While the Auto Waits (Henry)
Short summary
A quiet park corner at twilight. A young woman in gray came to read on a bench. When her book fell, a young man retrieved it and struck up conversation.
She claimed to be a wealthy heiress bored with luxury, tired of champagne with ice and green gloves at dinner parties. She said she was besieged by a German Duke and an English Marquis but might prefer a humble worker.
Parkenstacker told her he worked as a cashier in the restaurant across from the park. She mentioned her white automobile with red gear waiting at the corner with her chauffeur Pierre. After she left, he secretly followed her. She entered the very restaurant where he claimed to work and took her place as the actual cashier. The young man picked up her dropped book and lounged for a moment.
Then he stepped into the automobile, reclined upon the cushions, and said two words to the chauffeur: 'Club, Henri.'
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The chance meeting in the park
Every evening at twilight, a young woman in gray came to sit on a bench in a quiet corner of a small park to read while there was still enough light. Her plain gray dress masked its expensive style and fit, and a large-meshed veil covered her turban hat, through which her calm and unconscious beauty shone. A young man had been watching her routine and positioned himself nearby, hoping for an opportunity to meet her.
His patience was rewarded when her book slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground. The young man quickly retrieved it and returned it to her with gallant politeness, making a casual remark about the weather. After looking him over leisurely, noting his ordinary but neat dress and unremarkable features, she invited him to sit beside her, saying the light was too poor for reading and she would prefer to talk.
Conversation and mutual deception
The young man began with typical park flirtation, calling her stunning and using terms like "honeysuckle," but she immediately rebuked him in icy tones, reminding him that she was a lady and threatening to withdraw her invitation if he continued such familiar address. He quickly apologized and abandoned his coquettish approach, realizing he had misjudged her social class.
She then asked him about the people passing through the park, wondering where they were going and whether they were happy. When he replied that it was interesting to watch the drama of life, she explained why she had spoken to him.
I come here to sit because here, only, can I be near the great, common, throbbing heart of humanity. My part in life is cast where its beats are never felt.
She refused to give her name, saying it would be immediately recognized and was impossible to keep out of print. She claimed her veil and hat belonged to her maid and served as a disguise, mentioning that even her chauffeur had stared at the unusual outfit. She explained that she belonged to one of five or six names in society's "holy of holies" by accident of birth.
I spoke to you...because I wanted to talk, for once, with a natural man -- one unspoiled by the despicable gloss of wealth and supposed social superiority.
She complained bitterly about her wealthy life, expressing weariness with money and the men who surrounded her like marionettes cut from the same pattern. She described being sick of pleasure, jewels, travel, society, and luxuries, even mentioning that the tinkle of ice in her champagne glass nearly drove her mad. When Mr. Parkenstacker questioned this detail about ice in champagne, she explained it was a current fad among the wealthy, originated by a visiting Prince of Tartary. She confided that she was being pursued by two suitors: a German Grand Duke with a reputation for intemperance and cruelty, and an English Marquis who was cold and mercenary.
Sometimes...I have thought that if I ever should love a man it would be one of lowly station. One who is a worker and not a drone.
When asked about his occupation, Mr. Parkenstacker humbly replied that he worked as a cashier in the restaurant visible across the park. She shrank slightly at first, fearing he might be a waiter, but was relieved to learn he was a cashier. He explained that he worked the night shift and had an hour before his duties began.
The revelation of truth
Looking at her watch, the girl rose hurriedly, explaining she had to leave for a dinner and theater engagement. She mentioned that her automobile with white body and red running gear waited at the upper corner of the park, where her chauffeur Pierre supposed she was shopping in the department store. She firmly insisted that Mr. Parkenstacker remain at the bench for ten minutes after her departure, noting that automobiles generally bore their owner's monogram.
Despite his promise, the young man treacherously followed her through the park trees, keeping her in sight. When she reached the corner, she glanced at the motor car but passed it, continuing across the street to enter the blazing restaurant. Inside, she removed her hat and veil and took her place at the cashier's desk, replacing a red-haired girl who pointedly glanced at the clock as she left.
The young man walked slowly back along the sidewalk, finding the girl's book on the ground where it had fallen. He recognized it as "New Arabian Nights" by Stevenson, dropped it carelessly on the grass, and then stepped into the white automobile with red running gear. Reclining on the cushions, he spoke two words to his chauffeur: "Club, Henri."
The story's ironic conclusion revealed that both characters had been deceiving each other about their true social positions - she was actually a working-class restaurant cashier pretending to be wealthy, while he was genuinely wealthy, pretending to be a humble worker.