Barbara, a little woman, a glistening trinket brunette, walked into the office, looking at everything with great curiosity. "You finished with Joe that fast?" she said.

"The faster the better, wouldn't you say?" said Dr. Abekian tautly. He closed the door. "I understand you haven't been quite honest with your husband," he said.

She nodded.

"We know each other, you see," Dr. Abekian said to Joe. Joe licked his lips. "I see," he said.

"You now wish to be completely honest with your husband?" Dr. Abekian said to Barbara. "You want me to help you achieve that honesty?" he said.

Barbara shrugged weakly. "Whatever the doctor thinks best," she said.

Dr. Abekian closed his eyes. "The doctor thinks," he said, "that Mr. Cunningham should know that his wife, while a student nurse, was pregnant by me. An abortion was arranged for, the job was botched, and the patient was made sterile ever after."

Joe said nothing. It would be some time before anything coherent came to him.

"You went to a lot of trouble to bring this moment about," said Dr. Abekian to Barbara.

"Yes," she said emptily.

"Is the revenge sweet?" said Dr. Abekian.

"It isn't revenge," she said, and she went over to look at the thousands of identical images in the gla.s.s blocks.

"Then why would you go to so much trouble?" said the doctor.

"Because you were always so much better than I was at explaining why everything we did was all for the best," she said, "every step of the way."

BOOKS BY KURT VONNEGUT

Bluebeard

Breakfast of Champions

Cat's Cradle

Deadeye d.i.c.k

Galapagos

G.o.d Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

Jailbird

Mother Night

Palm Sunday

Player Piano

The Sirens of t.i.tan

Slapstick

Slaughterhouse-Five

Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons

Welcome to the Monkey House