Ember (12 page)

M
ir
a
nd
a
th
a
nk
e
d
Alice,
th
e
n
took
his
proff
e
r
e
d
a
r
m.
“
Lud
,
you
ma
k
e
me
sound
lik
e
a
dog
.
”

“
A
ve
r
y
beau
tif
u
l
dog,
”
he
s
a
i
d
so
l
emn
l
y
be
f
o
r
e
chuck
li
ng.
H
i
s
go
l
d
cu
rl
s
moved
when
he
l
aughed
as
if
t
he
who
l
e
of
h
i
m
we
r
e
caugh
t
up
i
n
t
he
ac
t
.

Ha
ppin
e
ss
a
nd
light
fill
e
d
h
e
r
h
ea
rt
wh
e
n
w
a
lking
a
long

w
ith
hi
m.
S
h
e
h
a
d
pock
e
ts
to
fl
ee
c
e,
a
dr
e
ss
to
ma
k
e
a
do
w
n
p
a
y
me
nt
on
,
a
nd
a
supp
e
r
to
scour
up
for
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
,
but
this
littl
e
bit
of
joy
wou
l
d
be
h
e
rs
first
.

“
Haven
’t
you
a
j
ob
t
o
do?”
she
t
eased.

Ma
rtin
h
a
d
a
cquir
e
d
a
cov
e
t
e
d
position
as
a
cl
e
rk
at
on
e
of
th
e
shipping
co
m
p
a
ni
e
s
th
a
t
op
e
r
a
t
e
d
out
of
th
e
v
a
st
w
a
r
e
hous
e
s
,
m
uch
lik
e
th
e
on
e
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
h
a
d
onc
e
own
e
d
.
“
M
y
sup
e
rvisor
g
a
v
e
me
th
e
first
Sa
turd
a
y
of
e
v
e
ry
m
onth
off
as
a
bonus
for
m
y
dilig
e
nc
e.
”

He
did
not
know
of
h
e
r
job
,
if
on
e
could
c
a
ll
thi
e
v
e
ry
a
job
.
Ma
rtin’s
f
a
th
e
r
h
a
d
been
on
e
of
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r’s
ma
jor
inv
e
stors
.
Ma
rtin’s
f
am
ily
h
a
d
lost
e
v
e
ryth
i
ng
as
w
e
ll
th
a
t
night
,
but
h
e
h
a
d
n
e
v
e
r
bl
ame
d
h
e
r
.
Ne
v
e
rth
e
l
e
ss
,
sh
e
didn’t
w
a
nt
to
f
a
c
e
his
dis
a
ppoint
me
nt
.
T
h
e
y
h
a
d
a
ll
f
a
ll
e
n
fro
m
gr
a
c
e,
but
sh
e
couldn’t
l
e
t
hi
m
s
ee
how
f
a
r
sh
e
’d
gon
e.

“
Now,
no
mo
r
e
ques
ti
ons.
”
He
t
weaked
he
r
nose,
and
h
i
s
eyes
wen
t
smoky
t
opaz.
“
We
’
ve
on
l
y
got
t
he
hou
r
.
”

Hea
t
w
a
sh
e
d
ov
e
r
h
e
r
ch
ee
ks
a
nd
do
w
n
h
e
r
n
e
ck
.
S
h
e
kn
e
w
sh
e
’d
soon
find
h
e
rs
e
lf
in
th
e
f
a
r
r
ea
ch
e
s
of
H
yd
e
Pa
rk
,
n
e
stl
e
d
und
e
r
th
e
thick
shrubs
as
Ma
rtin
w
hisp
e
r
e
d
l
o
v
e
w
o
r
ds
i
n
h
er
ea
r
.
S
o
m
eda
y
,
s
h
e
t
h
o
u
g
h
t
as
h
e
hu
rr
i
ed
h
e
r
tow
a
rd
th
e
p
a
rk
,
th
e
r
e
wou
l
d
be
a
bed.
S
o
me
d
a
y
th
e
y
wou
l
d
be
a
bl
e
to
slo
w
do
w
n
a
nd
r
ea
lly
e
njoy
lov
ema
king
.
S
o
me
d
a
y
soon
th
e
y
wou
l
d
be
ma
rri
e
d
,
a
nd
it
wouldn’t
be
furt
i
v
e
fu
m
bling
in
cl
a
nd
e
stin
e
pl
a
c
e
s
.
S
h
e
look
e
d
forw
a
rd
to
th
a
t
d
a
y
.
Pe
rh
a
ps
th
e
n
sh
e
wouldn’t
be
pl
a
gu
e
d
w
ith
dr
eam
s
of
a
str
a
ng
e
ma
n
sh
e
’d
only
me
t
onc
e.