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The Sun Also Rises Chapter 3
Robert leaves and Jake remains at the café. He watches the crowd go by, the pigeons and the pretty girls. He catches the eye of one girl, and she comes and sits down at his table. She orders a Pernod, and so does Jake. He tells her that Pernod isn't good for her, and she scoffs at him. They talk a little about how she doesn't like Paris; the girl is not very pleasant. She asks Jake to buy her dinner, so he gets a cab and they ride to a restaurant. The girl is pretty, but her smile is terrible. During the ride she cuddles up to Jake, but he holds her back. He tells her he's sick, and she says she's sick too. They both seem aimless and detached.
They introduce themselves, finally. The girl's name is Georgette. When they get to the restaurant, Georgette doesn't approve of it. This free meal isn't at a chic enough restaurant, but she agrees to stay. Jake thought it would be nice to have a dinner companion, but this romantic idea is quickly dashed when he realizes how poor the conversation is. Georgette asks what's wrong with Jake, and he tells her he was hurt in the war. They are about to have a discussion of how terrible the war was, a topic which Jake has had enough of, when someone calls to him across the restaurant. It is Henry Braddocks, Cohn, Frances, Mrs. Braddocks, and a few others. They invite Jake and Georgette to a dance that night.
Jake and Georgette meet the group for coffee first. For fun, Jake introduces Georgette as his fiancée, Georgette LeBlanc. Mrs. Braddocks asks if she is related to the singer with the same name, and Georgette says no. It takes Mrs. Braddocks a few moments to get the joke when Georgette tells her that her real last name is Hobin. Frances asks Georgette if she likes Paris, and she tells her no, she thinks it's dirty. They go back and forth about Paris, and Georgette sarcastically tells Jake that he has nice friends.
They go to the Bal, a small empty dance club. The owner plays some music, and everyone starts to dance. Someone asks Georgette to dance, so Jake goes alone to get a drink at the bar. A group of clean, well-dressed young men come in, and Brett is with them. One of them sees Georgette, and tells the other he's going to dance with a prostitute. They laugh and he goes off to dance. Jake is very angry. He doesn't like Brett's gay friends, and he thinks about hitting one to get the smile off his face. Instead he leaves and has a drink at a nearby bar.
When he comes back, Georgette is dancing with one of the men. Jake expects they will all dance with her, so he sits down with Cohn. Mrs. Braddocks introduces Robert Prentiss to Jake. The two have a short conversation, but Jake gets very irritated and storms off. Mrs. Braddocks apologizes for Prentiss, and comments on how well Georgette is doing with the young men. She doesn't know that Jake was kidding about her being his fiancée. Cohn comes over to Jake, and the two go to the bar. After a few moments, Brett steps up to the bar. She says hello and orders a drink. Cohn gawks at her. Brett is very beautiful. She has lots of curves under her sweater, and her hair is back from her face like a boy's. Jake criticizes the group Brett came in with. Brett in turn asks Jake where he found "it," meaning Georgette. They tease each other about their company. The music starts and Cohn, love-struck, asks Lady Brett to dance. She brushes him off, and she and Jake go out on the dancefloor.
Jake tells Brett she has a new admirer in Cohn. Brett has many admirers. She asks Jake if he wants to leave. He does. Before going, he leaves some money in an envelope at the bar. He tells the owner if Georgette asks for him, to give her the envelope. If she leaves with someone else, he wants it held for him. They say goodnight to everyone and look for a taxi. Jake is happy to be out of the club and away from everyone. They get a cab and sit down. As it starts moving, Brett closes her eyes and tells him how miserable she's been.
