, lasted four hours. By the
end of the session, everyone was tired and angry and no one had moved
from their original position. It was a battle of the transcript. Not
only had Anuse and Henry burned the midnight oil preparing for the
meeting with suitable quotes from the transcript, but the same could be
said of Jane, Esther and Annette.

As tempers, which had so far been under control, flared and threatened
to widen the gulf between the two sides, Henry realized that the
arguments were just solidifying the opposition and, damn it to hell,
they were the majority! Since the handwriting evidence was so shaky,
he dared not force the issue. He would find another way.

He quickly called an end to it, told them tersely that he would let
them know when the next meeting would be and then before anyone else
moved, he left the room.

Chapter 29

August slipped into September.

What's happening with the hearing? Everyone was asking. No one had
an answer.

Then the president of N.O.W, Ellie Smeal, came on campus to give a
speech. The room was packed with women from all over campus.
Afterwards, Esther saw Diana and went up to her.

"What is going on? Have you heard anything?" she inquired.

"You're the one on the committee. I haven't heard anything since the
hearing ended. You guys told me a month, tops. Haven't you been
writing the report?" Trenchant answered tersely. She was becoming
increasingly strung out by the delay and by the obvious fact that the
committee chair had once again lied to her.

"Oh," said Esther, alarm showing on her pudgy face, "I'm not supposed
to talk about it. I haven't heard anything." She finished, walking
away leaving Diana more in the dark than ever....and more apprehensive.

October dropped its leaves.

November brought an early snow.

Christmas flashed brightly, dulled and stood aside for the start of a
new year.

It had been nearly seven months since the hearing had ended but Henry
had not been idle. After the debacle of the second meeting of the
panel, The Pope and Henry had decided to send the material away for
confirmation by another document examiner. The women on the panel were
not privy to this information. "If they can't cooperate, leave them
out in the cold," was Henry's decision.

"How many had you contacted before you found this one, Henry?" Frank
Anuse had stopped by Henry's office in the administration building at
Henry's invitation. A great