Sanctuary

the late, bright, dusty-odored flowers of October bloomed. At that time

Stevens wore brown, and at that time he was new to Horace.

"He's only been coming out since he got home from Virginia last spring,"

Miss Jenny said. "The one then was that Jones boy; Herschell. Yes.

Herschell."

"Ah," Benbow said. "An F.F.V., or just an unfortunate sojourner there?"

"At the school, the University. He went there. You dont remember him

because he was still in diapers when you left Jefferson."

"Dont let Belle hear you say that," Benbow said. He watched the two

people. They approached the house and disappeared beyond it. A moment

later they came up the stairs and into the room. Stevens came in, with

his sleek head, his plump, assured face. Miss Jenny gave him her hand and

he bent fatly and kissed it.

"Getting younger and prettier every day," he said. "I was just telling

Narcissa that if you'd just get up out of that chair and be my girl, she

wouldn't have a chance."

"I'm going to tomorrow," Miss Jenny said. "Narcissa-"

Narcissa was a big woman, with dark hair, a broad, stupid, serene face.

She was in her customary white dress. "Horace this is Gowan Stevens," she

said. "My brother, Gowan."

"How do you do, sir," Gowan said. He gave Benbow's hand a quick, hard,

high, close grip. At that moment the boy, Benbow Sartoris, Benbow's

nephew, came in. "I've heard of you," Stevens said.

"Gowan went to Virginia," the boy said.

"Ah," Benbow said. "I've heard of it."

"Thanks," Stevens said. "But everybody cant go to Harvard."

"Thank you," Benbow said. "It was Oxford."

"Horace is always telling folks he went to Oxford so they'll think he

means the state university, and he can tell them different," Miss Jenny

said.

"Gowan goes to Oxford a lot," the boy said. "He's got a jelly there. He

takes her to the dances. Don't you, Gowan?"

"Right, bud," Stevens said. "A red-headed one."

"Hush, Bory," Narcissa said. She looked at her brother. "How are Belle

and Little Belle?" She almost said something else, then she ceased. Yet

she looked at her brother, her gaze grave and intent.

"If you keep on expecting him to run off from Belle, he will do it," Miss

Jenny said. "He'll do it someday. But Narcissa wouldn't be satisfied,

even then," she said. "Some women

18 WILLIAM FAULKNER

wont want a man to marry a certain woman. But all the women will be mad

if he ups and leaves her."

"You bush, now," Narcissa said.

"Yes, Sir," Miss Jenny said. "Horace has been bucking at the halter for

some time now. But you better not run against it too hard, Horace; it

might not be fastened at the other end."

Across the hall a small bell rang. Stevens and Benbow both moved toward

the handle of Miss Jenny's chair. "Will you forbear, Sir?" Benbow said.

"Since I seem to be the guest."

"Why, Horace," Miss Jenny said. "Narcissa will you send up to the chest

in the attic and get the duelling pistols?" She turned to the boy. "And

you go on ahead and tell them to strike up the music, and to have two

roses ready."

"Strike up what music?" the boy said.

"There are roses on the table," Narcissa said. "Gowan sent them. Come on

to supper."

Through the window Benbow and Miss Jenny watched the two people, Narcissa

still in white, Stevens in flannels and a blue coat, walking in the

garden. "The Virginia gentleman one, who told us at supper that night

about how they had taught him to drink like a gentleman. Put a beetle in

alcohol, and you have a scarab; put a Mississippian in alcohol, and you

have a gentleman-"

"Gowan Stevens," Miss Jenny said. They watched the two people disappear

beyond the house. It was some time before he heard the two people come

down the hall. When they entered, it was the boy instead of Stevens.

"He wouldn't stay," Narcissa said. "He's going to Oxford. There is to be

a dance at the University Friday night. He has an engagement with a young

lady."

"He should find ample field for gentlemanly drinking there," Horace said.

"Gentlemanly anything else. I suppose that's why he is going down ahead

of time."

I "Taking an old girl to a dance," the boy said. "He's going to Starkville

Saturday to the baseball game. He said he'd take me, but you won't let me

go."

IV

TOWNSPEOPLE TAKING AFTER-SUPPER DRIVES THROUGH THE college grounds or an

oblivious and bemused faculty-member or a candidate for a master's degree

on his way to the library would see Temple, a snatched coat under her arm

and her long legs blonde with running, in speeding silhouette against the

lighted windows of the Coop, as the women's dormitory was known, vanishing

into the shadow beside the library wall,

SANCTUARY 19

and perhaps a final squatting swirl of knickers or whatnot as she sprang

into the car waiting there with engine running on that particular night.

The cars belonged to town boys. Students in the University were not

permitted to keep cars, and the men -hatless in knickers and bright

pull-overs-looked down upon the town boys who wore hats cupped rigidly

upon pomaded heads, and coats a little too tight and trousers a little too

full, with superiority and rage.