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# Chapter 23 ## Overview This entity is a chapter from a literary work, labeled as "23" and spanning lines 4351 to 4524 of the source text. It is part of the larger work [Rye.pdf](arke:01KFYRMP38MZY7WVH2Q0JN0CWH), archived within the [More Classics](arke:01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS) collection. The chapter was extracted and structured on January 27, 2026, and consists of four sequential text chunks that together form a continuous narrative passage. ## Context The chapter is situated within a narrative that explores themes of adolescence, family, and emotional vulnerability. It follows the protagonist’s return to his family’s apartment after leaving Pencey Prep, where he has been expelled. The events unfold late at night, as the narrator navigates the risk of being discovered by his parents. The story is told in first person, reflecting the voice and perspective of a teenage boy grappling with alienation and the desire for connection. The chapter is embedded in a digital archive that includes other classic texts, indicating its preservation as part of a curated literary corpus. ## Contents The chapter centers on an intimate interaction between the narrator and his younger sister, Phoebe. After returning to his brother D.B.’s apartment, he dances with Phoebe, showcasing their close and playful bond. The scene shifts when their mother returns home, prompting the narrator to hide in a closet to avoid detection. After a tense exchange in which Phoebe deflects suspicion about smoking, the narrator prepares to leave, asking Phoebe for money. She offers him her Christmas savings—$8.85—though he initially protests. Overwhelmed by her generosity, he breaks down in tears. Before departing, he gives her his iconic hunting hat, a symbolic gesture of trust and affection. The chapter ends with his quiet escape from the apartment, reflecting his emotional turmoil and transient state.

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2026-01-27T17:22:14.335Z

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Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507

