone nowвБ†вАФnot one of all the group with whom he had come around to observe himвБ†вАФand that this girl seemed to lean to him warmly and sympathetically, he allowed himself to be led up that curtained back stair and into a small pink and blue furnished room, while he kept saying to himself that this was an outrageous and dangerous proceeding on his part, and that it might well end in misery for him. He might contract some dreadful disease. She might charge him more than he could afford. He was afraid of herвБ†вАФhimselfвБ†вАФeverything, reallyвБ†вАФquite nervous and almost dumb with his several fears and qualms. And yet he went, and, the door locked behind him, this interestingly well-rounded and graceful Venus turned the moment they were within and held him to her, then calmly, and before a tall mirror which revealed her fully to herself and him, began to disrobe. + 