Temple faced Gowan again, her hand lying upon the door of the car.
“It wont take him any time, in this.
I know a boy at home has one.
It will run eighty.
All he would have to do is just drive us to a town, because she said if we were married and I had to say we were.
Just to a railroad.
Maybe there’s one closer than Jefferson,” she whispered, staring at him, stroking her hand along the edge of the door.
“Oh,” Gowan said,
“I’m to do the asking.
Is that it?
You’re all nuts.
Do you think that ape will?
I’d rather stay here a week than go anywhere with him.”
“She said to. She said for me not to stay here.”
“You’re crazy as a loon.
Come on here.”
“You wont ask him?
You wont do it?”
“No.
Wait till Lee comes, I tell you.
He’ll get us a car.”
They went on in the path.
Popeye was leaning against a post, lighting a cigarette.
Temple ran on up the broken steps.
“Say,” she said, “dont you want to drive us to town?”
He turned his head, the cigarette in his mouth, the match cupped between his hands.
Temple’s mouth was fixed in that cringing grimace.
Popeye leaned the cigarette to the match.
“No,” he said.
“Come on,” Temple said.
“Be a sport.
It wont take you any time in that Packard.
How about it?
We’ll pay you.”
Popeye inhaled.
He snapped the match into the weeds. He said, in his soft, cold voice:
“Make your whore lay off of me, Jack.”
Gowan moved thickly, like a clumsy, good-tempered horse goaded suddenly.
“Look here, now,” he said.
Popeye exhaled, the smoke jetting downward in two thin spurts.
“I dont like that,” Gowan said.
“Do you know who you’re talking to?”
He continued that thick movement, like he could neither stop it nor complete it.
“I dont like that.”
Popeye turned his head and looked at Gowan.
Then he quit looking at him and Temple said suddenly:
“What river did you fall in with that suit on?
Do you have to shave it off at night?”
Then she was moving toward the door with Gowan’s hand in the small of her back, her head reverted, her heels clattering.
Popeye leaned motionless against the post, his head turned over his shoulder in profile.