associate the fact that the door was opening in response to my ambig- uous reply. It was fully a minute before I realized the spectacle that I offered to the person standing there staring at me with wide-eyed wonder. My reaction then began running a gauntlet between shame and terror, with finally defiance, born of desperation coming to my aid. "Come in! Come in! I find myself desperately in need of expert counsel, my dress-selling friend" She answered my unspoken ques- tion: "Beth . . ." I had been wrestling with unsatisfactory results with an attempt to match the fastening of a rather slippery black girdle to the fragile upper edge of a nylon stocking. A long series of runs informed me that my efforts were less than expert.

Poor Beth! She was utterly speechless. Certainly the spectacle was enough to make a normal person roll with laughter, and I suppose when the clown laughs back at you the effect is unsettling, at best. “I'm sorry. Excuse me please, I didn't mean to barge in . . ." She turned for the door. "Wait! I really could use some help — if you wouldn't mind." She turned back to me with a queer expression on her face, confusion mingled with consternation.

"Well

"Please I'm making a mess of this."

She waved an arm vaguely at the bed, loaded with all the finery she had helped me select earlier that afternoon. “But You - you've never done this before?"

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you mean that

Her question struck me as strange at the time, but I ignored it. "No believe it or not, but this is the first time . . .'

She laughed then, a short little snort of delight. (But at what?) “And why, may I ask, are you starting now?"

"Why not?" I replied.

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"Oh. I see. No I don't. But that's beside the point. I'm sorry, but I was curious there at the store, I mean, and so I just copied your address from the delivery slip and decided to come over for intruding." She still stood there, making no move to stay or go.

―

forgive me

I straightened up then, letting the unfortunate stocking I had been macerating slide down to my ankle. Strangely, I felt no particular embarrassment standing in front of this young woman clad only in my