"Children must play," said Fanshaw stiffly. "What time are we goin' home, d'you know?" said Elise yawning. "You don't like--er--picnicking." There was a silence. From down river came the splash of paddles and the sound of a phonograph playing "O Waltz Me Around Again Willie." Fanshaw sat still in the same position with his knees drawn up to his chin, as if paralyzed. With tightening throat he managed to say: "What can they be doing ... They don't seem to be coming back." "Ask me something hard," said the blue girl jeeringly. Fanshaw felt himself blushing. He clasped his hands tighter round his knees. He felt the sweat making little beads on his forehead. Ought he to kiss her? He didn't want to kiss her with her rouged lips and her blonde hair all fuzzy like that, peroxide probably. A fool to come along, anyway. What on earth shall I say to her? She got to her feet. "I'm goin' to walk around a bit ... Ou, my foot's gone to sleep." Fanshaw jumped up as if a spring had been released inside him. "Which way shall we go?" "I guess we'd better go the other way," said Elise tittering and smoothing out the back of her fluffy dress. They walked beside the water; along the path were mashed cracker boxes, orange peel, banana skins. The river was full of canoes now. Above the sound of paddles occasionally splashing and the grinding undertone of phonographs came now and then a giggle or a man's voice shouting. Elise was humming School Days, walking ahead of him with mincing steps. He saw a woodpecker run down the trunk of an oak. "Look, there's a woodpecker." Elise walked ahead, still humming, now and then taking a little dance step. "It's a red-headed woodpecker." As she still paid no attention, he walked behind her without saying anything, listening to the tapping of the woodpecker in the distance, watching her narrow hips sway under the pleats of her dress as she walked. A rank, heavy smell came from the muddy banks. He looked at his watch. Only four o'clock. She caught sight of the watch and turned round. "What time is it, please?" "It's only four o'clock.... We have lots of time yet." "Don't I realize it? Say, what's the name of this old damn-fool park?" "Norumbega." "It's never again for me," she cried giggling. Then all at once she dropped down on the ground at the foot of a tree and began to sob with her dress all puffed up about her. "But what's the matter?" "Nothing ... My God, shut up and go away!" she whined through her sobs. "All right, I'll go and see nobody swipes the canoe." Biting his lips, Fanshaw started slowly back along the path. * * * *