Her face peaked innocently, and she pursed her lips until they were soft – something he was afraid she had learned from a certain movie they had seen together – and she said, ‘Why Lully, there’s nothing to make up.’

He had never been able to contend with coyness, and he insisted, ‘Now there is something. I’d … I … couldn’t we talk a little about it?’

She saw his eyes all round and big through the glasses, his lips so red from the hot coffee seemed fat. Unconsciously she drew in her lips to destroy any resemblance. ‘I don’t like it here, Lully, that’s all the trouble is.’

Sorry, he frowned. ‘You mean Mother being here or the neighborhood?’

‘The neighborhood.’ Deliberately she mashed her cigarette in the saucer. ‘I think we ought to move away, maybe. To another city.’

Apprehensively he lowered his head toward the table to meet her continually dropping gaze. ‘Now let’s try to examine things, dear. Please …’ He chucked her under the chin and she allowed him to raise her head. ‘What can I do about it? Think a minute. What exactly can I do?’

‘Go in to Fred. He’s not some kind of a devil, he’s …’

‘You don’t mean that.’

‘Well I do, Lully,’ she said defensively.

‘After the way he insulted us?’

‘He didn’t actually insult us ….’

‘But he did, dear.’

‘Yeh, but …’ The splotches were blooming as she struggled. ‘I happen to know one thing, Lully.’ Her eyes, filling with redness, disturbed him.

‘What, dear?’ he prompted with additional gentleness.

‘They’re drawring a ring around us here. Now wait a minute, they are. Every time I go to the butcher you ought to see the way they give me the eye.’

‘Who?’

‘All of them. Mrs Bligh, Mrs Cassidy, especially that one with the old Packard near the corner on the other side.’

‘What do you mean, give you the eye?’

‘I mean give me the eye. I know when somebody’s giving me the eye and when they ain’t. They look at me like I just come off the boat.’

‘Did they always do that?’

‘No. That’s what I been trying to tell you. Somebody’s talking to them about us. I can feel it going on. They’re drawing a ring around us as clear as chalk. I’m telling you, Lully, they’re going to clean out this neighborhood as sure as you’re born.’

He looked down worriedly at the crumb he had forced under his nail.

‘What I want to know,’ she went on, ‘is which end of the broom are we going to be on. We can’t sit on the stick, Lully.’

Without meeting her gaze he said, ‘They’re not getting away with it. Don’t you worry.’ He looked up, determined.

‘What are we going to do about it?’

‘There’s nothing to do but ignore them. They’re just not pushing me out, dear.’

‘Ignore it.’

‘Yes, just don’t pay any attention.’

‘Well, what am I here for, then? The way you told it, it was such a nice block, such friendly people. I thought we’d have friends, parties, something to do. I’m living like a horse that goes into his stable every night after work.’