Her humiliation was complete. She looked down at the Swiss steak bathed in greasy gravy. It was one thing to accept Walter’s “taking her in hand.” But what she had done with the ring made her vulnerable to him in an excruciating way. Oh, if she could only take back the moment, the impulse. Yet Walter seemed merely amused in his usual bullying fashion. What had she been up to with those two disagreeable-looking women?

Later, she hardly noticed where they were walking.

“Annie, we’re here,” Walter said.

“Here?” she echoed miserably. Then she looked up to see the Los Angeles bus station. He went directly to a wall of lockers, Annie trailing behind him. There, he took a key from his pocket, unlocked a metal door, and dragged out his sea bag. He turned to face her. People milled around them; some hurried to loading platforms.

“I filled up the gas tank of the car,” he said. “It’s parked right in front of the apartment house.”

“But where are you going?”

“New York.” He took her hand. “I’ve got to go. We’re almost out of money. I have to go back and get another trip.”

“Trip? Where?”

“Maybe the Murmansk run, this time.”

“But you didn’t say anything!” she burst out.

“No,” he acknowledged without emphasis. “But one or two more runs and I’ll have enough for a stake. The car, you know, and your clothes, big outlays of cash. After, I’ll be back and get a job out here. Won’t that be good, Annie? You must have known I’d have to leave soon. You’ve got to find a better job—that’s what you have to do. And keep in touch with the people you met. Paul Lavan is going to get you into some kind of political activity. I want you to get involved with the party—you need that, Annie…”

“You didn’t tell me,” she said again, forcing her voice to be quiet, as though only in quietness could she convince herself of the enormity of it.

“I didn’t decide until yesterday. When I worked out the money situation.”

“But we were married yesterday!”

“And I knew I had to go.”

“Why can’t you get a job now?”

“I want some choice. I’d have to take anything now. This way, I’ll come back with enough money to look around. Come on, baby, calm down.” He shook her gently. They went to the platform where the New York bus was loading up with baggage and passengers. She felt ill and leaned against him.

“Listen, you take care of things. You’re a good girl. You’ll do that.”

“When will you be back?” Her voice trembled. She was trembling.