"The Damned of the Damned"

{Welcome to our new fortnightly serial epic, eventually to be merged with our immediately previous serial epic…}"You were wrong, Thad," said Martha. "You were wrong in Grosse Pointe and you were wrong in Gstaad.""But, dear –""You were wrong in Palm Beach and you were wrong in Palm Springs, too.""I beg your pardon, I admit I may have been wrong in Palm Beach, but in Palm Springs –""You were wrong.""But –""Don't 'but' me, you swine. You were wrong.""But –""Terribly wrong.""But.""Wrong.""May I say one thing in my defense," he said."Go ahead," she said. "Lie. Lie again.""The one thing I have to say," said Thad, "is that I love you.""Ha.""I have always loved you.""Tell it to the marines.""You really know how to hurt a guy, Martha.""Swine.""Gee, Martha.""Oh, don't 'gee, Martha' me, you weak, alcoholic, mewling, son-of-Harry Beachcroft pulled the page out of his battered old second-hand Royal portable and laid it on the stack of paper to the right of the machine. He took a fresh sheet of…