Read I Confess for Free Online Page B

my script?"
    "He didn't read your script, naturally. He read Hell-weg's."
    "Oh. But then..." . "But what?"
    "That's a different story. Hellweg's dialogue is ready to go. I've still got quite a bit of work to do on mine."
    "Of course, of course," he said, sounding absent-minded suddenly. Now I couldn't understand what he was driving at. I was just going to ask when the door opened and a nurse came in. She was fat and ugly.
    "Two glasses, please," said Clayton, in English.
    "Zwei gldser, bitte/* I translated.
    "Right away," said the ugly nurse in English and disappeared.
    "You agree then that the dialogue needs work."
    "Yes, yes, Jimmy." He licked his cigar which was about to burst open. "There's a little work to be done there, but don't worry about it. Take your time. First you've got to get over this, that's the only thing that matters right now. Health first! There's nothing more important."
    "I know, but.. r
    "You've done a great job. I'm awfully pleased with you. With Hellweg too, but especially with you, Jimmy, and when I shoot my next picture . .. probably in the fall, in Spain ... then you can count on it, I'll have you in mind."
    "What's the matter, Joe? You talk as if you considered my work finished."
    "And so it is, Jimmy, haha!" He laughed and slapped me on the back again. The ugly nurse brought in two glasses.

    "Thank you," said Clayton and smiled at her.
    "You're welcome," she said in English and didn't smile back. She looked at the botde, at me, shook her head and left.
    "There you are!" Clayton handed me my glass. "To your health!" We drank. The scotch was warm and strong. I could feel it burning its way down my chest. Then I put the glass down.
    "Joe, what do you mean, my work is finished?"
    Now I knew without a doubt that something unpleasant had happened. He looked at the floor, avoiding my eyes. He was a decent fellow and a lousy liar. He didn't say anything. "So answer me! How can I be finished when I have dialogue to rewrite?"
    "But you can't write dialogue when you're sick in the hospital!"
    "I'm only going to be here three or four days."
    "Only three or four days?" He looked surprised. He had quite evidently counted on its taking longer. Why? For God's sake, why?
    "Yes. Three or four days. Then I'll be back. And what's to prevent me from writing here? Then we won't lose any time. I don't have a thing to do. Yes, that would be best."
    He was chewing on his lip. His cigar had gone out; he didn't notice it. In the garden twilight was falling.
    "Jimmy," he said, "don't talk nonsense." He raised his head slowly, inch by inch, and finally looked me in the eye with a tortured smile. "How can you think of writing here, in surroundings like this, in your condition...."
    "But there's nothing wrong with me!"
    "I know. Just the same . . . you don't know what this examination is going to turn up. My God, of course it'll turn out that there's nothing wrong with you, but in the meantime ..."
    "Joe," I said slowly. "What are you keeping from me?"
    "Nothing, Jimmy. Nothing. Another whiskey?"
    "No."

    "But I will." He filled his glass and drank it down fast.
    "So," I said, "what are you driving at? I can't write the dialogue here. Then who's going to write it?"
    "Fortunately ColHns is in Munich," he said, without looking at me. His face was red, poor devil.
    "Ah so," I said, and fell back on my pillows. Collins was a very popular writer in the States, visiting right now in Europe. I knew him, admired him, and he didn't think much of me. So Collins was going to write my dialogue. For the first time that day I could feel my temples starting to throb.
    "He was good enough to agree to make the few minor changes when I told him what a bind I was in, because of your collapse.. . ."
    "Joe," I said. "On the phone you told me it wasn't causing any trouble, no trouble at all, you old har!"
    "But I'd already talked to Collins then, Jimmy," he said pleadingly.
    "I believe that my collapse, as you call it, didn't cause you any