She passed a hand across her eyes, which felt dry and hot. She wasgoing to be exhausted by morning. "Are you sleepy?" she asked.

"Talk," said Mrs. Emerson.

"I have talked. What more is there to say?" She wound aloose thread around her index finger. "Well," she said finally, "I'll tellyou how I happened to start working at the school. I was leaning out thewindow of this crafts shop where I used to sell things, watching a paradego by. There were people crammed on both sidewalks, mothers with babiesand little children, fathers with children on their shoulders. Andsuddenly I was so surprised by them. Isn't it amazing how hardpeople work to raise their children? Human beings are born so helpless,and stay helpless so long. For every grownup you see, you know there musthave been at least one person who had the patience to lug them around, andfeed them, and walk them nights and keep them out of danger for years andyears, without a break. Teaching them how to fit into civilization and howto talk back and forth with other people, taking them to zoos and paradesand educational events, telling them all those nursery rhymes andword-of-mouth fairy tales. Isn't that surprising? People you wouldn'ttrust your purse with five minutes, maybe, but still they put in years andyears of time tending their children along and they don't even make a fussabout it. Even if it's a criminal they turn out, or some other kind offailure--still, he managed to get grown, didn't he? Isn't that something?

Mrs. Emerson didn't answer.

"Well, there I was hanging out the window," Elizabeth said,"thinking all this over. Then I thought, 'What am I doing up here, anyway?Up in this shop where I'm bored stiff? And never moving on into somethingelse, for fear of some harm I might cause? You'd think I was some kind ofspecial case,' I thought, 'but I'm not! I'm like all the people I'msitting here gawking at, and I might just as well stumble on out and jointhem!' So right that day I quit my job, and started casting about for newwork. And found it--teaching crafts in a reform school. Well, youmight not think the girls there would be all that great, but I like them.Wasn't that something? Just from one little old parade?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Emerson. Then she was silent.

"Mrs. Emerson?"

But all Elizabeth heard was her soft, steady breathing. She slidoff the bed and found her way back to the cot. She stretched out andpulled the cool sheets over her, but then she couldn't sleep. She stayedwide awake and thoughtful. She was awake when Andrew's shadow crossed amoonbeam, heading all alone to the gazebo. When she propped herself on anelbow to look at him, he had stopped close beside the sunporch. A thinsilvery line traced the top of his head and slid down the slope of hisshoulders, stopping at the white shirt whose collar was pressed open in aflat, old-fashioned style. Although he was looking toward the windows, hecouldn't see her. His face was a blank oval, pale and accusing. After amoment he turned and wandered off behind the tangled rosebushes.