New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
No sooner were they back in their Lorillard tenement, than Robert Lloyd
came in.
"Well, Cato, where did you drop from?" said Cornelia, who was lazily
tidying up the rooms while Janet was doing the breakfast dishes.
"From the Harlem Gorilla in the flat next door."
"Really! And what did _he_ have to say?"
"Not much. He isn’t a talker like me. He’s a doer. He tried to
explain a few tricks in gymnastics to me. But every second sentence or
so the word ’Cornelia’ crept into the explanation. It was decidedly
confusing."
"Pray what has the word ’Cornelia’ to do with the subject of
gymnastics?" asked the owner of the name.
"Ah, what! I asked the Gorilla that question myself. But he simply
repeated the name adoringly and looked all sorts of unutterable things.
Beware, Cornelia. He thinks the sun rises in one of your eyes and sets
in the other. I believe he is planning to carry you off by main force to
his cave, his gymnasium cave."
"A lot he is! He couldn’t carry off a buttercup against its wishes.
Really, Araminta, he’s the gentlest and shyest ’wild man’ you ever laid
eyes on. How he ever came to take Gorilla for a nickname, I can’t
imagine."
"Nor I," said Robert. "But don’t forget that he has learnt the art of
concentrating his enormous strength on one or two crucial points.
Certainly he treated Hutchins Burley to a good exhibition of his
mastery, didn’t he? For all that, he’s a very singularly gentle sort of
Hercules. If I had to provide one for you, Cornelia, I’d get a much
more ferocious specimen, if only to pay you out for kiting away with
Janet, after promising me you’d both stay in. I’ve been waiting for you
since noon."
"Poor Cato, I’m terribly sorry. In the excitement of having Janet here,
I clean forgot you were coming. Waiting since noon, were you, poor boy!
There’s devotion for you, Araminta. Never mind, Rob. Here she is, now.
And all’s well that ends well, I hope."
"I thought you’d like company on your way home, Janet," said Robert to
her directly.
"Thanks very much," said Janet, not wishing to lose Robert and yet not
caring to say that Claude had promised to call for her, if he could
possibly get away from business. Before she could say more, Cornelia
interposed. She had not expected Robert to wait and had not quite
swallowed her chagrin over this surprise.
"How do you happen to be off duty, Rob?" she asked. "Does the _Evening
Chronicle_ stop work for you on Saturdays?"
"No. I’ve stopped work for the _Evening Chronicle_ on Saturdays and all
other days."
"What! Don’t tell me Hutchins has discharged you!"
Cornelia gave up the last pretense of working, and sank aghast into an
armchair.
"I didn’t give him a chance. I discharged myself."
"If he had—" she began, setting her teeth vindictively.
"Exactly. In his sober moments, Cornelia, you are apparently the only
mortal soul he stands in some fear of. It was only because of a sneaking
affection he has for you that he hesitated to fire me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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