Yes, it's about stopped now." I dipped the rag again, breaking the balloon.
The rag stained the water. "I wish I had a clean one."
"You need a piece of beefsteak for that eye," Shreve said. "Damn if you wont have a shiner tomorrow.
The son of a bitch," he said.
"Did I hurt him any?"
I wrung out the handkerchief and tried to clean the blood off of my vest.
"You cant get that off," Shreve said. "You'll have to send it to the cleaner's.
Come on, hold it on your eye, why dont you.
"I can get some of it off," I said.
But I wasn't doing much good. "What sort of shape is my collar in?"
"I dont know," Shreve said. "Hold it against your eye.
Here."
"Look out," I said. "I can do it.
Did I hurt him any?"
"You may have hit him.
I may have looked away just then or blinked or something.
He boxed the hell out of you.
He boxed you all over the place.
What did you want to fight him with your fists for?
You goddam fool.
How do you feel?"
"I feel fine," I said. "I wonder if I can get something to clean my vest."
"Oh, forget your damn clothes.
Does your eye hurt?"
"I feel fine," I said.
Everything was sort of violet and still, the sky green paling into gold beyond the gable of the house and a plume of smoke rising from the chimney without any wind.
I heard the pump again.
A man was filling a pail, watching us across his pumping shoulder.
A woman crossed the door, but she didn't look out.
I could hear a cow lowing somewhere.
"Come on," Shreve said. "Let your clothes alone and put that rag on your eye.
I'll send your suit out first thing tomorrow."
"All right.
I'm sorry I didn't bleed on him a little, at least."
"Son of a bitch," Shreve said.
Spoade came out of the house, talking to the woman I reckon, and crossed the yard.
He looked at me with his cold, quizzical eyes.
"Well, bud," he said, looking at me, "I'll be damned if you dont go to a lot of trouble to have your fun.
Kidnapping, then fighting.
What do you do on your holidays? burn houses?"
"I'm all right," I said. "What did Mrs Bland say?"
"She's giving Gerald hell for bloodying you up.
She'll give you hell for letting him, when she sees you.
She dont object to the fighting, it's the blood that annoys her.
I think you lost caste with her a little by not holding your blood better.
How do you feel?"
"Sure," Shreve said. "If you cant be a Bland, the next best thing is to commit adultery with one or get drunk and fight him, as the case may be."
"Quite right," Spoade said. "But I didn't know Quentin was drunk."
"He wasn't," Shreve said. "Do you have to be drunk to want to hit that son of a bitch?"
"Well, I think I'd have to be pretty drunk to try it, after seeing how Quentin came out.