When the doctor removed the plaster Macon's leg came our Dead-white and ugly. He still limped a bit, but he now had no excuse for not getting on with the new U.S. guides that Julian wanted. The New York trip was the first one, and Rose drove him to the station to catch the train.
She was worried about Edward. ‘I wish you weren’t leaving him with me,’ she said.’ You know how out of control he gets.’
‘What could happen in such a short time?’ Macon said. ‘I’ll be home by tomorrow night. If worst comes to worst, you could lock him in the pantry till I get back.’
New York was a foreign city to Macon. He could never get used to the sense of purposefulness there-everyone was always rushing somewhere without a moment to look around them. He began his usual visits to hotel and restaurants, making notes in the old guidebook in his tiny, neat handwriting.
In the evening Julian wanted him to try a new restaurant, which was on the top of an impossibly tall building. The cad-driver who took him there clearly thought it was a bad idea.
‘Cup of coffee there will cost you five dollars,’ he told Macon.
Most of the people in the restaurant were in evening dress and seemed to be celebrating something. Macon was given a table without a view, and after he had given his order, he took his room from floor to ceiling.
All of a sudden, he thought he had died.
He saw the city far below him like a shining golden ocean, the streets tiny lines of light, the sky a purple hollow that when on forever. It wasn’t the height; it was the distance- his huge, lonely distance from everyone who mattered, Ethan, Sarah . . . He had gone too far, he would never, ever get back.
His heart began to beat twice as fast as normal and his hands shook. He dropped his glass, and ran clumsily across the room and out the door. In the corridor he found the telephone and called home, worrying that they would not answer. But Charles did.
‘Charles? I’m on top of this building and . . . and silly thing has happened. Listen – you’ve got to get me out of here.’
‘You out! What are you talking about? You’ve got to get me out!’ Charles sounded unusually excited.
‘What?’
‘I’m shut in the pantry. Your dog won’t let me out. It’s lucky there’s a phone in here. You have to come home right away.’
‘But I’m in New York! I’m on top of this building and I can’t get down!’
‘Macon, do you hear the barking? That’s Edward. Every time I open the door he attacks the door.’
‘Macon held the phone tightly. ‘Charles, where’s Rose?’
‘She’s out. Julian came to take her to dinner and---‘
‘Julian my boss?’
‘Yes, and it’s Potter’s night for visiting his children. Macon, I can’t just sit here waiting for Edward to break through.’
How Macon wished he was safe in the pantry, surrounded by all Rose’s groceries lined up in alphabetical order!
‘If you don’t get me out of this, I’m going to call for the police to come shoot him, ‘Charles said.
‘No! Don’t do that! Listen. I’m going to . . . I’ll come over and take charge of Edward. Just wait!’
HE hung up and found Sarah’s number with trembling hands.
But she didn’t answer. What now? What on earth now?
HE looked through the other numbers in his wallet and saw a name: Muriel Pritchett, animal trainer. She answered at once.
‘Muriel?’ he said. ‘it’s Macon Leary.’
‘Oh! How’re you doing?’
‘I’m fine. Or, rather . . .’ He tried to explain about Edward and Charles and being on top of a building in New York.
‘Let’s make sure I’ve got this right,’ Muriel said. ‘Edward’s in your pantry---‘
Macon tried again. ‘Edward’s outside the pantry. My brother’s inside, and says he’s going to call the police to come shoot Edward so I thought if you could go over and---‘
‘I’ll go right away, and take Edward to the Meow-Bow.’
‘Oh, wonderful. And there’s something else . . .I’m having this kind of . . . See, I’m on top of this very tall building and I don’t know what it is but something had scared the hell out of me.’
‘Oh, I think people who go up those buildings are so brave.’
Macon gave a dry laugh, and held the phone more tightly.
‘Yes, you ought to be feeling so proud of yourself, just being up there!’ she said. ‘And Macon, when you get back from your trip, we need to talk about Edward’s training. Things just can’t goo no this way, can they? I mean, this is ridiculous.’
‘Yes. Yes, you’re absolutely right,’ Macon said.
‘See you, then. Bye.’
After Macon hung up, he went back into the restaurant and sat down at his table. He felt calm and tired and terribly hungry
‘I’ll be honest,’ Muriel said, ‘my baby was not exactly planned for. If you want to know the truth, the baby was the reason I married Norman in the first place. But I didn’t push him into it.’