“Benjy.” Caddy said. She came again, but I went away.
“You must have done something to him.” Mother said. “Why wont you let him alone, so I can have some peace. Give himthe boxand please go on and let himalone.”
Caddy got the boxand set it on the floor and opened it. It was fullof stars. When I was still, they were still. When I moved, they glinted and sparkled. I hushed.
Then I heard Caddy walking and I began again.
“Benjamin.” Mother said, “Come here.” I went to the door. “You, Benjamin.” Mother said. “What is it now.” Father said, “Where are you going.”
“Take him downstairs and get someone to watch him, Jason.” Mother said. “You know I’m ill, yet you”
Father shut the door behind us. “T. P.” he said.
“Sir.” T. P. said downstairs.
“Benjy’s coming down.” Father said. “Go with T. P.” I went to the bathroomdoor. I could hear the water. “Benjy.” T. P. said downstairs.
I could hear the water. I listened to it. “Benjy.” T. P. said downstairs.
I listened to the water.
I couldn’t hear the water, and Caddy opened the door.
“Why, Benjy.” she said. She looked at me and I went and she put her arms around me. “Did you find Caddy again.” she said. “Did you think Caddy had run away.” Caddy smelled like trees.
We went to Caddy’s room. She sat down at the mirror. She stopped her hands and looked at me.
“Why, Benjy. What is it.” she said. “You mustn’t cry. Caddy’s not going away. See here.” she said. She took up the bottle and took the stopper out and held it to my nose. “Sweet. Smell. Good.”
I went away and I didn’t hush, and she held the bottle in her hand, looking at me.
“Oh.” she said. She put the bottle down and came and put her arms around me. “So that was it. And you were trying to tell Caddy and you couldn’t tell her. You wanted to, but you couldn’t, could you. Of course Caddy wont. Of course Caddy wont. Just wait tillI dress.”
Caddy dressed and took up the bottle again and we went down to the kitchen.
“Dilsey.” Caddy said, “Benjy’s got a present for you.” She stooped down and put the bottle in my hand. “Hold it out to Dilsey, now.” Caddy held my hand out and Dilsey took the bottle.
“Well I’ll declare.” Dilsey said, “If my baby aint give Dilsey a bottle of perfume. Just look here, Roskus.”
Caddy smelled like trees. “We dont like perfume ourselves.” Caddy said. She smelled like trees.
“Come on, now.” Dilsey said, “You too big to sleep with folks. You a big boy now. Thirteen years old. Big enough to sleep by yourself in Uncle Maury’s room.” Dilsey said.
Uncle Maury was sick. His eye was sick, and his mouth. Versh took his supper up to himon the tray.
“Maury says he’s going to shoot the scoundrel.” Father said. “I told him he’d better not mention it to Patterson before hand.” He drank.
“Jason.” Mother said.
“Shoot who, Father.” Quentin said. “What’s Uncle Maury going to shoot himfor.” “Because he couldn’t take a little joke.” Father said.
“Jason.” Mother said, “How can you. You’d sit right there and see Maury shot down in ambush, and laugh.”
“Then Maury’d better stay out of ambush.” Father said.
“Shoot who, Father.” Quentin said, “Who’s Uncle Maury going to shoot.” “Nobody.” Father said. “I dont own a pistol.”
Mother began to cry. “If you begrudge Maury your food, why aren’t you man enough to
say so to his face. To ridicule himbefore the children, behind his back.”
“Of course I dont.” Father said, “I admire Maury. He is invaluable to my own sense of racial superiority. I wouldn’t swap Maury for a matched team. And do you know why, Quentin.”
“No, sir.” Quentin said.
“Et ego in arcadia I have forgotten the latin for hay.” Father said. “There, there.” he said, “I was just joking.” He drank and set the glass down and went and put his hand on Mother’s shoulder.
“It’s no joke.” Mother said. “My people are every bit as well born as yours. Just because Maury’s health is bad.”
“Of course.” Father said. “Bad health is the primary reason for all life. Created by disease, within putrefaction, into decay. Versh.”
“Sir.” Versh said behind my chair. “Take the decanter and fillit.”
“And tellDilsey to come and take Benjamin up to bed.” Mother said.
“You a big boy.” Dilsey said, “Caddy tired sleeping with you. Hush now, so you can go to sleep.” The room went away, but I didn’t hush, and the room came back and Dilsey came and sat on the bed, looking at me.
“Aint you going to be a good boy and hush.” Dilsey said. “You aint, is you. See can you wait a minute, then.”
She went away. There wasn’t anything in the door. Then Caddy was in it. “Hush.” Caddy said. “I’mcoming.”
