Ten short stories from the author of Hurry On Down, A Travelling Woman, etc., have no central focus -- they go from the longish title story to an odd-ball monologue on sleep, from two pictures of childhood to antagonisms between men and women. Nuncle presents a seedy writer who can no longer write suddenly confronted by a new father-in-law who amazingly can do it well... Master Richard is a young monster determined not to reveal he is a prodigy and thwarted in perverting his younger brother by his love for him... Another young one conquers his fear of the ""pig-man"" -- and other adults... A visitor reviews his knowledge of a man of the Alps... A man cannot face his jilting of a girl... An ex-lover creates a situation between the woman and her new companion... A dinner guest vacillates over the purpose of his invitation... A foreign poet charts an English party... A young mechanic pays back his boss... And the humble clerk speaks out for sleep -- and more sleep. Variety, rather than variations, here indicates that there is still a style to be achieved but adds interest to his writings to date.