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Chapter 23

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2026-01-27T17:12:16.510Z

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4166 23 4167 I made it very snappy on the phone because I was afraid my parents would barge 4168 in on me right in the middle of it. They didn't, though. Mr. Antolini was very nice. He 4169 said I could come right over if I wanted to. I think I probably woke he and his wife up, <!-- [Page 94](arke:01KFYTAC6AMXGKPJ3D983CBV7A) --> 4170 because it took them a helluva long time to answer the phone. The first thing he asked me 4171 was if anything was wrong, and I said no. I said I'd flunked out of Pencey, though. I 4172 thought I might as well tell him. He said "Good God," when I said that. He had a good 4173 sense of humor and all. He told me to come right over if I felt like it. 4174 He was about the best teacher I ever had, Mr. Antolini. He was a pretty young 4175 guy, not much older than my brother D.B., and you could kid around with him without 4176 losing your respect for him. He was the one that finally picked up that boy that jumped 4177 out the window I told you about, James Castle. Old Mr. Antolini felt his pulse and all, 4178 and then he took off his coat and put it over James Castle and carried him all the way 4179 over to the infirmary. He didn't even give a damn if his coat got all bloody. 4180 When I got back to D.B.'s room, old Phoebe'd turned the radio on. This dance 4181 music was coming out. She'd turned it on low, though, so the maid wouldn't hear it. You 4182 should've seen her. She was sitting smack in the middle of the bed, outside the covers, 4183 with her legs folded like one of those Yogi guys. She was listening to the music. She kills 4184 me. 4185 "C'mon," I said. "You feel like dancing?" I taught her how to dance and all when 4186 she was a tiny little kid. She's a very good dancer. I mean I just taught her a few things. 4187 She learned it mostly by herself. You can't teach somebody how to really dance. 4188 "You have shoes on," she said. 4189 "I'll take 'em off. C'mon." 4190 She practically jumped off the bed, and then she waited while I took my shoes off, 4191 and then I danced with her for a while. She's really damn good. I don't like people that 4192 dance with little kids, because most of the time it looks terrible. I mean if you're out at a 4193 restaurant somewhere and you see some old guy take his little kid out on the dance floor. 4194 Usually they keep yanking the kid's dress up in the back by mistake, and the kid can't 4195 dance worth a damn anyway, and it looks terrible, but I don't do it out in public with 4196 Phoebe or anything. We just horse around in the house. It's different with her anyway, 4197 because she can dance. She can follow anything you do. I mean if you hold her in close 4198 as hell so that it doesn't matter that your legs are so much longer. She stays right with 4199 you. You can cross over, or do some corny dips, or even jitterbug a little, and she stays 4200 right with you. You can even tango, for God's sake. 4201 We danced about four numbers. In between numbers she's funny as hell. She stays 4202 right in position. She won't even talk or anything. You both have to stay right in position 4203 and wait for the orchestra to start playing again. That kills me. You're not supposed to 4204 laugh or anything, either. 4205 Anyway, we danced about four numbers, and then I turned off the radio. Old 4206 Phoebe jumped back in bed and got under the covers. "I'm improving, aren't I?" she 4207 asked me. 4208 "And how," I said. I sat down next to her on the bed again. I was sort of out of 4209 breath. I was smoking so damn much, I had hardly any wind. She wasn't even out of 4210 breath. 4211 "Feel my forehead," she said all of a sudden. 4212 "Why?" 4213 "Feel it. Just feel it once." 4214 I felt it. I didn't feel anything, though. 4215 "Does it feel very feverish?" she said. <!-- [Page 95](arke:01KFYTACA1TPXPMFDNH66HN68Q) --> 4216 "No. Is it supposed to?" 4217 "Yes--I'm making it. Feel it again." 4218 I felt it again, and I still didn't feel anything, but I said, "I think it's starting to, 4219 now." I didn't want her to get a goddam inferiority complex. 4220 She nodded. "I can make it go up to over the thermoneter." 4221 "Thermometer. Who said so?" 4222 "Alice Holmborg showed me how. You cross your legs and hold your breath and 4223 think of something very, very hot. A radiator or something. Then your whole forehead 4224 gets so hot you can burn somebody's hand." 4225 That killed me. I pulled my hand away from her forehead, like I was in terrific 4226 danger. "Thanks for telling me," I said. 4227 "Oh, I wouldn't've burned your hand. I'd've stopped before it got too--Shhh!" 4228 Then, quick as hell, she sat way the hell up in bed. 4229 She scared hell out of me when she did that. "What's the matter?" I said. 4230 "The front door!" she said in this loud whisper. "It's them!" 4231 I quick jumped up and ran over and turned off the light over the desk. Then I 4232 jammed out my cigarette on my shoe and put it in my pocket. Then I fanned hell out of 4233 the air, to get the smoke out--I shouldn't even have been smoking, for God's sake. Then I 4234 grabbed my shoes and got in the closet and shut the door. Boy, my heart was beating like 4235 a bastard. 4236 I heard my mother come in the room. 4237 "Phoebe?" she said. "Now, stop that. I saw the light, young lady." 4238 "Hello!" I heard old Phoebe say. "I couldn't sleep. Did you have a good time?" 4239 "Marvelous," my mother said, but you could tell she didn't mean it. She doesn't 4240 enjoy herself much when she goes out. "Why are you awake, may I ask? Were you warm 4241 enough?" 4242 "I was warm enough, I just couldn't sleep." 4243 "Phoebe, have you been smoking a cigarette in here? Tell me the truth, please, 4244 young lady." 4245 "What?" old Phoebe said. 4246 "You heard me." 4247 "I just lit one for one second. I just took one puff. Then I threw it out the 4248 window." 