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Up on the dock the boys were drifting away commenting on the fight。 There had been something about the way the white man had looked when he was carried aboard that they did not like and all the bravery about burning the Commissionerˇs house was evaporating。
¨Well； good night； Captain Frank；〃 Rupert said。
¨Going； Rupert？〃 Frank asked him。
¨Thought we might all go up see whatˇs going on at Mr。 Bobbyˇs。〃
¨Good night； Rupert；〃 said Roger。 ¨See you tomorrow。〃
Roger was feeling very low and his left hand was swollen as big as a grapefruit。 His right was puffed too but not as badly。 There was nothing else to show he had been in a fight except that the neck of his sweatshirt was ripped open and flapped down on his chest。 The man had hit him once high up on his head and there was a small bump there。 John put some Mercurochrome on the places where his knuckles were skinned and cut。 Roger didnˇt even look at his hands。
¨Letˇs go up to Bobbyˇs place and see if thereˇs any fun；〃 Frank said。
¨Donˇt worry about anything； Roge；〃 Fred Wilson said and climbed up on the dock。 ¨Only suckers worry。〃
They went on along the dock carrying their guitar and banjo toward where the light and the singing were coming out of the open door of the Ponce de Le？n。
¨Freddy is a pretty good joe；〃 John said to Thomas Hudson。
¨He always was；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨But he and Frank are bad together。〃
Roger did not say anything and Thomas Hudson was worried about him； about him and about other things。
¨Donˇt you think we might turn in？〃 he said to him。
¨Iˇm still spooked about that character；〃 Roger said。
He was sitting with his back toward the stern； looking glum and holding his left hand in his right。
¨Well you donˇt have to be anymore；〃 John spoke very quietly。 ¨Heˇs walking around now。〃
¨Really？〃
¨Heˇs coming out now and heˇs carrying a shotgun。〃
¨Iˇll be a sad son of a bitch；〃 Roger said。 But his voice was happy again。 He sat with his back toward the stern and never turned around to look。
The man came out to the stern this time wearing both a pajama top and trousers； but what you saw was the shotgun。 Thomas Hudson looked away from it and to his face and his face was very bad。 Someone had worked on it and there was gauze and tape over the cheeks and a lot of Mercurochrome had been used。 They hadnˇt been able to do anything about his ear。 Thomas Hudson imagined it must have hurt to have anything touch it； and it just stood out looking very taut and swollen and it had become the dominant feature of his face。 No one said anything and the man just stood there with his spoiled face and his shotgun。 He probably could not see anyone very clearly the way his eyes were puffed tight。 He stood there and he did not say anything and neither did anyone else。
Roger turned his head very slowly； saw him； and spoke over his shoulder。
¨Go put the gun away and go to bed。〃
The man stood there with the gun。 His swollen lips were working but he did not say anything。
¨Youˇre mean enough to shoot a man in the back but you havenˇt got the guts；〃 Roger spoke over his shoulder very quietly； ¨Go put the gun away and go to bed。〃
Roger still sat there with his back toward the man。 Then he took what Thomas Hudson thought was an awful chance。
¨Doesnˇt he remind you just a little bit of Lady Macbeth coming out there in his nightclothes？〃 he asked the three others in the stern。
Thomas Hudson waited for it then。 But nothing happened and after a while the man turned and went down into the cabin taking the shotgun with him。
¨I feel very； very much better；〃 Roger said。 ¨I could feel that sweat run clean down from my armpit and onto my leg。 Letˇs go home； Tom。 Manˇs OK。〃
¨Not too awfully OK；〃 Johnny said。
¨OK enough；〃 Roger said。 ¨What a human being that is。〃
¨Come on； Roger；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Come on up to my place for a while。〃
¨All right。〃
They said good night to John and walked up the Kingˇs Highway toward the house。 There was still plenty of celebrating going on。
¨Do you want to go into the Ponce？〃 Thomas Hudson asked。
¨Hell no；〃 Roger said。
¨I thought Iˇd tell Freddy the manˇs OK。〃
¨You tell him。 Iˇll go on to your house。〃
When Thomas Hudson got home Roger was lying face down on a bed in the far up…island end of the screen porch。 It was dark and you could just barely hear the noise of the celebrating。
¨Sleeping？〃 Thomas Hudson asked him。
¨No。〃
¨Would you like a drink？〃
¨I donˇt think so。 Thanks。〃
¨Howˇs the hand？〃
¨Just swelled and sore。 Itˇs nothing。〃
¨You feeling low again？〃
¨Yes。 Iˇve got it bad。〃
¨The kids will be here in the morning。〃
¨That will be fine。〃
¨Youˇre sure you wouldnˇt like a drink？〃
¨No； kid。 But you have one。〃
¨Iˇll have a whisky and soda to go to sleep on。〃
Thomas Hudson went to the icebox； mixed the drink； and came back out to the screened porch and sat there in the dark with Roger lying on the bed。
¨You know； thereˇs an awful lot of real bastards loose；〃 Roger said。 ¨That guy was no good； Tom。〃
¨You taught him something。〃
¨No。 I donˇt think so。 I humiliated him and I ruined him a little。 But heˇll take it out on someone else。〃
¨He brought it on。〃
¨Sure。 But I didnˇt finish it。〃
¨You did everything but kill him。〃
¨Thatˇs what I mean。 Heˇll just be worse now。〃
¨I think maybe you taught him a hell of a lesson。〃
¨No。 I donˇt think so。 It was the same thing out on the coast。〃
¨What really happened？ You havenˇt told me anything since you got back。〃
¨It was a fight； sort of like this one。〃
¨Who with？〃
He named a man who was very high up in what is known as the industry。
¨I didnˇt want any part of it；〃 Roger said。 ¨It was out at the house where I was having some woman trouble and I suppose； technically； I shouldnˇt have been there。 But that night I took it and took it and took it from this character。 Much worse than tonight。 Finally I just couldnˇt take it any more and I gave it to him； really gave it to him without thinking about anything； and his head hit wrong on the marble steps going down to the pool。 This was all by the pool。 He came out of it at the Cedars of Lebanon finally about the third day and so I missed manslaughter。 But they had it all set。 With the witnesses they had Iˇd have been lucky to get that。〃
¨So then what？〃
¨So then； after heˇs back on the job； I get the real frameroo。 The full…sized one。 Complete with handles。〃
¨What was it？〃
¨Everything。 In series。〃
¨Want to tell me？〃
¨No。 It wouldnˇt be useful to you。 Just take my word for it that it was a frame。 Itˇs so awful nobody mentions it。 Havenˇt you noticed？〃
¨Sort of。〃
¨So I wasnˇt feeling so good about tonight。 Thereˇs a lot of wickeds at large。 Really bads。 And hitting them is no solution。 I think thatˇs one reason why they provoke you。〃 He turned over on the bed and lay face up。 ¨You know evil is a hell of a thing； Tommy。 And itˇs smart as a pig。 You know they had something in the old days about good and