‘The Way up to Heaven Al her li, Mrs Foster had ad such 2 stong fear of musing 3 trun, plane, a boat of even the att of phy chat er fear wy alinost at illest. In other respess, she vas aot a parsiculaty nervous woman, bat just the thought of being late on occasions ike thexe would throw her inc acersible ste. Asa resulta smal ansle in the corner of her lett eye would begin ro tremble. te ‘was not very much, bur te annoying ching was that the problem refused to disappear until an hour oso after the tin oF plane ~| ‘or whatever it was — had been safely caught Tes relly strange how in certain people a simple fear about 3 thing ike catching 2 aan can grow into serious ansety. At leas Inalfan hour before it was time t leave the house for the sation, Mrs Foster would step out ofthe lif all eady t go, and chen, 3b she was unable ro sit dow, she would move about ffom room te oom uncil her husband, who mast have known about her sate of sind, ally joined her and suggested ina cool dry voice that perhaps they had better go now; had they not? ‘Mr Foster may possibly have had a right to be annoyed by this silliness of his wifes, but he could have had no excuse for increasing her anxiery by keeping her waiting unnecessarily. I 4s not, ofcourse certain that his what he did, but whenever they were going somewhere, his timing was so exact ~ just 3 ‘inate oF two late, you understand ~ and his manner so calm that it was had to Believe that he was not purposely exsing pain to the unhappy lady: He must have known that she would ‘never date to callout and tll him to harry. Hc hid trained hes too well for that. He aoust also have knoven that if he was Prepared twat just a ile longer chan was wise, he cook! make her nearly crazy. On one or two special occasions in the 40 later years of their maried ii seemed almost though he fd ame to mis the tan, simply to increase the poor woman’ safering I the husband war guilty, what made his behaviour doubly wnresionable wae the fice chat, with the exception ofthis fone small weakness, Mrs Fostcr was, and always had bec,» good an loving wife. For over thirey years she had served him loyally tnd well There was no daub about thi, Even she knew i, ane although she had! for years refined to let herself believe thie Mr Foster would ever consciously htt her, there fd been times rcenely when she had beggin to wonder Mr Eugene Foster, who wat nea seventy years ol ved swith his wife a eg sx-loor house in New York City on East 62nd Steet and they had four servants, Ie was a dark, cheerless pice. and few people came to vive them, But om this particalar ‘morning in January, the house had come alive and there was 2 teat deal of activity. One servant was leaving pies of dsheets tn every room, While another vse covering the firnitone with them, The butler ws bringing down eases and parting them in the ball The cook kept coming wp trom the kitchen to have a ‘word withthe butler, and Mrs Foster herself in an oldashioned far cout and 2 black hat was running from room t0 wom and pretending t© organize these operations. Actually. she wa thinking of nothing tall except the fet ehat she was going to ss her plane iF her husband did't come out of is sc 000 and get ready, “What time ist, Waker?” she asked the butler a she pasted him, “TG ten minutes past nine, madam? “hod has che car come?” “Yes, adam, it vnitng, Pm just going co pt the hagage in ‘Treakes an hour to get tothe airport she said“My plane eaves 4 Fiat eleven. I have tobe there halfan hour before tha to check in. 1 sal be lt. Ej oo Un going to be Lt "Think you have plenty of time, madara the buler sid kindly. "T wurned Me Foster that you must leave 3¢ 915, There’ stil another fve minutes, "Yes, Walker, know, I know. But get the luggage in quick will you, plese?” ‘She heyan walking up and down the hall ad whenever the burler came by, she asked him the tine. This, she Kepe telling Inrslf was the ane plane she must aot ms. ead ken months co persuade her husband to allow her to go. Ishe mised i, he right easily decide thar she should forget the whole dhing. And the wouble was thar he was determined to go tothe airport with her to sy goodbye. "Dear God! she aid outloud," going emis it know, | know. bra Tm going to ais i"The Kee muscle beside the left je vas wembling violently now The eyes themselves were very close to teas. "What time is it, Walker? Ie eighteen minutes pst, madam "Now I selly will miss i she erie. “Oh, I wish be would “This was an important journey for Mrs Foster. She was going, allalone to Paris to visi her daughter, her only child, who was nnarred toa Frenchnn. Mss Foster did not ike the Frenchman very much, bur she was fond ofhee daughter, and more than eat, she had developed a great dosnt see er thre grandchildren, She knew them only from the many photographs that she had received and chat she kept puting ap all over the