and if Constance had had visitors, she generally had no time to receive them. Whatever it was she worked at kept her busy at home too. She always seemed to be sitting at a desk with a typewriter and a pile of papers in front of her. So, I was very much alone. I sat in my room anti- cipating the minor crises of the day the maid's knock, the appearance of the postman, mealtimes, radio programs and the sure distress of certain thoughts.

I had thought of going to work but I was unwilling to ad- mit that I did not know how to use my new-found freedom and have to embrace the flunky type of a job because I had no resources in a way, no character. There was nothing to do but wait and fret and grow more dispirited. It was perfectly clear to me that I was deteriorating storing up bitterness and self pity, but the delay of waiting and wondering and dreading was only one of the sources of my mental travail. Finally it came!!! the official let- ter I had been dying a thousand deaths over. I lacked the nerve to open it as I knew only too well what it was. That first word which said "Greetings". All day I paced around from one room to another carrying the ominous letter, still unopened. When Constance came home carrying her usual brief-case and dressed in her very businesslike suit, she delayed making her toilette long enough to ask me the reason for my evident agitation. Naturally, she saw the letter I was carrying and had probably guessed its con- tents. I dropped the half-crumpled letter in her lap, sank down to a chair and buried my head in my arms. I heard her tearing the envelope open, ventured a look in her direction. "Is it ----?|| "It is!", I heard her say. "I'm sorry to have you leave, Orville, but I suppose I'd better ring for Bessie to pack your bag." Dully, I heard her do this. Then, "you won't need much you know", she added, "where you're going, they will furnish you with everything". With that, I slid to the floor in a dead faint. When I came to, I saw Constance leaning over me with a damp towel in her hand. Her expression was one of ill-concealed disgust.