right then I would think that perhaps she longs to live through some of the happiest times of her life again. She was always SO marvellously kind and thoughtful to me, and - and she made you her heir and for my part I'd like make the opportunity which she could take if she wanted to. But perhaps you wouldn't like to have to spend so much of your time as a woman per- haps even have to to fulfill a female function for I'm sure she was no prude - perhaps you'd rather stay a man?”

"Margaret,'

(he was still in bed)

here." He held her

her foundly on the

said

Ian

come over

and kissed cheek and

as she blushed in confusion, added: "Aunt Millie wasn't the only kindly person in this house. That was a marvellous thought and every now and then we'll do just that. And I'll do exactly what Great Aunt Millie wants to do, no matter what." He didn't add which he might have that while his love for his Great Aunt, and his gratitude to her, was immeasurable and he would do anything in the world to please her, the thought of an unlimited series of dressing up sessions stretching on and on into the future, thrilled him beyond belief. 'More than a hundred' different outfits in the storeroom Mar- garet had said. More than a hundred incredibly real exper- iences. He trembled with excit- ment at the prospect. 'Supposing he thought, supposing Margaret dressed me once a month. That would mean eight nine years before I'd worn everything, and then we could start over again from the beginning.' He thought further - 'But I couldn't possibly wait as long as a whole month between dressings twice a month would still mean that I can go for something over four years without repeating anything. It'll be fabulous.'

A few days later it occurred to him that it might even be pos-

sible to check whether his Great Aunt really did want to relive her past experience through him or not for, although he might be fantisizing, he felt that perhaps he could make contact with her through her portrait in the hall.

wee

It was wintertime and very cold and he'd had a big fire built in the enormous fireplace in the hall. Now he sat down by it facing the portrait and gazing long at the beautiful face with its smiling lips and laughing eyes. Even more strongly than usual he felt that she was trying to say something to him. At length, almost mesmerised by her beauty he was hardly aware of murmur- ing "Millie, dear, would you really like me to do this? To wear your clothes so you can come back again for a while?" His ears heard nothing but his mind was aware of a soft voice answering "Yes please Ian dear," and in the flickering firelight he was con- vinced that he saw her lips move. Afterwise he decided not to say anything about it to Margaret for fear she might think him foolish, but he was strengthened in his belief that his theory about what had been happening was right. And he was streng- thened even further when he discovered that, on the morn- ings of days on which he inten- ded to have a session, he would wake up with a date firmly fixed in his mind. Invariable, when he told Margaret the date, she found that there was a costume stored away by his great-aunt which matched it. and that was the costume he would wear that evening. Firmly he refused to visit the storeroom and examine the boxes lest he should cause a preference of his own for a particular outfit to outweigh his great- aunt's choice.

Then began a period of absolute ecstacy for Ian. Every couple of weeks or so Margaret would push, pull, persuade, lace his male figure into another

of the outfits which had been so carefully stored away by Great-Aunt Millie. And each time, before his dressing was completed, he had been trans- formed in every every detail into

Great-Aunt Millie herself. This changeover, this miracle of what could only be the power of mind over matter, was a continual delight to him his fabulous figure, enchanting face, attractive personality, were all he could ever have wished for in his wildest imagining. As Millie he found himself universally admired, not only by men but also by women for she was one of those delightful people who only inspire love in others and never malice or envy. And as session followed session both he and margaret came to accept the situation without question. Transformation was a routine process-an unbelievaby marvellous process, but still a routine process.

There was still, however, one question to be resolved. Up until the time when Ian had been dressing for about a year Millie had only chosen outfits which she'd worn in the years after the end of World War Two. But one Saturday morn- ing Ian said, as Margaret brought him his morning tea: "Morning Margaret, for tonight Great-Aunt Millie wants June 17, 1933." He paused then continued "Well, now we'll know. Who was her lady's maid then do you remember?"

"A maid called Susan -‘old Susan' we used to call her. Miss Millie had the same maid from the time she first came out in 1910 until I was given the position in 1946. In 1933 I was just 12."

"Is Susan still alive, do you dnow?"

"No, she died quite soon after she retired. Early 1948 I think it was." He thought for a while, then went on, “I Can't believe anything unplea- would happen to you- Millie wouldn't let it. I wonder

sant