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Updated: May 16, 2025
Only those like Vandover who knew her best, knew her for what she was, for Ida was morbidly careful of appearances, and as jealous of her reputation as only fast girls are. Bessie Laguna was her counterpart. Bessie was "the girl she went with," just as Henrietta Vance was Turner's "chum" and Nannie was Flossie's "running-mate."
Unconsciously, Vandover had shut a door behind him; he would never again be exactly the same, and the keeping of his appointment with Turner Ravis that Sunday morning was, as it were, a long step onward in his progress of ruin and pollution. He shook himself as though relieving his shoulders of a weight. The model in the life-class had just been posed for the week, and the others had begun work.
Ellis went into spasms of laughter, holding his sides, gasping for breath. Vandover could not help being amused, and the two laughed at the Dummy's stammering rage until their breath was spent.
They were very calm, and at every instant shouted, "There is no danger; every one go back to his berth; clear the deck, please; no danger, gentlemen; everybody be quiet; go back to your berths!" The steward even came up to Vandover and pulled at the straps of his life-preserver, exclaiming, "Take this off! There is no danger; you're only exciting the other passengers.
With all these Vandover kept the pace at the Imperial, at the race-track, at the gambling tables in the saloons and bars along Kearney and Market streets, and in the disreputable houses amid the strong odours of musk and the rustle of heavy silk dresses.
Vandover was self-indulgent he loved these sensuous pleasures, he loved to eat good things, he loved to be warm, he loved to sleep. He hated to be bored and worried he liked to have a good time. At about half-past four o'clock he came to a good stopping-place in his book; the two men had got to quarrelling, and his interest flagged a little. He pushed Mr.
Terribly excited little boys were about everywhere whistling and calling for each other as the crowd separated them. They watched the fire for some time, standing on a pile of boards in front of a half-built house, but as it dwindled they wearied of it. "Want to go?" asked Vandover at last. "Yes," answered Ida, "we might as well. Oh, where's Bessie and Ellis?" They were nowhere to be seen.
They all knew him pretty well and called him the "Dummy." In the course of the evening the patty was seen at nearly every bar and saloon in the neighbourhood of Market and Kearney streets. Geary and Vandover were very drunk indeed. Vandover was having a glorious time; he was not silent a minute, talking, laughing, and singing, and crying out continually, "Cherries are ripe!"
It was true that even these alternatives would not amuse him very much he would fall back upon them as things of habit. For that matter everything was an ennui, and Vandover began to long for some new pleasure, some violent untried excitement.
In the smaller rooms in front one had beer and Welsh rabbits; in the larger rooms, champagne and terrapin. Vandover, Haight, and Geary came in through the ladies' entrance of the Imperial at about eleven o'clock, going slowly down the passage, looking into each of the little rooms, searching for one that was empty.
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