(Strip Number 4328, Original Publication Date, 9 May 1983)
Panel 1: We start out with Elly haltingly explaining to an unseen second party "Mrs Walsh, I, uh, want to discuss, um, money with you."
Panel 2: Elly goes on to say that she's not happy with her volunteer situation and, um, feels like she should get a salary for writing her column for the paper. It should be noted that her body language is that of a small child who's broken a lamp and expects to get yelled at, spanked and grounded.
Panel 3: We zoom out to find that she's actually trying the speech out on Farley; she then tells him that he's right about her needing to sound more self-assurec.
Summary: The problem is not just that Elly assumes that every sort of complaint will end in her being screamed at and threatened with violence. The problem is that the same Elly who fears confronting people who can't fight back is too blasted stupid to realize that Walsh hasn't the money to pay her even if she wanted to subsidize the screw-ball fantasies of a moronic housewife looking for something to boast about.