eader is then informed that Leo "three times" carries messages between Marion and Ted. It is also significant to notice how during the novel, Leo is three times asked to be a man and how Leo defeats and to a lesser extent "gets the better off Ted" three times. Also, Leo slides down the straw-stack three times. These are only a few of the vast mentions and metaphorical links to the number three. Three has the essence of a magical and religious number which promotes and provokes superstition in the reader's mind. To Leo's horror, when he hands Ted one of the notes, he notices "a long smear of blood" on the envelope" and he "cries out." This is a negative portrayal of Leo's immaturity and highlights his naievity. It a
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