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voice. The letters on the counter quivered. Thepostmistress's face wore an expression of reUsh.Lai Chandra could not understand thewoman.'Oh my name,' he began, 'you want myname—''I don't want your number, that's for sure,'cried Mabel smartly.'Chandulal Chandra.'The postmistress looked at him, silent.'Chandulal Chandra. That's my name.'The eyes were glinting. 'If you say so, Ibelieve you,' she said.Whap whap-whap, whap.Lai Chandra was desperate.'Is my letter here then, please?'No whap letters here whap-whap, for anyoneof that name, whap.''Thank you.'He marched out very straight and stiff' thefringe of his scarf flapping behind him, vowingthat he would change his postal addressthe very next day.When Mrs Greenberger got back from AuntyElla's with Dora that evening, she found herlodger waiting on the front step. 'Por fing,' saidMrs Greenberger, 'standing out here in thecold, wifout even an overcoat to keep youwarm.''I never wear an overcoat,' said Lai Chandrahastily, looking vaguely across at the rooftopson the other side of the street.Mrs Greenberger decided to be kind. 'Look,'she said, 'I will show you where we keep thespare key, so fat you will be able to get in ifwe are not home.' She bent down and scrabbledamong the flower-pots beside the door.'Here,' she said, 'underneath the fyme, in thefird pot from the end.''I thought you said you weren't going toshow him where the key was,' Dora cried, witha glance at Lai Chandra. He went hot and coldall over. Gods! What did they think he was?A bandit?Mrs Greenberger pretended not to hear. Shefelt around in her purse for her own key.'Do you have a tail?' Dora asked Lai Chandra.'What?''Do you have a tail? There.' She pulled atthe end of his scarf.'Dora, don't pull Lai's ta— scarf.'Dora looked at her mother, and gave thefringed edges another little flick.'Leave it alone!' shrieked Mrs Greenberger.'Gods!' thought Lai Chandra. They werealways screaming.'Thank you Mrs Greenberger,' he saidquietly.'Poor fing, I don't like to see you beingtormented,' she repUed- as they went into thebright little haU.« * *Lai Chandra took off his jacket, unwoundhis scarf, and switched on one bar of the radiator.Two he didn't dare, just in case MrsGreenberger should come in, as she did nowand then, just to see if he was keeping theplace clean. She would not have said anything,of course, and would keep her eyes carefuUyaverted from the radiator. But later, he knew,she would just happen to mention to him, inthe way of conversation, how heavy the electricitybiU had been that month. He sank downinto a chair and put his head in his hands. Hewould have to tell her that his cheque was lateagain and he wouldn't be able to pay his rentyet. O Gods!It was not, of course, that she would makea fuss, or throw him out of the house. No,thought Lai Chandra gloomily, she would notdo that. It was just the way she had, the, yes,sinister- way of being nice that made himquiver to his very marrow; that made him wisheven, that he boarded with the S.E.3 postmistressin her dark burrow rather than in thepoHshed room of Mrs Greenberger. He leanedback and felt himself slide over the cold shinysurface of the armchair. Through the wall hecould hear Dora screaming with laughter. 'Iwouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole,' sheshrieked. Mrs Greenberger's voice was lower,he could not make out what she was saying.What were they talking about? What did theyhave out there?'Lai,' called Mrs Greenberger. 'Lally. Comeout here. I have a surprise for you.'Very very cautiously, Lai Chandra made hisway out into the kitchen. Mrs Greenberger washolding something up in front of her. It wasan overcoat.'Come here,' she said, 'let me see how itlooks on you.''But I never wear an overcoat,' he protested.'Yes, you never wear an overcoat—and whathappens? You freeze. Come here.'24 WESTERLY, No. 1, MARCH, 1 968