The Last Gentleman

was not even sure he had heard Jamie or had tuned him in in some other fashion, cleared his throat.
    â€œHe said, ‘Don’t let me go.’” When the priest looked puzzled, the engineer nodded to the bed and added: “He means his hand, the hand there.”
    â€œI won’t let you go,” the priest said. As he waited he curled his lip absently against his teeth in a workaday five-o’clock-in-the-afternoon expression.
    After several minutes Sutter let go the sheet which he still held as a strap across Jamie.
    â€œAll right, Father,” said Sutter in an irritable voice when the priest didn’t move. “On the way out, would you send in the nurse and the resident?”
    â€œWhat?” said the priest, bracketing his glasses with his free hand. “Oh, yes. Certainly.” He started for the washstand, thought better of it, turned and left the room. Pausing in the doorway, he turned again. “If you need me for anything else, I’d be glad to—”
    â€œWe won’t,” said Sutter curtly, managing to embarrass the engineer after all.
    The engineer followed the priest out into the corridor and thanked him. He wondered if one was expected to “make an offering,” but he had no notion of how to hand money over except to hand it over. He contented himself with wringing the priest’s hand warmly and thanking him twice.
    12 .
    It took him two blocks at top walking speed toovertake Sutter, who strode along with his hands in his pockets, bent forward as if he were bucking a strong wind.
    â€œWhere are you going?” the engineer asked in an unexpectedly loud voice.
    â€œWhat?” said Sutter, giving a start. “Oh, to the ranch.”
    â€œThe ranch,” repeated the engineer absently. When Sutter started to leave, he held up his hand. “Wait.”
    â€œWait for what?”
    â€œWhat happened back there?”
    â€œIn the hospital room? You were there.”
    â€œI know, but what did you think? I could tell you were thinking something.”
    â€œDo you have to know what I think before you know what you think?”
    â€œThat does not mean that I would necessarily agree with you,” said the engineer, trying to see Sutter’s expression. Suddenly the engineer felt hisface flush. “No, you’re right. I don’t need to know what you think. Wait. Did you say ranch?”
    â€œYes.” Still he could not make out Sutter’s face.
    â€œDo you mean your ranch?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œI have a date.”
    â€œA date?” His heart began to thud. “No, wait. Please don’t go to the ranch!” Without realizing that he had done so, he had taken hold of Sutter’s sleeve.
    Sutter angrily shook himself free. “What in God’s name do you want now?”
    â€œOh. I—what about the family?”
    â€œWhat about them?”
    â€œI mean, meeting them. Val should be here tonight and the rest tomorrow.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThey won’t know. Shall I meet them? Perhaps I could even call the Vaughts and catch them before they leave.”
    â€œGood. Fine.”
    â€œThen I’ll call the airport and see what the plane schedule is.”
    â€œVery good.”
    â€œWhat about the arrangements?”
    â€œArrangements? You make them. You do very well.”
    Sutter reached the Edsel and got into the driver’s seat but made no sign that the engineer should follow.
    â€œAll right. Wait—” cried the engineer when the old buckety Ford motor caught and roared (he wondered if Sutter had ever changed the oil or whether it had oil).
    â€œWhat?”
    He peered down into the dark car.
    â€œDr. Vaught—ah—”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWhat are you going to do now?”
    â€œI’m going to have a drink.”
    â€œNo. I mean, what are you going to do?”
    There was no answer. All the engineer could see was that Sutter had put his hands on the wheel at six o’clock and nine o’clock, left elbow on the window sill, a style of driving which the engineer faintly recalled from the 1940’s when Delta sports used to pick up their dates and drive to the Marion Parlor on Front Street.
    â€œAre you going home, I mean.”
    â€œI told you, Barrett, I’m going to the ranch.”
    â€œDr. Vaught, don’t leave me.”
    â€œWhat did you say?”
    â€œDr. Vaught, listen to me.