Early in September Karen moved to Manitou. In the summer she had told him that the affair with Palmer was done and she was going to apply for a teaching position in Manitou. She did not say what had happened or what she expected of him now that he was seeing someone else. He said that he did not want trouble. It was cruel, but she did not seem to feel it. She said that she would not be in his way.

Anne was suspicious. He told her that he did not intend to see Karen more often or let her interfere with his life. She was not assured, although she tried to hide it. One evening in November they ran into Karen on Clark Street. After the introductions she excused herself quickly. He told Anne that she had been nervous, even afraid. Anne said that he would hear from her, and not about his regular visit.

She was right. Karen called him the next morning.

“I’m sorry it happened, Joe. I didn’t want to meet her. It was an accident.”

“Take it easy, kid. It doesn’t mean as much as you want to think it does.”

“She knows about me, doesn’t she? Do you want to marry her?”

“I can’t discuss that with you.”

“I deserve whatever I get, I know. Listen, I’m sorry about what I did to you. I’m trying to put myself together again. I came here because I wanted to get away from that town. You had a right to see Steffie. There’s nothing more to it.”

“There shouldn’t be. I hope you know that.”

“Some day I’ll tell you what happened to me,” she said.

“I don’t want to hear it—”

She knew that she had gone too far. Perhaps it had been a slip, but it did not matter. He had reacted as if she had tried the cheapest trick, and she could see it, too. She hung up.

Later, what she might have intended was lost, for he could not help staying angry with her for having gotten to his feelings, and he distrusted and even disliked her more. He had the feeling that she would know that she had made him want to be closer to Anne, but he had to wonder if she was going to see that Anne’s insight into her did not enhance Anne in his eyes. Doing what Anne had predicted made Karen the more pitiable, and he was too distorted and confused by pity, apprehension, and lack of love to be of much use to someone who had the right to make strong demands upon him. He did not like it, yet he could not strip himself of his confusion to do something about it.