The Sun Also Rises Read Online Free PDF Page B

getting brandy and soda and glasses.

    â€œJust a little,” said Brett. “Don’t try and make me drunk. The count? Oh, rather. He’s quite one of us.”

    â€œIs he a count?”

    â€œHere’s how. I rather think so, you know. Deserves to be, anyhow. Knows hell’s own amount about people. Don’t know where he got it all. Owns a chain of sweetshops in the States.”

    She sipped at her glass.

    â€œThink he called it a chain. Something like that. Linked them all up. Told me a little about it. Damned interesting. He’s one of us, though. Oh, quite. No doubt. One can always tell.”

    She took another drink.

    â€œHow do I buck on about all this? You don’t mind, do you? He’s putting up for Zizi, you know.”

    â€œIs Zizi really a duke, too?”

    â€œI shouldn’t wonder. Greek, you know. Rotten painter. I rather liked the count.”

    â€œWhere did you go with him?”

    â€œOh, everywhere. He just brought me here now. Offered me ten thousand dollars to go to Biarritz with him. How much is that in pounds?”

    â€œAround two thousand.”

    â€œLot of money. I told him I couldn’t do it. He was awfully nice about it. Told him I knew too many people in Biarritz.”

    Brett laughed.

    â€œI say, you are slow on the uptake,” she said. I had only sipped my brandy and soda. I took a long drink.

    â€œThat’s better. Very funny,” Brett said. ‘Then he wanted me to go to Cannes with him. Told him I knew too many people in Cannes. Monte Carlo. Told him I knew too many people in Monte Carlo. Told him I knew too many people everywhere. Quite true, too. So I asked him to bring me here.”

    She looked at me, her hand on the table, her glass raised. “Don’t look like that,” she said. “Told him I was in love with you. True, too. Don’t look like that. He was damn nice about it. Wants to drive us out to dinner tomorrow night. Like to go?”

    â€œWhy not?”

    â€œI’d better go now.”

    â€œWhy?”

    â€œJust wanted to see you. Damned silly idea. Want to get dressed and come down? He’s got the car just up the street.”

    â€œThe count?”

    â€œHimself. And a chauffeur in livery. Going to drive me around and have breakfast in the Bois. Hampers. Got it all at Zelli’s. Dozen bottles of Mumms. Tempt you?”

    â€œI have to work in the morning,” I said. “I’m too far behind you now to catch up and be any fun.”

    â€œDon’t be an ass.”

    â€œCan’t do it.”

    â€œRight. Send him a tender message?”

    â€œAnything. Absolutely.”

    â€œGood-night, darling.”

    â€œDon’t be sentimental.”

    â€œYou make me ill.”

    We kissed good-night and Brett shivered. “I’d better go,” she said. “Good-night, darling.”

    â€œYou don’t have to go.”

    â€œYes.”

    We kissed again on the stairs and as I called for the cordon the concierge muttered something behind her door. I went back upstairs and from the open window watched Brett walking up the street to the big limousine drawn up to the curb under the arc light. She got in and it started off. I turned around. On the table was an empty glass and a glass half-full of brandy and soda. I took them both out to the kitchen and poured the half-full glass down the sink. I turned off the gas in the dining room, kicked off my slippers sitting on the bed, and got into bed. This was Brett, that I had felt like crying about. Then I thought of her walking up the street and stepping into the car, as I had last seen her, and of course in a little while I felt like hell again. It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night it is another thing.

Chapter V

    In the morning I walked down the Boulevard to the rue Souffiot for coffee and brioche. It was a fine morning. The horse chestnut