Fortieth Session1

Richard was fifteen minutes late, looked very shy and anxious, and did not remark on his being late. He said he had left the fleet at home. After a pause he asked Mrs K. how she was, but did not look at her or even at the room. He thanked her for her postcard and asked whether she had laughed about his mentioning on the postcard he sent her that he was not looking forward to coming back to ‘X’. There was a long silence.…

Mrs K. interpreted that this remark and his whole attitude showed that she and ‘X’ and the playroom had turned bad in his mind, because she had been bombed in London.

Richard now put some questions. Did Mrs K. see much of ‘battered’ London? Was there an air-raid while she was there?

Mrs K. said, ‘Yes.’

Richard looked for a moment pleased about Mrs K.'s reply, obviously because he had doubted whether she would tell the truth. He at once said, ‘I knew this.’ Then he asked whether there had also been a thunderstorm in London, and added that he was afraid of thunderstorms (a fact already well-known to Mrs K.).… He said he liked his holidays and did not want to come back. He had thought of ‘X’ as ‘pig-sty X’ and also as a nightmare (Note I).

Mrs K. interpreted that his fears about a soiled and injured Mummy containing a Hitler-father now centred on ‘X’ and on Mrs K., and that his wish to stay away from them meant running away from his fears. This was also, she suggested, the reason for his coming late.

Richard now explained that he had gone with his mother to the hotel first.2 He asked whether Mrs K. was cross about his coming late and said again that he had left his fleet at home.

Mrs K. interpreted his wish not to return to the work with her because she had turned into the ‘pig-sty’ Mrs K., the soiled Mummy; he kept the good work and the good Mrs K. safe inside him, and this was represented by the fleet which remained at home.

Richard asked whether Mrs K. had brought the drawings, and for a moment he seemed pleased that she had done