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to speak to you about this, and to see if something can't be done to make it look more presentable."

Susan then curtly told Jan to sit down on the sofa, while she in turn, occupied a straight backed chair directly opposite him.

His mother than started talking, as she addressed her son, in a hard, unemotional, and matter of fact tone of voice,

"First of all, from now on you are to be called Janet, and you will be addressed only by that name. As far as I am concerned Jan has gone for good, and in that respect always remember that you were the one responsible for his disappearance. Now, this is what I have to tell you. Today I obtained an editorial position with our local newspaper, and shall begin working full time next Monday. So that from now on, you will be completely in charge of the house, meals and everything. However, conditions around here will now be completely different from what they have been in the past.

"Starting at once, I shall be eating all my meals alone in the dining room, while you will eat yours in the kitchen, from where you will now wait on me, as the servant we have decided you are.

Further, as I now intend to scon do quite a bit of entertaining of the

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people with whom I will be working, also those I shall be meeting in my new vocation, you will serve, in addition to your other duties, as parlor maid when the occasion arises.

As I cannot afford to have anyone learn that my parlor maid is also my son, you will from now on cease to call me mother, at any or all times. In order that you can more quickly become accustomed to our new relationship, you are now always to think of me as your mistress, and address me accordingly. As a consequence, you will now, and at all times, call me either mam or madam, or when appropriate, Mrs. Eastwood. You, as I mentioned, will from now on be Janet, and as a servant, you will not require a last name."

Jan was naturally stunned as he listened to his mother cooly outline the terms of their future relationship, and for the moment could scarcely believe his ears.

Although he was well aware that this had been changing almost from day to day, and it was true that he was the one that had actually requested that he be allowed to reduce himself to a servant's status in his own home, he had never anticipated that his real position would actually fall so low as he had now been told would be the case. In one respect however, he was greatly relieved to learn that they would no longer