Mother and Aunt Jemima. I felt the red flame leap in- side my face. Were they going to ridicule us?

At Father's suggestion we all sat down: Aunt and Mother on chairs, we children on the bed, and he him- self on the table. For a moment he gazed at Pat and me inscrutably, but I was relieved to notice that his eyes were twinkling kindly. "Well, girls," he said. A vast, secret joy flooded over me. How wonderful it was to be called a girl!

Father went on: "It's all right, kids. We're just had a good talk, the three of us, and I think we under- stand better than we did before at least, I do. It seems I had a lot to learn. Anyway, I'm not going to ridicule you, Robin, and I'm not going to try to change you any more. So you can stop your gallant efforts to be someone else, and just be yourself from now on. And of course, that goes for you too, Pat, because you and your mother will be staying with us for a long whi- le, I hope. And now I'm going to let someone else tell what we've planned for you both." His handsome, strong face, with its brilliant blue eyes set deeply in the tan, turned now to his sister.

"Well, Aunt Jemima began, "it's a long story. Where shall I start?" She paused for a moment. "You know, Robin, that since before you were born I have been touring the great cities of the world - firstly with your Uncle Jo, who was my very beloved compani- on, team-mate and husband, and then with just Pat." Her eyes were a little misty, but she went on: "Now I think you knew that your Uncle Jo was an entertainer, but it seems no one told you that he was a female im- personator and the best one in the world, because he was a great artiste. He was more than that, though he was a very complete person he wasn't just kind and strong, fatherly and brotherly; he was also motherly and sisterly. Of course he loved feminine things - fem- inine clothes, even feminine thoughts but he was al- so a man, wise and generous, and upright. We did a variety show together a complete two-hour show and it was always booked up at least two years in ad-

vance.