house, They were beautfl, these children, She loved them, and each time a sew piceure arrived she would cary it sway and st with it for 3 Jong time, examining ie levingly and searching the sl ices for signs of dat old satfing blood hkenest that meant «9 misc 2 And now, recenty she had come more atid more to fel hit she did not really wish to end her days in a place where she could not be near these children, nd le thems vise her and take the for walks, and buy them presents, and watch them grow She knew. of course that i was wrong and in 2 way disloyal to ve thoughts Tike these while her husband wat sil ave, She Kew ako tha although he vas no longer active in busines, he work ‘never agree to leave New York and lve in Paris. ews extremely surprising that he had ever agreed to let her tly over here alone for six weeks to vist them. But, oh, how she wished she could live theze always, and be close to them! ‘Waker, what me isi?” “Twonty-tvo minutes pss, madam’ Ashe spoke,a door opened and Mr Foster came into the Hall He ood for + moment, looking carefilly at bis wife nd she Joke back at him—atehismall but next ok man with dhe lange beanded fice "Well! he sid, "I suppose perhaps we'd beter go soon if you want to catch that plane? “Yi, deat ~ ys! Everything’ ready The cars waiting” That’ gol” he sid. With his head over to one side, he was watching her closely. “Heres Walker with your coat, deat. Pu it on, she si, “TIT be with you in a moment he sid''m just going to wash ny hand? She waited for him, and he wall butler sood beside her, holding the coat and the hat Walker, wil as 2? "No, madam? the burler answered." think youl xtc i all right? ‘Then Mr Foster appeared again, and the butler helped htm ¢o ‘uc on his cont. Mrs Foster burried outside and got into the hired ‘ar. Her husband came after hes, but he walked down she eps BoyJ pausing halfiay ea look vp at the sky and to sel the col oring a “Tt looks a bit fog he sid ashe sat down beside her‘And its always worse our dee a the sport I should’ be murpited if the fight cane ake of! "Dont say that, dear ~ please? “They did’ speak again vn the cat had erosed over the #iver 1 Long Islan. AL amanged everything with the servants! Me Foster sad “They all going sway today. | ge them hal pay for sx woeks| sind told Walker Il write to hin when we wanted thems back “Yes she id. "He tld me TT move into dhe cla omit, lel bea nie change, saying, at the lab “Yes, dear. write to you! “1 cal in atthe house occasionally to see tha everyting al right and eo collect the mil! “uc dou you realy chink Walker should stay there all the time 19 look after things? she asked nervous “Nonsense ts guite unnecessary. And Ti have 3 pay him fill wages! ‘Oh, yes she sad. "OF course? ‘Whats more, you never knows what people do when they lef alone i a house! Mr Foster announced, and with that be took out a cigarete and lit ic with a gold lighter. ‘She sa till n dhe car with her hands eld tightly together. “Wil you write comic?" she aed, “Tl eet he aid. “Bot | doubt. You know I don’ ike lener~ \weting unless chere’ something partial 0 $92 "Yes, dear, now: So don’ trouble youre” They drove op, and as they came nearer to the fat land on "whieh the sirpore yas built the fog beyan to thicken and the car had ta slow down. “ “Ob, dea! ried Ms Fost What tine “Stop worrying’ the old man sid It docsn’ mater: They never ly in this ort of weather. 1 don't know why yo c tal ‘She could aot be sure, but it seemed to her that chore was suxldenly a ew note in his woice, and she teed to look 2 hie Te ys dificule to notice any change in his expresion under all hac hai. ‘OF course! he went on. if by any chance it dis go, then T se with you = you'l be cern to mie it now Why doste you set used ro the ides?" Se turned away and looked through the window atthe fog 1n scemed to be yoting thicker as they went along, and now she could only just se the edge of the road, She knew that hee husband’ eyes were ill on her She looked at him agin, and this time a wave of teror swept over her as she nosied that his eyes ‘were fixed on the ile place in the corner of her eye where she ‘Pin sue Um going to mise now! coll el the muscle trembling “Won't you?” he a Won’ I wha “Te are co mise it ow iit goes? We cant drive fst i this fog” He ida speak to her any more afer that: The car drove slowly ou aad on. The driver had a yellow himp directed onto the edge ofthe road, and this helped him to keep going, Other Highs, some white and wome yell, kept coming ove ofthe Fg towards them, and these was an especialy bright ane tht followed cose ‘behind thems al the tine. ‘Sueldenly the driver stopped the ca. “There!” Mr Foster ered. Wee stuck. know it? °Noysir the diver sai, curing round. This is the airport: Without a word, Mas Foster jumped out and hurried through the main entrance ino the building There vas a crowd of people By