Transvestia

pretext at all. True, several other of the sweet girl undergraduates were also setting their caps at the lect- urer, but it was generally conceded that Valerie was the front runner; firstly, because she hardly ever left him out of her sight; secondly, because she was more brazen than the others; and thirdly because she actu- ally was the girl next door which gave her the best possible chance of meeting him. And now here she was again, just when he particularly wanted to be by him- self. What a nuisance the girl was!

Right now she was fluttering about him like an anxious hen. "Oh, Dr. Caravelle, I'm so glad you're not hurt! My, what a bump you gave that door when you fell look, you can see the mark on the lock." She bent down and peered at it solemnly, then looked up at him. Are you sure you're not hurt, Dr. Cara-

velle?"

away!

"Oh quite, thank you." How he wished she'd go

"Not even the teeniest, weeniest bit hurt?"

"I'm perfectly all right, thank you," the scient- ist replied firmly. "Not the slightest damage:"

"In that case, said Valerie with a charming smile, "I wonder if you'd mind helping me with a coup- le of math problems?" From her capacious handbag she whipped out an exercise book and opened it quick- ly. "There's one here about the Binomial Theorem, and another to do with Differential Calculus I think."

The lecturer was fairly caught, and he admitted it with a grin. Good naturedly he began to explain the problem to her, but she seemed uneasy, and her face became suddenly strained. All at once she clutched at the handrail for support, and said faintly: "I'm terri- bly sorry but I'm afraid I'm feeling a little

I'm afraid I'll have to - to sit down."

The scientist was all compassion at once. "My

dear girl of course! How very thoughtless of me. Quickly because she was beginning to droop ominously