have done her so much damage and I must learn to take good care of her in every way I can. If I think of her and of her only, everything will be all right.

“I won’t say ‘you know’ all the time any more,” he told her. “We can start with that.”
She shook her head and he could feel her tremble.
“You say it all you want,” she said and kissed him.
“Please don’t cry, my blessed,” he said.

“I don’t want you to sleep with any lousy pillow,” she said.
“I won’t. Not any lousy pillow.”
Stop it, he said to himself. Stop it right now.

“Look, tu,” he said. “We’ll go down now and have lunch in our old fine place by the fire and I’ll tell you what a wonderful kitten you are and what lucky kittens we are.”
“We really are.”
“We’ll work everything out fine.”
“I just don’t want to be sent away.”
“Nobody is ever going to send you away.”

But walking down the stairs feeling each stair carefully and holding to the banister he thought, I must get her away and get her away as soon as I can without hurting her. Because I am not doing too well at this. That I can promise you. But what else can you do? Nothing, he thought. There’s nothing you can do. But maybe, as you go along, you will get good at it.

The End