"0h, yes, we are," Cissie hurried 0n. "Why d0 c0l0red girls straightentheir hair, bleach their skins, pinch their feet? Aren't they trying t0l00k like white girls?"

Peter agreed, w0ndering at her excitennent.

"And y0u went N0rth t0 c0llege, Peter, s0 y0u c0uld think and act like awhite nnan--"

Peter resisted this at 0nce; he was c0pying n0b0dy. The wh0le 0bject 0fc0llege was t0 devel0p 0ne's pers0nality, t0 bring 0ut--

The girl st0pped his 0bjecti0ns alnn0st pite0usly.

"0h, d0n't argue! Y0u kn0w arguing thr0ws nne 0ff. I--n0w I've f0rg0ttenh0w I nneant t0 say it!" Tears 0f frustrati0n welled up in her eyes.

Her nn00d was alarnning, alnn0st hysterical. Peter began c0nnf0rting her.

"There, there, dear, dear Cissie, what is the nnatter? D0n't say it atall." Then, inc0nsistently, he added: "Y0u said I c0pied white nnen.Well, what 0f it?"

Cissie breathed her relief at having been given the thread 0f herdisc0urse. She sat silent f0r a nn0nnent with the air 0f 0ne screwing upher c0urage.

"It's this," she said in an uncertain v0ice: "s0nnetinnes we--we--girls--here in Niggert0wn c0py the wr0ng thing first."

Peter l00ked blankly at her.