was doing to her was wrong and for Paulie to stand there feeling relieved of allthings was completely selfish and evil of him and he had to do something, he hadto put a stop to it, then and there, if he was any kind of decent person at all,and if he didn't then he was just as bad as Deckie because he was standing therewatching, wasn't he? And letting it happen.

"Stop it," he said. His voice was a croak and between the crickets and thebreeze in the leaves and the thwang, thunk of the tennis match, they didn't hearhim.

"Get your hands off her, you asshole!" Paulie yelled.

This time they heard him. Celie shrieked and pulled away from Deckie, lookingfrantically for the top of her swimsuit, which was floating about ten feet out.She splashed down the steps into the pool, reaching for it, as Deckie stood up,looking for Paulie in the darkness outside the chainlink fence. Their eyes met.Deckie walked around the pool toward him.

"I wasn't doing anything, you queer," said Deckie. "And what were you doingwatching, anyway, you queer?"

The words struck home. Paulie answered not a word. They were face to face now,through the chain link.

"Nobody will believe you," said Deckie. "And Celie will never admit it happened.She wanted it, you know. She's the one that took off her top."

"Shut up," said Paulie.

"If you tell anybody, I'll just look disgusted and tell them that you and Iquarreled and you warned me you'd do something to get me in trouble. They'llbelieve me. They know you're a weasel. A sneaking weasel queer."

"You can call me whatever you like," said Paulie. "But you and I both know whatyou are. And someday you'll mess with somebody's little girl and they won't justcall the cops so your family lawyers can get you off, they'll come after youwith a gun and blow the suntan right off your face."

Paulie said all that, but not until Deckie was on the other side of the pool,