66.

THE AWAKENING OF A TRANSVESTITE (Con't.)

give me a poise I had not had before. I was really awfully glad I had gone to Auntie's--she thoroughly welcomed my visit--while the novelty I presented made a very interest- ing day for her. She was lavish in her praise, and said just before we left, that it was really too bad clothing was so rigidly stereotyped for she thought I looked better this way than I did in my usual clothes. That was, to say the least, a somewhat surprising statement. Mother, commenting on it on the way home, said she thought I look- ed like two entirely different people, with which I was en- tirely in agreement, and it was too bad I couldn't dress both ways for variety. Sis giggled but said nothing more.

I thought for sure that Auntie's inspection ended the matter for once and all, but no. Some week or so later Auntie asked Mother to dress me up agaîn and bring me over when she was having some old friends for tea. Mother ob- jected, telling her as she had before that the matter was not to be made public. Auntie said that she knew that and had no intention of giving me away but just wanted the fun of seeing her visitors thoroughly fooled.

When Mother said she doubted if I could carry such a deception off-not because of appearance but because of mannerisms--Auntie remarked that I would have completely fooled her had she not known about it and that certainly I should have no trouble with strangers. Mother finally agreed to help should I be willing to do it, and that eve- ning it was the subject of a family discussion.

When I first heard of it I was most dubious, but as I thought of it the idea began to appeal to me. There was no doubt that my appearance would be authentic and I could probably get by the rest by being quiet and circum- spect. The humor of the situation provided wonderful possibilities, but more than that there was something spine tingling about being able to put across such a de- ception. Hence, Father's firm objection to the idea was