McKee was glad it was dark。 Judging from the sound of her voice； she was on the ragged edge of tears。
〃I didn't have a chance to tell you；〃 he said。 〃We think maybe that electrical engineer you were looking for may be working somewhere way up the canyon。〃
〃Jim？ Did you find him？〃
〃Some Indians saw a van truck driving up in here。 Do you know if he was pulling a generator？〃
〃There was a little trailer behind his truck；〃 she said。 〃Would that be a generator？〃
〃Probably；〃 McKee said。 He searched his mind for some way to keep this conversation going； to keep her from thinking of sudden death。
〃I noticed your ring； Miss Leon。 Is this Dr。 Hall…er； Jim…the one you're engaged to？〃 i
〃Why don't you call me Ellen？〃 she said。 There was a pause。 〃Yes； I was going to marry him。〃
McKee noticed the past tense instantly。 And then it occurred to him why she used it。 She thought she would soon be dead。
〃What's he like？〃 McKee asked。 〃Tell me about him。〃
〃He's tall；〃 she said。 〃And rather slim。 Blond hair； blue eyes。 He's very handsome really。 And he's…he's； well…sometimes moody。 And sometimes very happy。 And always very smart。〃
The voice stopped。 I match none of that； McKee thought； except the mood part。
〃He graduated magna cum laude。〃 The voice paused； then continued； 〃And our society doesn't have the proper respect for magna cum laude。〃
〃I guess not；〃 McKee said。
Ellen laughed。 〃I was quoting Jim；〃 she said。 〃Jim is…well； Jim is very ambitious。 He wants things。 He wants a lot of things； and he's very； very smart…and…and so he'll get them。〃
〃I don't know why；〃 McKee said。 〃But I guess I never was very ambitious。〃 He wished instantly that he hadn't said it。 It sounded self…pitying。
〃What else about him？〃 McKee asked。 He didn't enjoy hearing her talk about the man。 But it was better for her to talk； better than having her sitting silent in the dark…dreading tomorrow。 She talked rapidly now； sounding sometimes as if she had waited a long time for someone to listen； and sometimes as if she was talking only to herself； trying to understand the tale she was telling。
She had met Jim at Pennsylvania State on the first day of a Shakespeare's Tragedies class。 He had taken the chair to her left and she had hardly noticed him until the professor called the roll。 But the professor's voice had risen slightly in a question as he read 〃Jimmy Willie Hall〃 off the class card。 The professor had intended no rudeness and he made this clear by nodding in acknowledgment to Jim's 〃Heah；〃 but someone in the back of the room had sniggered and this churlishness to a stranger had embarrassed Ellen； embarrassed her all the more because she； too； had smiled at the ludicrous sound。 She had glanced at the young man with the outlandish name and noticed he wore cowboy boots and had a wide…brimmed gray felt hat pushed under his chair。 On a campus where styles were set by the casual； careless conformity of young men from Philadelphia one was as out of place as the other。 And； when she had looked at him again； she had seen that while his face； neck； and hands were incredibly sunburned his forearms about the wrists were as white as the shirt he was wearing。
〃He looked very strange and out of place；〃 Ellen said。 And suddenly she laughed。 〃I thought he would be lonely；〃 she said； sounding incredulous。
She had spoken to this Jimmy Willie Hall in the lecture building hallway。 Jim had said； in reply to her ment that he wasn't from the East； that he was from Hall； New Mexico； and when she had asked where that was； he had said he wasn't really from Hall； exactly； because their place was twenty one miles northwest of there； in the foothills of the Oscura Mountains。 It was just that they picked up their mail at Hall。 He guessed he should say he was from Corona； which was larger and slightly closer。
