367 pp. A half-inch tear and another small half-inch piece missing in dj, associated rubbing on one corner of book, approx. 3/8 inch, visible in photo. Otherwise fine. 'He inserted the letter into the beggar's brass pencil cup. The last enveliope in the deck was made of sawtooth-edged crepe paper, a pleasing shade of violet. The person who had sent the letter apparently answered to a romance novel cognomen. Aboe the return address she had written the name Desdemona Dauphin. Sylvia had released her silly roman a clef The Bell Jar under an arch pseudonym as well. Victoria something. Desdemona Dauphin lived in nearby Saint James. He couldn't help but be curious. He stopped in a little auberge. Ted was out of breath and wanted to rest or possibly sleep for a few hours. His room had a small bed, a table and a chair, and a full-length mirror that he attempted to take down from the wall while avoiding looking into the glass. The mirror was bracketed and it would have to be endured. In order to come to terms, he dared a glance at his own reflection. He had raccoon eyes, and a face that was as blanched as a gas light player. He lay down on the bed. He opened the little violet letter. Desdemona Dauphin was so disconsolate at the suicide of Ted's wife that the thought of killing herself had crossed her mind. She went on in that vein for three succinct paragraphs. She ended the letter by providing her telephone number.'