Episode 4

" Well, I wasn't. When i talked about Europe, a cottage on the island--."

" Norma, why are you getting so involved in this?"

" I'm not involved at all." She drew in a shaking breath." I'm simply trying to indicate that--."

" What?"

" That I'd like for us to go to Europe. Like for us to have a cottage on the island. Like for us to have nicer apartment, nicer furniture, nicer clothes, a car."

" Norma, we will," he said.

He stared at her in dismay.

" Norma--"

" When?"

"Are you" ____he seemed to draw back sightly___"are you really saying__"

"I'm saying that they're probably doing it for some research project!" she cut him off.

" That they want to know what average people would do under such circumstance! That they are just saying that someone would die, in order to study reactions, see if there would be guilt, anxiety, whatever! You don't really think they'd kill somebody, do you?"

Arthur didn't answer. She saw his hands trembling. After a while, he got up and left.

When he'd gone to work, Norma remained at the table, staring into her coffee. I'm going to be late, she thought. She shrugged. What difference did it make?

While she was stacking dishes, she turned abruptly, dried her hands, and took package from the bottom cabinet. Opening it, she set the button unit on the table. She stared at the button. How ridiculous, she thought. All this furore over a meaningless button.

Reaching out, she pressed it down. For us, she thought angrily.

She shrugged. Was it happening? A chill of horror swept across her

In a moment, it had passed. She made a contemptuous noise. Ridiculous she though. To get so worked up over nothing.

She throw the button, doom and key into waste basket and hurried to dress for work.

She had just turned over for supper steaks when the telephone rang. She picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Lewis?"

"Yes?"

"Thus the Lenox hill hospital."

She felt unreal as the voice informed her of the subway accident--the shoving crowd, Arthur pushed from the platform in front of the train. She was conscious of shaking her head but couldn't stop.

As she hung up, she remembered Arthur's life-insurance policy for $25,000, with double indemnity for--.

"No." She couldn't seem to breathe. She struggled to het feet and walked into the the kitchen numbly. Something cold pressed st her skull as she removed the button unit from the waste basket. There were no nails or screws visible. She couldn't see how it was put together.

Abruptly, she began to smash it on the sink edge, pounding it harder and harder, untill the wood spilt. She pulled the sides apart, cutting her fingers without noticing. There were no transistors in the box, no wires or tubes.

The box was empty.

She whirled with a gasp as the telephone rang. Stumbling into the living room, ahe picked up the receiver.

"Mrs. Lewis?" Mr. Steward asked.

It wasn't her voice shrieking so; it couldn't be. "You said I wouldn't know the one that died!"

      " My dear lady," Mr. Steward said. " Do you really think you knew you husband?"

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