After he gets the letter explaining that Sister Irma will no longer be a student with the art school, Jean mentions something about a mouse leaving the site of a burning ferris wheel, preparing an airtight plan for the cat. What on earth is this a reference to?? This is driving me nuts! Thanks in advance. By the way, although I read CITR at least 12 years ago, I only got around to the above mentioned story _last night._ The descriptions of Sister Irma's Christ scene, caused ROTFL with tears running down my face for literally 5 minutes. I later read it to my wife, but it took me 3 attempts to get through the passage which described the moaning sound made by M/Mme Yoshoto without screaming and gyrating in ecstacy. This is by far the funniest story I have read in years. But it is not without its terrors, too. I have been thinking about the wooden dummy-diety all day. He reminds me of T. J. Eckleburg, but is somehow more frightening. Mike