The Last Gentleman

I’m going to do what I told you I planned to do.”
    â€œI know. You told me.”
    â€œDr. Vaught, I want you to come back with me.”
    â€œWhy? To make this contribution you speak of?”
    â€œDr. Vaught, I need you. I, Will Barrett—” and he actually pointed to himself lest there be a mistake, “—need you and want you to come back. I need you more than Jamie needed you. Jamie had Val too.”
    Sutter laughed. “You kill me, Barrett.”
    â€œYes sir.” He waited.
    â€œI’ll think about it. Here’s some money for the arrangements, as you call them.”
    â€œOh, no, sir.” He backed away. “I have plenty.”
    â€œAnything else?”
    â€œNo sir.”
    But as the Edsel took off, spavined and sprung, sunk at one corner and flatulent in its muffler, spuriously elegant and unsound, like a Negro’s car, a fake Ford, a final question did occur to him and he took off after it.
    â€œWait,” he shouted in a dead run.
    The Edsel paused, sighed, and stopped.
    Strength flowed like oil into his muscles and he ran with great joyous ten-foot antelope bounds.
    The Edsel waited for him.

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    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
    copyright © 1966 by Walker Percy
    cover design by Jason Gabbert
    ISBN: 978-1-4532-1623-1
    This edition published in 2011 by Open Road Integrated Media
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New York, NY 10014
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