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THE LETTER WAS DELIVERED SHORTLY AFTER TEN THE NEXT MORNING

I took it into the kitchen to Anne, wondering why I felt so uneasy about it I could see, fro on the envelope, that it was fro Elsie ere going to see Anne’s ht; and wondered if it had been more than a coincidence Anne opened the letter and started to read it I watched the expression of worry come into her face

"Oh, no," she said

It is your mother I almost spoke the words aloud; then, quickly, closed my mouth before she noticed She looked up

"Mother’s ill," she said

I stared at her I could hear the clock ticking on the cupboard

"No," I said

She thought I was referring to the letter She went on reading it and I felt a great weight dragging down inside ofto feel sick

"Dad say she’s-"

She stopped instantly and looked at ain She did this several tiainst her will

"What is it?" Her voice was low and frightened I shook ," I said My voice sounded brittle and artificial

She kept looking atheavily I couldn’t take my eyes from her I saw her chest shake with uncontrolled breath

"I want you to tell " I felt dizzy The roo to fall

"What is it?"

"It’s nothing" Like a brainless parrot repeating I kept staring at her

"To

The sound that cauttural, shaking exhalation of fright Anne actually shrank back fro

"What is it?" Her voice was hollow, ready to shatter I sed but the lu, I tried to speak but couldn’t I shook ain That’s all I could do; shake asp, she pushed byroo stopped

"Hello," I heard her say Silence "Dad!"

And that was all Absolute silence I pressed both shaking pal at the spread ringers

I heard her hang up I stood waiting Don’t, I thought Don’t come in here Don’t look atacross the living rooed Please Don’t look at me

I heard her stop in the kitchen doorway She didn’t speak I sed dryly Then I had to turn I couldn’t bear it, just standing there with all her thoughts assailingat me I’d seen a stare like that only once before in irl as looking at her dog lying crushed in the street; a look co disbelief

"You knew," she said

I reached out an i the revulsion in her voice now; the fear "You knew this too You knew before he called"

"Anne-"

With a gagging sound, she whirled and fled the living room I started after her "Anne!" She rushed into the bathrooainst it just after she’d locked it Inside, I heard the start of her dry, chest-racking sobs

"Anne, please!"

"Get away fro helplessly, listening to her heartbroken sobs as she wept for her

She left for Santa Barbara early that afternoon, taking Richard with her I didn’t even ask if she wantedI knew she didn’t She hadn’t spoken a word to me from the time she’d come out of the bathroom till the time she drove away Dry-eyed and still, she’d packed a few of her and Richard’s things into an overnight bag, then dressed Richard and herself and left I didn’t speak to her Can you speak to your wife at a tione, I stood on the lawn looking at the spot where the car had turned left onto the boulevard The sun was hot on lintedti empty and dead

"You too, haah?"

I twitched sharply as so across the street I saw Frank in his shorts coht you were a staunch supporter of Saturday work," he called I stared at him He put down the mower and started toward me With a convulsive shudder, I turned away and went back into the house As I closed the door behindquizzically toward our house He shook his head and then bent over to adjust the grass-catcher

I turned from the door and walked to the sofa I sat down and lay my head back I closed my eyes and saw, in my mind, the look on her face when she had co I’d said to Anne the night after Phil had hypnotized me Maybe we’re all ot the laer out of the garage and started working on the front lawn Staying in the house was e; it was a closet of cruel reminders So I put on

It was a fruitless effort The, enhanced introspection Then again, in the state I was in, I doubt if there was an activity in the world which could have htmare

Not even a week had passed since that party at Elsie’s house; yet, in those short days, s had happened to me than had happened in the previous twenty-seven years And it was getting worse; ht about Anne, about the horror in her eyes as she realized that I’d known her mother was dead-even before her father had phoned I put myself in her position It wasn’t hard to see why she’d reacted as she had The double shock of dread and grief could have snapped anyone

"Hey, there"

I started and looked around Harry Sentas was standing on his porch looking ata crooked swath lower than the level of his grass,