pulps
Munsey's Magazine, September 1924
Two Is Company by Larry Barretto This complete novelette concerns Civilise Prendegast, a wealthy twenty-year-old society woman accustomed to luxury and admiration, and Alan Downes, a well-bred but impoverished young man. They meet when Downes stops Civilise's bolting horse in Central Park. Though initially dismissive of his criticism of high society, Civilise invites him to tea after learning his family history—his father's suicide and his mother's elopement with a wealthy lover following financial ruin. The narrative explores their developing relationship as Downes, critical of society's superficiality, becomes drawn to Civilise despite their different circumstances. The excerpt ends with Alan arriving at Civilise's library for their tea appointment, his presence dominating the grand room as she considers his unusual and somber character.