The conversation had been inane and pointless； Ellen recalled； as exploratory chats with strangers tend to be。 She asked why； if Corona was larger and nearer； they picked up their mail at Hall； and he had explained that there was no road from the Hall ranch to Corona。 To get there you had to go through the Oscura Range and Jicarilla Apache Reservation or over the malpais…across seven miles of broken lava country。 You can't even get a horse over that； he had explained。 The only time he had tried； his horse had broken a leg and he had been bitten by a rattlesnake。
〃That sounds like he was trying to impress me；〃 she said。 〃But he wasn't。 A girl can tell about that。 He was just telling me about a silly mistake he had made。〃 Ellen's voice stopped。 〃I guess I knew right then he wasn't lonely；〃 she continued； thoughtfully； 〃and that I had never seen anyone like him。〃
He had seemed； she remembered； like someone visiting from the far side of the globe her father kept in the office of his pharmacy…someone pletely foreign to all she knew。 As different from the men she had dated as his empty Oscura foothills were from her family's elm…shaded residential street in a Philadelphia suburb。
〃You remember Othello〃？〃 Ellen asked suddenly。
〃Othello？〃 McKee said； surprised。
〃Yes。 The Moor of Venice。 We studied it that semester； after Hamlet。 You remember how Desdemona was fascinated by Othello？〃
〃I remember；〃 McKee said； trying to remember。
〃That was us；〃 Ellen said。 〃That was our private joke。〃
〃Remember how it goes？〃 She paused a moment。
〃A maiden never bold；
Of spirit so still and quiet that her motion
Blush'd at herself； and she…in spite of nature；
Of years； of country； credit； everything…
To fall in love with what she fear'd to look on！
It is a judgment maim'd and most imperfect。。。〃
〃Yes；〃 said McKee； 〃I remember it。〃 He felt immensely sad。
〃I would say that；〃 Ellen said； 〃and Jim would say Othello's lines：
〃It was my hint to speak…such was the process；
And of the Cannibals that each other eat。
The Anthropophagi； and men whose heads
Do grow beneath their shoulders。 This to hear
Would Desdemona seriously incline。。。'〃
Ellen stopped again。 And when she continued the voice was shaky。
〃I loved him for the dangers he had passed。
And he loved me that I did pity them。〃
McKee reached across the darkness and found her hand。 〃It's going to be all right；〃 he said。 〃We'll get out of here and find him。〃
〃Can't you understand？〃 she asked； and her voice sounded angry now。 〃Why should I pity someone like Jim Hall？ Why should anyone pity anybody who has everything？〃
McKee couldn't think of an answer。
〃Because he doesn't know he has everything？〃 Ellen suggested。 〃Because he isn't happy？
〃Sometimes he is； but mostly he isn't。 He's angry。 He says he's caught in a system which keeps you on the treadmill。 Forty years on the treadmill； he says。 He talks about it a lot； about how it takes a million dollars to beat the system； to pay your own ransom； to buy back your own life。〃
She laughed again； a bitter sound。 〃I guess he。。。 Well； I guess Jim will make a million dollars；〃 she said。
〃Not teaching on an engineering faculty；〃 McKee said。
〃Oh； he's not going to do that；〃 she said。 〃He's going with one of the electronic munications products panies and he's bringing along one of his patents； so it's a very good job。〃
〃Is that what he's working on out here？〃 McKee asked。 〃Trying it out。〃
〃Oh； no。 This is another one； I think。 I…well； I wish I understood it better。 Something to do with very narrow…range sound transmission。 He explained it to me…quite often…but I don't really understand it。〃
McKee started to ask her why she was looking for Dr。 Hall and bit back the question。 The answer was obvious； and none of his business。 A woman who loves a man would simply want to see him。
〃Dr。 Canfield was nice； he was nice； a nice man；〃 Ellen said。 〃But he was too polite to ask why I was chasing after Jim。 And you've been nice； too。 But would you like to know？〃
〃It's your private business；〃 McKee said。 〃No； I don't want to know。〃
〃I want to tell you。 I have to tell someone；〃 she said。 〃I came because I wanted to tell Jim…to tell him that I think he's wrong； and he's going to have to make a choice。 He's got to quit wanting a million dollars。 He has to。 I've e all the way out here。 He has to