Rules of Civility

Eve and Katey leave a note at the building where Tinker lives—the Beresford—telling him to meet them at a specific location and at a given time if he ever wants to see his lighter again. They’re relieved when Tinker arrives as instructed. Eve asks him about his ruts, and when he admits that he needs help with them, the girls blindfold him and take him around Manhattan. They eventually sneak into a movie theater to watch a Marx Brothers movie. Though Katey didn’t plan it, she ends up sitting in the middle of Tinker and Eve and notes Eve’s annoyance. The group gets drunk on contraband rye and, when Katey returns from the bathroom, Eve is sitting in her seat. The two move over and Katey ends up on the end. She’s relieved, not wanting to upset Eve. But she likes sitting in Tinker’s seat as she gets to sit on his coat.

The trio leaves the theater and Eve instructs the taxi to take them to Chernoff’s—a restaurant housed in a former speakeasy that’s located under the kitchen of a kosher restaurant. The place is odd in that it houses both Russian gangsters and their rivals, Russian émigrés. Katey mentions them as Trotskyites and Tsarists. It was Katey who introduced Eve to the scene, and Eve now loves it. Patrons enter through a false door. The group watches an emotional performance, and Tinker seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself. He tells Katey that his brother would love the place, and that she and his brother would get along. Katey later leaves to go to the restroom and greets the owner, Chernoff. Chernoff asks about Tinker and comments that Tinker won’t last as both of theirs for long.

Katey works in the secretarial pool for Quiggin & Hale, a top law firm in New York. The secretarial pool is comprised of 26 women overseen by Miss Markham. The women are all known by a letter of the alphabet; Katey is “Q.” Katey explains how the pool works and talks about a new girl named Charlotte Sykes who tried to be the best and brightest. Charlotte began writing 100 words a minute on her first day. Because of this, however, she’s now expected to keep that pace. When Katey does the math, it turns out that Charlotte makes less money by working harder. So Katey tries to keep her head down and get her work done.

Katey gets a call on January 5 from an associate at another firm and is summoned by Miss Markham, who tells her not to get hoodwinked into doing work for any of their partners. It turns out the caller is Eve pretending to be someone else; Eve wants to know about their plans for the night with Tinker. Katey flashes back to her lunchtime: She went to her usual diner to people watch, and Tinker stopped by. They shared a table, and Tinker explained that he is a broker and that he bought the lighter for himself after his first major sale. Katey also learned that Hank detests both the lighter and Tinker’s job. It was Hank who added the shoddy dates to the lighter. During the conversation, Katey revealed that she visits churches to be alone. When the narrative returns to the present and Katey’s phone call with Eve, she does not tell Eve about this private encounter with Tinker. When she returns to her desk, she mistypes “chief” as “thief.”

The following night, Katey confesses to Eve about sharing a lunchtime cup of coffee with Tinker. Eve is in a sour mood and is barely talking to Katey. So, when Tinker arrives in a flashy car, Eve changes out of the dress she’s wearing—the one Katey just complimented. Katey realizes the two have a rough night ahead of them. Katey and Eve greet Tinker, who is now ready to show the girls his world. Eve declares that she wants to drive. Though she scares Tinker, she follows his directions and eventually arrives at the 21 Club. The club is filled with the upper echelon of New York. Eve is the youngest woman in the place who isn’t a waitress. Tinker can tell that something is bugging Eve. As they dine on champagne and complimentary oysters, Eve’s mood softens. She admits that she had planned to spoil the night so as to teach Katey and Tinker a lesson. They play a game where Tinker asks a series of questions, and Katey notes that Eve has the best answers. When Tinker toasts to being less shy (their same toast on New Year’s Eve), a beautiful older woman interrupts the toast. Her name is Anne Grandyn, and she introduces herself as Tinker’s godmother. Eve and Katey find the situation hilarious as Tinker now seems to be a sullen adolescent around Anne. Anne greets Eve and Katey, and finally leaves. Katey notes the change in Tinker’s demeanor and asks him if he wants to leave. Tinker immediately warms to the idea and agrees, though Eve is crestfallen as she’s having such a good time. Eve takes Katey’s flapper jacket, and the trio decide to return to Chernoff’s. On the way to the restaurant, Tinker’s car is hit by a milk truck as he tries to slow down on an icy road. The car hits a lamppost, and Eve is flung through the windshield. Katey runs to find Eve, whose face is badly injured. Katey must look away, but Tinker can’t.

The narrative switches to January 8 and is told from Tinker’s point of view. He’s tending to Eve in the hospital as she underwent reconstructive surgery. He watches taxis outside of the hospital and notes how easy it used to be for him to simply get in one and take off. The surgeon comes out and offers him a cigarette, which Tinker accepts. His last cigarette was over four years ago. The doctor tells Tinker that Eve won’t wake for another few days, but that he’ll need to be at his best for her. The surgeon mistakes Tinker for Eve’s husband. He corrects the man, informing him that they’re just friends, and they’d all been in the accident together.