The conflicts that develop between Dr. Milton Krop and his upper-class wife, Sloane, threaten to lead to murder.
But the pneumonia had given way; this morning he was distinctly better. If they still had such old-fashioned things as crises, he had passed his crisis. He was Hanno Dietrich again instead of a great, gasping fish. No, not a fish, not cold-blooded—burning-blooded, appropriately a whale. (He looke...
Bee had asked Sarah to bring the ceramic figure Joey had made of himself in crafts to the staff meeting, so she carefully set it on Dr. Bee’s desk and stepped back. Then, on an impulse, she bent the gooseneck lamp so that the figure was spotlighted. Obviously, she told herself, she wanted the sta...
Joey, she imagined, had fallen asleep. Oh, they should never have sent him home from that school, she thought, lashing out, for Joey’s hurt, for the fear he must have suffered. They were in the consultation room now. “Pa keeps some good bourbon in his desk. What do you say we have a drink?” Virgi...
Even though the house was going to be torn down and the stuff in it, except for what Sloane had offered to the museum near Boston, was going to the Salvation Army, it looked as it always had and what was worse as if it would always stay that way. (As if he couldn’t order it torn down.) He had, ho...
“How did you like Constantinople? Authentic? I had to read up on Constantinople in Jamey’s encyclopedia.” “Jamey’s been to Constantinople; Jamey’s been everywhere. But the story is so good it frightens me, Louis!” He said quietly, “Why does it frighten you?” “It frightens me because it is so good...
The suite was messy and smelled of dead cigarettes and Scotch. Nube came in at nine forty-five. He had slept the night in the Turkish bath and finished up, as usual, with a massage. It gave his dark skin a pinkish glow, a pinkish, waxy look. He was wearing a white silk mock turtleneck sweater und...
The switchboard girl, with greatly diminished animation, for this was much later in the day and nobody could expect it, said, “Brown and Bixby, good afternoon.” “Mr. Carter, please.” “Did you wish to speak to Mr. Nich-o-las Carter or Mr. Charles Carter?” “Hold the wire, please, I’ll make sure. Mr...