Blood From a Stone (244 page)

T
he
s
tr
ee
t
s
w
e
r
e
busy
a
l
l
a
r
ound
t
hem as
t
hey
w
a
l
k
ed hand
i
n
hand
benea
t
h
t
he
s
tr
ee
tli
g
h
t
s
i
n
t
he
c
ri
sp
n
i
g
ht
a
ir
.
A
nd
i
n
no
ti
m
e,
t
he
y
’
d
r
ounded
t
he
co
r
ner
and
en
t
e
r
ed
t
he co
z
y
littl
e pub and ea
t
e
r
y
ca
ll
ed
T
he
L
i
on
’
s
D
en.

T
he
p
l
ace
w
as
set
up
li
k
e
an o
l
d
f
ashioned
t
a
v
e
r
n
w
it
h boo
t
hs,
p
l
ank
t
ab
l
es
and
benches
a
l
l
a
r
ound,
as
w
e
l
l
as
t
ab
l
es and
cha
ir
s.
T
w
o
l
a
r
g
e
hea
rt
hs
bu
r
ned
at
e
it
her
end
of
t
he
r
oom and
cand
l
es
li
t
e
v
e
r
y
t
ab
l
e,
as
w
e
l
l
as
t
he
sconces
t
hat
li
ned
t
he
w
a
ll
s,
g
i
v
i
ng
t
he
r
oom
a
so
f
t
g
l
ow
i
n e
v
e
r
y
se
c
t
o
r
. A
g
i
an
t
, anc
i
ent
tr
ee
g
r
ew
up
out
of
t
he
cen
t
er
of
t
he
r
oo
m
,
and
it
s
tr
unk
w
as
w
ound
w
it
h
v
i
nes
of
fl
o
w
i
ng
i
v
y
t
hat
sp
r
a
w
l
ed
a
l
l
t
he
w
ay up
t
o
t
he
ca
t
hed
r
al
ce
ili
ng
t
hat
had been bu
il
t
a
r
ound
t
he
tr
ee, a
ll
o
w
i
ng
i
t
t
o ex
i
t
up
t
h
r
ou
g
h
t
he
r
oo
f
.

W
ill
o
w
’
s
e
y
es
li
t
up
at
t
he
beau
tif
ul
s
i
g
ht
as
a hos
t
ess appea
r
ed and qu
i
c
k
l
y
sea
t
ed
t
he
m
.

“I can
’
t
be
li
e
v
e
t
h
i
s.
D
i
d
y
ou
a
lr
eady
k
now
about
t
h
i
s p
l
ace?” she sa
i
d exc
it
ed
l
y
.

“We
ll
…ac
t
ua
ll
y  
y
es. 
T
h
i
s 
p
l
ace 
w
as 
a
r
o
und   a hund
r
ed
y
ea
r
s
a
g
o.
T
w
o
Aw
a
k
en
i
n
g
s
past
f
or
m
e.
I h
a
d
co
m
e back
he
r
e
at
t
he
ti
m
e,
t
o
see
how
m
uch
t
h
i
n
g
s
had
c
han
g
ed, and
f
ound
i
t
by
acc
i
den
t
.
I
’
m
g
l
ad I
d
i
d.”

“Me
t
oo.”
S
he
squee
z
ed
h
i
s
hand
l
oo
k
ing a
r
ound
t
he
r
oom
as
t
he cand
l
es
fli
c
k
e
r
ed
t
he
i
r
app
r
o
v
a
l
.
“
R
ed
w
i
ne?”
he
as
k
ed,
as
t
he
w
a
itr
ess ca
m
e
a
r
ound
t
a
k
e
t
he
i
r
o
r
de
r
.

W
ill
ow
shook her
head
and
s
m
il
ed. “
N
o,
y
ou sa
i
d
y
ou
w
an
t
ed a
l
e, so
I
‘
m
ha
v
i
ng
so
m
e
t
oo.”

“A
coup
l
e
of
a
l
es
i
t
i
s,
t
hen.”
H
e
no
d
ded
t
o
t
he
w
a
i
t
r
ess.

“
S
o….I
t
h
i
nk
w
e
j
ust
ha
v
e
t
o
k
eep
w
o
r
k
i
ng
on
t
he
w
o
r
d
i
ng
of
t
he
cu
r
se.
I
t
m
ust
ha
v
e
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
o
do
w
it
h
t
he b
l
ood
of
t
hy
w
il
l
pa
rt
.
T
ha
t’
s
t
he
on
l
y pa
r
t
t
hat
m
a
k
es
sense,” she sa
i
d, s
li
d
i
ng
c
l
oser
t
o h
i
m
.