Facing him, her lips hardly parted, Beth said, "I should think you would trust me, being we love each other and all. I was rehearsing until a half hour ago and Alex dropped me off. I've been here since then." Pendleton's hands fell to his sides. "Well, nothing I guess is wrong. I'm just jumpy. This changing thing bothers me." Beth reached out and patted his arm. "It's okay, Ben?" "Yeah." He sat down in the tan chair and looked up at her. "Want to eat here tonight, by the fire? I'll have the Flying Something deliver food." "Good. And send out for a bottle or two." Beth bent and kissed him. "Trust me again?" He brushed at her hair and nodded. * * * * * Pendleton dropped too much wood into the fireplace and a stick snapped out onto the rug. He gingerly picked up the stick and poked it back into the flames. He went back to the low sofa Beth was on. He found his glass in the dark and refilled it from the pitcher. Beth reached out with one bare foot and stroked the side of his head. She had put on a dark blue dress with several stiff lace petticoats and whenever he tried to touch her she made crackling sounds. "You're really a nice fellow," Beth said, finding his ear with her toe. "So are you," he said, finishing his drink. "Maybe we should go ahead and get married." Ben agreed and poured fresh drinks. "Ben?" "Yeah?" "I'm sorry." She was crying. "What is it?" "It _was_ me this afternoon. I _have_ been doing those things. I never went to any highly recommended man at all." Pendleton felt tolerant. "So what? Things will work out somehow." * * * * * Beth sat up. "I can't stop it, Ben." Pendleton thought he heard an odd quaver in her voice. "You're not onstage now, kid. Save the phony touches." Her leg swung round, just missing his head, and she stood up. "That's your trouble. You're totally incapable of comprehending." "I comprehend you. You're loony and a liar." Beth slapped him. "It'll be simpler if I stop being me!" Pendleton had somehow gotten his arm stuck under the sofa. "Take it easy." He was aware of a rustling sound and when he got loose and came up he saw Beth naked by the window for an instant. As he looked she changed. Then there were two tan sofa chairs in the room. Pendleton called Beth's name over and over, but she wouldn't come back. It got cold in the apartment after a time and he threw all the wood he could find in the fire. He crawled over to the martini pitcher and drank from it. He noticed that some sticks had fallen out and landed in the tangle of petticoats Beth had left and he smiled at the disorder of everything and put his head back against the sofa. Petticoats crackling woke him. Even before he got his head up very high in the room, he was coughing. The room was turning bright, sparkling orange. "Beth!" he said. "Beth!" There were still the two tan sofa chairs. "Beth, sober up now! Come on, change! We've got to get out!"