Grandmother di Santalis was alive. But she died two years ago. Now, When I was 17, Papa Tony started taking a percentage out of my salary, and as we all started earning, he did the same with all of us, and put it into taxes, so we'd all own an equity in the place. When he died, he left his share to Liss, Johnny and me, equally. When Liss married, you remember, I bought her share-that was the year I had some spare cash. Right now, I'm broke. Tom and I put all our money into mounting our new act. I don't think I could buy you out, but considering that I have a good-sized equity in the place, I might get it financed. You've lived here all your life, you own a share of it too. I could force a sale, and a split of the cash proceeds, and what would that do to the family-to Lucia, to Joe and his kids? But I'll do it, if I have to. Or do you want to buy me out?”

Tommy-silent till now because he was too appalled to speak-finally found words. "No, Mario, don't. Angelo, it isn't necessary. I can find another place-"

"Not without me. This isn't personal, Tom. This is a business matter. A family matter. The house, the flying rig, that sort of thing. If Angelo can force me out of the house, he can force me not to use the family name. And if he can take my means of livelihood-"

Angelo said heavily "If I called your bluff—”

"I'd have a lawyer here in the morning to appraise the place. Maybe you and Lucia could buy me out, together. Johnny might even go in with you. Of course they'd have to know why you suddenly found out that the home that's held four generations of Santellis-five now-isn't big enough to hold Mario and Tommy-"

"Don't. You're family. Don't you think that means anything to me?" He looked coldly at Tommy. "And anyone in a family act is family. I can't order either of you out. I don't even want to. But what do you expect me to do? Say I approve of this-this-" he shook his head and couldn't finish his

sentence.

"If it makes you feel better, pretend you don't know. We'll do our part." Mario looked straight at him. "You ought to be able to trust our discretionif you're just finding out after all these years."

Angelo's jaw dropped. He stared at Tommy as if he were seeing him for the first time. "Just how long has this been going on, Tom? No, I asked you."

Tommy looked at Mario, but his friend was staring into space. I got Mario into this. Now we'll both have to live with it. And the family means so much to bim.

"Since

since the first season I worked in the act."

Angelo said "Oh, my God." He stood as if he had grown to the floor. At

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last he said, with a heavy shrug;

"Okay. You're both grown up. I wash my hands of you both." He fumbled with the doalatch.

"You know, of course, you disgust me."

Tommy got up and unlocked it, and Angelo went out without another word. Tommy locked it behind him. Mario had slumped on the bed, his face in his hands, and Tommy turned away, not willing to see him weep, and himself shaken. He had loved and admired Angelo so much. Somehow, somehow, he had hoped for the miracle; that Angelo, knowing, would realize how right it was for them, would look at them with unchanged eyes.

Tommy thought he had lost all his illusions years ago, but as he stood with his hand still on the doorknob he felt another one crack and topple. Angelo was not superhuman, after all. He could be petty, even cruel.

It was a bad and bitter end to a good friendship. And he knew it was the end, and he had never known how deep the warmth went until he felt it withdrawn and felt as if the roots were being drawn out from his very toenails. He went and sat beside Mario, his hand on his friend's shoulder, not speaking, and he knew that he had just begun to feel the pain.

"So much for that," Mario whispered hoarsely, "what price honesty?" He reached up and gripped Tommy's hand. "I said it years ago, and now it's the only thing that's left. We've got to make ourselves such a damned good team together that nobody can ever want to separate us. It's all we've got left, Lucky"

"I haven't been so lucky for you, have I?" Lucky. The name Mario bad given him after their first performance together. "Seems to be mostly bad luck."

"Maybe." Mario smiled wearily. "but it's all the luck I've got. Maybe bad luck's better than none."

two

When fourteen members of the same family live under the same roof, no such childishness as "not speaking" is possible. On the surface things went on much as usual. Mario was edgy and irritable-but then he was always irritable during these last few weeks of rehearsal, while they were polishing their final routines. It was possible to keep up the pretense that everything was as it had been before. Tommy could tell himself that the family left them very much to themselves simply because they knew that he and Mario were busy perfecting the two-and-a-twist which they would put into their act this summer.

He was getting into his practice clothes one afternoon when he heard Mario, who had gone on ahead of him, call to his young cousin: