In fact he spent most of the Labor Day weekend working on his presentation for Mr. Quigg. He was going to the bank on Tuesday morning and Sally became increasingly nervous as he talked to her about it.

Yes, she nodded, it was a good time… the first day of school… fall at last in the air, a new season… a perfect psychological moment.

"For God's sake, pay attention!" Ray snapped at her suddenly, and she jumped. Hadn't she been paying attention? "You don't want to stay here at all, do you?" he continued accusingly. "You don't like Tennessee-you want to move to a city-why don't you come right out and say so?"

"Oh, no," she said, seating herself in her husband's lap, "I do want to stay here, darling. All our plans… and there's our lot in Hickory Acres… I want exactly what you do. I-it's just that I'm afraid you'll be so disappointed if-" she broke off, tears in her lovely grey eyes.

"I'm sorry, honey," he groaned, "I'm trying to take out my own doubts and frustrations on you. Sometimes I even wonder if we should have got married at all… your parents were right, you know, you could have done a lot better."

"Ray Denham, you stop that silly talk! I could never in this world have done any better. I love you."

They clung to each other wordlessly, but even as their lips were meeting the inevitable question was drumming through Sally's brain, what should I do? Suppose that she did let John Blodgett come here… that she permitted him to make love to her… it was only a half-hour or so out of a lifetime, and then he would be committed to keep his promise because once they had done it they were equally guilty and she could tell his wife. Innocently, Sally believed that Lauralee must be the reason for driving John Blodgett to proposition another woman.

His wife was beautiful and aristocratic, but perhaps there was something lacking sexually. Only why did he want her, then, when she couldn't even satisfy Ray, her own husband! No, she couldn't go through with it, not even for Ray's sake. Just the idea of it turned her stomach… another man, inside her… no, no, no.