Ember (43 page)

I
t
sudd
e
nly
occurr
e
d
to
M
ir
a
nd
a
th
a
t
Ma
rtin
wou
l
d
be
going
a
w
a
y
.
For
m
onths
.
And
h
e
h
a
d
not
h
e
sit
a
t
e
d
to
a
cc
e
pt
Fa
th
e
r’s
off
e
r
.
S
h
e
cut
Ma
rtin
a
look
,
a
nd
h
e
a
void
e
d
h
e
r
g
aze.

Fa
t
he
r’
s
sm
il
e
was
o
il
and
honey.
“
O
f
cou
r
se
you
w
ill
.
”
He
he
l
d
ou
t
a
hand,
beckon
i
ng.
“
Come,
l
e
t
us
d
i
scuss
t
h
i
s
i
n
t
he
pa
rl
o
r
.
”
Sa
id
th
e
spid
e
r
to
th
e
fly
.

C
old
f
ea
r
touch
e
d
M
ir
a
nd
a
’s
spin
e.
S
ur
e
ly
Fa
th
e
r
wouldn’t
d
e
lib
e
r
a
t
e
ly
try
to
hurt
Ma
rtin?

“
We
w
ill
ma
rr
y
be
f
o
r
e
you
go,
”
she
s
a
i
d
sha
r
p
l
y
and

d
i
s
t
i
n
c
t
l
y
,
s
o
t
h
e
r
e
w
o
u
l
d
be
n
o
c
o
n
f
u
s
i
o
n
.
I
f
Fa
t
h
er
t
h
o
u
g
h
t
he
wou
l
d
rid
he
r
of
Ma
rti
n
by
send
i
ng
h
i
m
away,
he
was
g
r
ea
tl
y
m
i
s
t
aken.

B
oth
me
n
p
a
us
e
d
,
a
l
m
ost
b
em
us
e
d
by
h
e
r
pr
e
s
e
nc
e.
Ma
rtin
sw
a
llow
e
d
h
a
rd
,
th
e
n
g
a
v
e
h
e
r
a
s
m
il
e.
“
O
f
cours
e.
”
He
str
a
ight
e
n
e
d
his
spin
e
a
nd
a
ddr
e
ss
e
d
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
.
“
I
insist
.
”

The
co
r
ne
r
s
of
Fa
t
he
r’
s
eyes
t
w
it
ched
j
us
t
a
momen
t
bu
t
he
d
i
d
no
t
b
li
nk.
“
Ve
r
y
we
ll
.
I
f
you
i
ns
i
s
t
.
”

H
is
co
m
pli
a
nc
e
wa
s
w
ors
e
th
a
n
r
e
sist
a
nc
e,
for
M
ir
a
nd
a
could
not
f
a
tho
m
why
h
e
’d
don
e
it
.
T
h
e
ma
n
c
a
lcul
a
t
e
d
e
v
e
ryth
i
ng
.
S
h
e
w
a
nt
e
d
to
shout
a
w
a
rning
to
Ma
rtin
,
w
a
nt
e
d
to
run
awa
y
fro
m
this
hous
e
a
nd
e
v
e
ryth
i
ng
in
it
.
T
h
e
thought
r
em
ind
e
d
h
e
r
of
th
e
ma
n
upst
a
irs
.
He
n
ee
d
e
d
h
e
r
now
.
S
h
e
could
not
discuss
this
sudd
e
n
ch
a
ng
e
in
pl
a
ns
w
ith
Ma
rtin
wh
e
n
a
noth
e
r
wa
s
suff
e
ring
.

E
v
e
n
so
,
sh
e
a
l
m
ost
c
a
ll
e
d
out
to
Ma
rtin
,
but
h
e
a
nd
Fa
th
e
r
w
e
r
e
a
lr
ea
dy
h
a
lfw
a
y
out
of
th
e
kitch
e
n
a
nd
deep
in
conv
e
rs
a
tion
.
Ma
rtin’s
ch
ee
k
di
m
pl
e
d
as
h
e
fl
a
sh
e
d
a
s
m
il
e
at
so
me
thing
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
said.
T
h
e
s
m
il
e
wa
s
fu
ll
of
w
a
r
m
th
a
nd
so
v
e
ry
inti
ma
t
e,
as
if
th
e
r
e
c
e
iv
e
r
of
it
wa
s
th
e
m
ost
i
m
port
a
nt
p
e
rson
in
th
e
world
.
S
h
e
kn
e
w
th
e
str
e
ngth
of
th
a
t
s
m
il
e,
for
sh
e
h
a
d
been
on
th
e
oth
e
r
e
nd
of
it
ma
ny
a
ti
me.
O
n
l
y
,
sh
e
h
a
d
thought
sh
e
wa
s
th
e
on
e
p
e
rson
h
e
g
a
v
e
it
to
.