454
PARTISAN REVIEW
the center of the living-room stood a wide old fire-black graced on
each side by shining brass andirons.
Miss Hotch and I walked toward a small neat sewing machine
which was surrounded by small neat packages of odd material.
She smiled inscrutably at me and took out a round yellow ball of
tape measure and fingered it idly. Her pale silver hair gleamed in
the sunlight.
"You live here alone?" I asked.
"Urn," she answered.
Not to look
ill
at ease I flung myself quietly into a chintz–
colored chair. The springs vibrated gently and subsided into a
quiet monotone.
"Oh," I said cheerfully, "it was the chair."
Miss Hotch gave me a look of quick suspicion.
"Why do you ask?" she said.
"Why do I ask-what?" I said.
"Why do you ask if I live here alone?"
As I hadn't the slightest idea as to why I had asked I made a
slight mumbling gesture of the mouth which could have been, "Oh,
I don't know," or, "oh, nothing," or something equally as
ambiguous.
"You're a stranger in town, aren't you?" the old lady sur–
veyed me keenly.
"Why-uh, yes-rather," I said guiltily. Then added hastily,
"But not for long. No indeedy, not for long."
She unrolled the tape measure and let the end of it fall to her
feet. The round amber cat leaped up from behind the footstool and
began to claw happily at the black stitched numbers. The old lady
·paid little attention. She was smiling at me.
"Oh, then you intend to
become one of us?"
her question was
8Weet and silvery.
·
With a feeling of deep gratitude I smiled ·hack, "Oh yes,
undoubtedly yes indeedy." My voice was healthy and hearty. I
could feel my diaphragm expand with sudden pleasure.
"Well then, my dear," she said, "let's try on the little skirts
and see what we can do with them- and for you."
I tried them on. They were much too long and hung like wall–
drapes over my primitive carcass.
"Tsk," said Miss Hotch, her mouth full of tiny pins.