4249 "Why, may I ask?" 4250 "I couldn't sleep." 4251 "I don't like that, Phoebe. I don't like that at all," my mother said. "Do you want 4252 another blanket?" 4253 "No, thanks. G'night!" old Phoebe said. She was trying to get rid of her, you could 4254 tell. 4255 "How was the movie?" my mother said. 4256 "Excellent. Except Alice's mother. She kept leaning over and asking her if she felt 4257 grippy during the whole entire movie. We took a taxi home." 4258 "Let me feel your forehead." 4259 "I didn't catch anything. She didn't have anything. It was just her mother." 4260 "Well. Go to sleep now. How was your dinner?" 4261 "Lousy," Phoebe said. <!-- [Page 96](arke:01KFYTAC8KP3ECATZAFZTCC7N2) --> 4262 "You heard what your father said about using that word. What was lousy about it? 4263 You had a lovely lamb chop. I walked all over Lexington Avenue just to--" 4264 "The lamb chop was all right, but Charlene always breathes on me whenever she 4265 puts something down. She breathes all over the food and everything. She breathes on 4266 everything." 4267 "Well. Go to sleep. Give Mother a kiss. Did you say your prayers?" 4268 "I said them in the bathroom. G'night!" 4269 "Good night. Go right to sleep now. I have a splitting headache," my mother said. 4270 She gets headaches quite frequently. She really does. 4271 "Take a few aspirins," old Phoebe said. "Holden'll be home on Wednesday, won't 4272 he?" 4273 "So far as I know. Get under there, now. Way down." 4274 I heard my mother go out and close the door. I waited a couple of minutes. Then I 4275 came out of the closet. I bumped smack into old Phoebe when I did it, because it was so 4276 dark and she was out of bed and coming to tell me. "I hurt you?" I said. You had to 4277 whisper now, because they were both home. "I gotta get a move on," I said. I found the 4278 edge of the bed in the dark and sat down on it and started putting on my shoes. I was 4279 pretty nervous. I admit it. 4280 "Don't go now," Phoebe whispered. "Wait'll they're asleep!" 4281 "No. Now. Now's the best time," I said. "She'll be in the bathroom and Daddy'll 4282 turn on the news or something. Now's the best time." I could hardly tie my shoelaces, I 4283 was so damn nervous. Not that they would've killed me or anything if they'd caught me 4284 home, but it would've been very unpleasant and all. "Where the hell are ya?" I said to old 4285 Phoebe. It was so dark I couldn't see her. 4286 "Here." She was standing right next to me. I didn't even see her. 4287 "I got my damn bags at the station," I said. "Listen. You got any dough, Phoeb? 4288 I'm practically broke." 4289 "Just my Christmas dough. For presents and all. I haven't done any shopping at all 4290 yet." 4291 "Oh." I didn't want to take her Christmas dough. 4292 "You want some?" she said. 4293 "I don't want to take your Christmas dough." 4294 "I can lend you some," she said. Then I heard her over at D.B.'s desk, opening a 4295 million drawers and feeling around with her hand. It was pitch-black, it was so dark in the 4296 room. "If you go away, you won't see me in the play," she said. Her voice sounded funny 4297 when she said it. 4298 "Yes, I will. I won't go way before that. You think I wanna miss the play?" I said. 4299 "What I'll do, I'll probably stay at Mr. Antolini's house till maybe Tuesday night. Then I'll 4300 come home. If I get a chance, I'll phone ya." 4301 "Here," old Phoebe said. She was trying to give me the dough, but she couldn't 4302 find my hand. 4303 "Where?" 4304 She put the dough in my hand. 4305 "Hey, I don't need all this," I said. "Just give me two bucks, is all. No kidding-- 4306 Here." I tried to give it back to her, but she wouldn't take it. 4307 "You can take it all. You can pay me back. Bring it to the play." <!-- [Page 97](arke:01KFYTAC754AYAXEX0V71Y6A7B) --> 4308 "How much is it, for God's sake?" 4309 "Eight dollars and eighty-five cents. Sixty-five cents. I spent some." 4310 Then, all of a sudden, I started to cry. I couldn't help it. I did it so nobody could 4311 hear me, but I did it. It scared hell out of old Phoebe when I started doing it, and she 4312 came over and tried to make me stop, but once you get started, you can't just stop on a 4313 goddam dime. I was still sitting on the edge of the bed when I did it, and she put her old 4314 arm around my neck, and I put my arm around her, too, but I still couldn't stop for a long 4315 time. I thought I was going to choke to death or something. Boy, I scared hell out of poor 4316 old Phoebe. The damn window was open and everything, and I could feel her shivering 4317 and all, because all she had on was her pajamas. I tried to make her get back in bed, but 4318 she wouldn't go. Finally I stopped. But it certainly took me a long, long time. Then I 4319 finished buttoning my coat and all. I told her I'd keep in touch with her. She told me I 4320 could sleep with her if I wanted to, but I said no, that I'd better beat it, that Mr. Antolini 4321 was waiting for me and all. Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it 4322 to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. She didn't want to take it, but I made her. I'll bet 4323 she slept with it on. She really likes those kind of hats. Then I told her again I'd give her a 4324 buzz if I got a chance, and then I left. 4325 It was a helluva lot easier getting out of the house than it was getting in, for some 4326 reason. For one thing, I didn't give much of a damn any more if they caught me. I really 4327 didn't. I figured if they caught me, they caught me. I almost wished they did, in a way. 4328 I walked all the way downstairs, instead of taking the elevator. I went down the 4329 back stairs. I nearly broke my neck on about ten million garbage pails, but I got out all 4330 right. The elevator boy didn't even see me. He probably still thinks I'm up at the 4331 Dicksteins'.

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