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Meditation in a Foreign Town By CHARLES DAVIES HOT ? Hellishly. A day bang in the middle of summer, the heat like so much thunderous music; heaven, built high like an organ with its flowering tubes, funnels of golden sound outpouring noon's anthem under the blare of the sky, a trumpet of white convolvulus. The air crackled like rich silk. I was very unhappy. That morning, like every other for more than a week, the girl in the International Bureau where I collected my letters had replied in tones that were black with sullen witchery, nussin' no, nussin' I was furious. How could I continue to exist, God knows how long, on nussin', no, nussin' ? It wasn't the girl's fault and yet, how angry and annoyed I was with her So I crossed the wide road and the tram-lines on to the big square in front of the church and there, in the shadow of a stone balluster, sat down on the steps, waiting, my hat pulled down well over my face to shield my eyes from the sun. The day before I had even managed to sleep there, my back hunched, hands in my pockets and legs thrust out of the shadow into the heat Cochons," I muttered with reference to the world in general and bankers, agents, correspondents and the clerks in the International Bureau in particular. A hundred impolite words in any language I knew and a few of my own I had created came to my lips. Blue murder no money The prospect of days more of it, weeks, months Nussin', no, nussin' The first time I called to enquire, she had said nussin' for you, thank you." Curt, final. Tomorrow, I thought, there will surely be something. Why didn't Blake write ? Damn him! The next day, let me see, that was Wednesday, the girl answered plain nussin' She couldn't have said less. I shrugged my shoulders and marched out. The following day I called twice, in the morning and again late in the afternoon. No, nussin' for you-thank you." I think she doubted whether I ever expected to receive any letters. The next time-the wretched girl seemed to smile-" there is absolutely nussin' for you she said. I wanted to argue, to cry out against heaven but to no purpose. I must have seen more than half of that girl's