"I don't know what else I could do," I replied, "of course, I could get a position elsewhere, or even open my own office as an accountant, but even so, my certificate as an accountant is in my masculine name, and I doubt that I could get it changed into my feminine name, and of course, I could not work as an accountant without having a certificate."

"

"Oh, I wouldn't want Ruth to work anywhere else, Mary said, "that is no solution at all."

"Well, if I were you, I would let Ruth become the housewife," Penny declared, "it would be much better than her going back to work at the store."

"Do you mean that I should stay home all day and keep house?" I asked.

"Why not?" Penny demanded, "You or Mary ought to keep house, and since Mary runs the whole store, and is very important in that position, why wouldn't it be better and more practical for you to take care of the housekeeping?"

"Ruth, Penny is right about that," Mary replied, "and it would be nicer to have someone to keep house for us both than both of us going to the office every day. After all, "She continued, "the work you did in the office is being taken care of nicely now, and it really isn't essential that you go back to the office.

11

"Why don't you try it for a while?" Penny asked, "You can al- ways change back later if you don't like it."

"Do we have to decide now?" I asked.

"Certainly not," Mary replied, "let's think about it, but for my part I think it is a wonderful idea."

Nothing more was said about it until we got home, but I felt sure in my own mind that if Mary wanted me to try being the house- wife that it would do for me, so I brought the matter up myself.

"Darling, if you want me to take over the housekeeping I will do it," I announced.

"My dear," she replied, "I'm so glad you feel that way, and I

11.