I hushed and Dilsey turned back the spread and Caddy got in between the spread and the blanket. She didn’t take off her bathrobe.
“Now.” she said, “Here I am.” Dilsey came with a blanket and spread it over her and tucked it around her.
“He be gone in a minute.” Dilsey said. “I leave the light on in your room.”
“All right.” Caddy said. She snuggled her head beside mine on the pillow. “Goodnight, Dilsey.”
“Goodnight, honey.” Dilsey said. The roomwent black. Caddy smelled like trees. We looked up into the tree where she was.
“What she seeing, Versh.” Frony whispered. “Shhhhhhh.” Caddy said in the tree. Dilsey said,
“You come on here.” She came around the corner of the house. “Whyn’t you all go on up stairs, like your paw said, stead of slipping out behind my back. Where’s Caddy and Quentin.”
“I told her not to climb up that tree.” Jason said. “I’mgoing to tellon her.”
“Who in what tree.” Dilsey said. She came and looked up into the tree. “Caddy.” Dilsey said. The branches began to shake again.
“You, Satan.” Dilsey said. “Come down fromthere.”
“Hush.” Caddy said, “Dont you know Father said to be quiet.” Her legs came in sight and Dilsey reached up and lifted her out of the tree.
“Aint you got any better sense than to let themcome around here.” Dilsey said. “I couldn’t do nothing with her.” Versh said.
“What you alldoing here.” Dilsey said. “Who told you to come up to the house.” “She did.” Frony said. “She told us to come.”
“Who told you you got to do what she say.” Dilsey said. “Get on home, now.” Frony and T. P. went on. We couldn’t see themwhen they were stillgoing away.
“Out here in the middle of the night.” Dilsey said. She took me up and we went to the kitchen.
“Slipping out behind my back.” Dilsey said. “When you knowed it’s past your bedtime.” “Shhhh, Dilsey.” Caddy said. “Dont talk so loud. We’ve got to be quiet.”
“You hush your mouth and get quiet, then.” Dilsey said. “Where’s Quentin.”
“Quentin’s mad because he had to mind me tonight.” Caddy said. “He’s still got T. P.’s bottle of lightning bugs.”
“I reckon T. P. can get along without it.” Dilsey said. “You go and find Quentin, Versh. Roskus say he seen himgoing towards the barn.” Versh went on. We couldn’t see him.
“They’re not doing anything in there.” Caddy said. “Just sitting in chairs and looking.” “They dont need no help fromyou allto do that.” Dilsey said. We went around the kitchen. Where you want to go now, Luster said. You going back to watch them knocking ball
again. We done looked for it over there. Here. Wait a minute. You wait right here while I go back and get that ball. I done thought ofsomething.
The kitchen was dark. The trees were black on the sky. Dan came waddling out from under the steps and chewed my ankle. I went around the kitchen, where the moon was. Dan came scuffling along, into the moon.
“Benjy.” T. P. said in the house.
The flower tree by the parlor window wasn’t dark, but the thick trees were. The grass was buzzing in the moonlight where my shadow walked on the grass.
“You, Benjy.” T. P. said in the house. “Where you hiding. You slipping off. I knows it.” Luster came back. Wait, he said. Here. Dont go over there. Miss Quentin and her beau in
the swing yonder. You come on this way. Come back here, Benjy.
It was dark under the trees. Dan wouldn’t come. He stayed in the moonlight. Then I could see the swing and I began to cry.
Come away from there, Benjy, Luster said. You know Miss Quentin going to get mad. It was two now, and then one in the swing. Caddy came fast, white in the darkness. “Benjy,” she said. “How did you slip out. Where’s Versh.”
She put her arms around me and I hushed and held to her dress and tried to pullher away. “Why, Benjy.” she said. “What is it. T. P.” she called.
The one in the swing got up and came, and I cried and pulled Caddy’s dress. “Benjy.” Caddy said. “It’s just Charlie. Dont you know Charlie.”
“Where’s his nigger.” Charlie said. “What do they let himrun around loose for.”
“Hush, Benjy.” Caddy said. “Go away, Charlie. He doesn’t like you.” Charlie went away and I hushed. I pulled at Caddy’s dress.
“Why, Benjy.” Caddy said. “Aren’t you going to let me stay here and talk to Charlie awhile.”
“Callthat nigger.” Charlie said. He came back. I cried louder and pulled at Caddy’s dress. “Go away, Charlie.” Caddy said. Charlie came and put his hands on Caddy and I cried more.
I cried loud.
“No, no.” Caddy said. “No. No.”
“He cant talk.” Charlie said. “Caddy.”
“Are you crazy.” Caddy said. She began to
