Breakfast at Tiffany's Section 11

Jose' abandons Holly when her name appears in the paper as a playgirl linked with the drug ring headed by Sally Tomato. The unnamed narrator takes Jose's letter to Holly, who is in the hospital, having lost her baby in a scuffle with the police. When Holly sees the letter, a visible change comes over her. She seems to age and harden. She asks the narrator for her cosmetics, because "A girl doesn't read this sort of thing without her lipstick." Holly applies lipstick and rouge, eyeliner and eyeshadow, puts on pearls and dark glasses, sprays herself with perfume and lights a cigarette, readying her protective coating for what she expects to see in the letter (Garson 84).

Notes

• 4711 (99) - A unisex cologne introduced in 1772 by Muelhens. It contains citrus oils (lemon and orange), light floral rose and sandalwood oil.

• crise (100) - French for "crisis'

• la merde (100) - French for "shit"

• schluffen (101) - A German word meaning trustworthy person.

• Et pourquoi pas (101) - French for "and why not"

• bouche fermez (102) - French for "mouth close"