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Show All the Variables & Other Love Stories 29 lubricated all their woe according to its function. By dawn each man's thoughts became mere wreckage. Their anger was forgotten yet their sadness was not. In the days that followed all was rumor and plot. Casabon and all his friends shrunk dumb from work to empty home not knowing whether they should call themselves cuckolded or not. Casabon first feared as all the others did, that this lanky mule had bedded his radiant Esperanza. But with so many women infected thus it seemed a fantastic nightmare to consider the stamina Hightower must employ. How could one man satisfy so many women and so well that they fostered no jealousy for the other women? He must be the second begotten of God in the flesh if it were so. And Esperanza, the most beautiful girl in all the land, who had all her life been made the desire of lusty roughs and sighing poets had sworn often of her contentedness to love her Casabon alone. She had, for so Casabon believed, ever loved him best. Her relations were surely pure. These thoughts were balm to Casabon and on them he soothed his fears until he realized that once a week had slowly become two nights a week consecutively, and he was angered and could not abide any more. He confronted Esperanza: "You said once a week. Now you go to Hightower's ranch twice a week." "Yes," said Esperanza. "Then, I wanted to go once a week, and now I want to go twice. And when I want to go eight nights a week, I will." "What do you do there?" "Don't ask me. I can't say." "Does he pay you for your work?" "Don't ask me," she said. |
