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Did you know who the girl was?

She was a poetess. I won't tell you her name. We published a book of her poetry. It sold about eight copies. But this was Liveright showing his sexual prowess.

You weren't fired.

He apologized to me!

He had a friend named Fred Hummell, who wrote a book called After All which sold very well; it was a best seller. Liveright had an idea for his next book. I don't know where he got it from. But he said, “I want a book done about two neighbors in the Suburbs. Their houses are almost next to each other. One of them is a man who is a pillar of the church and decent in every respect, kind to dogs and babies and whatnot. The other one is an absolute son of a bitch, but the son of a bitch has got pervading charm--just charms people out of their boots. The good man is a failure, but the bastard becomes more and more successful. The good man is absolutely left behind.”

Fred Hummell said, “That's a good idea,” and he went home and wrote a book about Horace Liveright! He brought it in. It was called A Very Good Man. He read it to us.

The whole book?