I started to leave.
“I didn’t ask you to leave.”
I sat down again.
It was a long while before she snapped out of it.
“You turned on me, Frank.”
“No I didn’t.
He had me, Cora. I had to sign his paper.
If I didn’t, then he would tumble to everything.
I didn’t turn on you.
I just went along with him, till I could find out where I was at.”
“You turned on me.
I could see it in your eye.”
“All right, Cora, I did.
I just turned yellow, that’s all.
I didn’t want to do it.
I tried not to do it.
But he beat me down.
I cracked up, that’s all.”
“I know.”
“I went through hell about it.”
“And I turned on you, Frank.”
“They made you do it.
You didn’t want to.
They set a trap for you.”
“I wanted to do it.
I hated you then.”
“That’s all right.
It was for something I didn’t really do.
You know how it was, now.”
“No.
I hated you for something you really did.”
“I never hated you, Cora.
I hated myself.”
“I don’t hate you now.
I hate that Sackett.
And Katz.
Why couldn’t they leave us alone?
Why couldn’t they let us fight it out together?
I wouldn’t have minded that.
I wouldn’t have minded it even if it meant — you know.
We would have had our love.
And that’s all we ever had.
But the very first time they started their meanness, you turned on me.”
“And you turned on me, don’t forget that.”
“That’s the awful part.
I turned on you.
We both turned on each other.”
“Well, that makes it even, don’t it?”
“It makes it even, but look at us now.
We were up on a mountain.