RANSVESTIA

a flick of the hand and shake of the head to indicate "No matter now." He had a word or two of jargon with the lady teller who had been hovering nearby. She glanced from him to me once or twice, and I was escorted to the door.

Outside, I resisted the temptation to glance back at the solid grey stone, two-story, ultra-respectable and Victorian edifice. It was a surprise to find the sun still shone, and the world, or a small portier of it, still went about its business. I stood, uncertainly, fumbled in my handbag for a moment vaguely, then walked along the street. At the drapery, two charming elderly ladies attended to my require- ments, then finally, a pair of sun-glasses and back to the car, never at any time appearing to be in a hurry to leave town. I was dying for a cup of something to drink.

I drove just a few miles out and stopped beside a large wood to eat, but answered first of all a call of nature. When I emerged from the trees, I was perturbed to see that a large, plain van had drawn up a few feet behind my car. I had noticed no sound or seen no movement about the vehicle, and wondered if some occupant was playing a devious game. If so, I thought, I'll be devious, too. I strolled past it and into my own car, did a U-turn and drove back the way I had come for a mile or so, then suddenly turned into a half-blind en- trance to a field that I had happened to notice in passing previously. I sat and waited, but the pangs and need to take in food were urgent, so I had a light meal. I did not see the van return past my hideout, though it could have done so, and I could have missed seeing it. Refreshed, I resumed my driving north, but never saw the van again.

My good spirits soon returned and I drove cheerfully, occasionally smiling when I thought over things that had been said, and the way things looked during the "incident," and I was still debating where I should stop to make my "change" when I reached the outskirts of the city that was my destination. "The hell with it," I thought, doubtless having gained courage from coming through the after- noon unscathed, so I drove right to the motel which had been recom- mended to us, and checked in, still en femme. It was admittedly a purely impulsive deed, but the proprietor, who looked faintly skeptical (not uncommon among the breed), accepted me at face value.

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