Blood From a Stone (153 page)

H
e
s
m
il
ed
and
t
ook  her
hand 
i
n  h
i
s
o
wn
.
“
If
y
ou
say
so.
B
ut
I
w
ou
l
d
say
it’
s
t
he
o
t
her
w
ay a
r
ound.”

A
nd
he
w
as
t
e
lli
ng
t
he
tr
u
t
h
ac
t
ua
ll
y
.
I
t
d
i
d
f
eel
li
k
e she
w
as
t
he
one
w
ho
’
d
g
i
v
en
h
i
m
back h
i
s
lif
e
i
n
thi
s
past
f
ew da
y
s,
i
ns
t
ead of
h
i
m
sa
v
i
ng
he
r
s.

S
he s
t
a
r
ed at
h
i
m
w
it
h a pu
zz
l
ed
l
oo
k
.

“
N
e
v
er
m
i
nd,”
he
sa
i
d.
“I
tr
ust
y
ou.
I
j
ust
don
’
t
w
ant
t
o
t
a
k
e
t
he chance of
any
             
acc
i
den
t
s
happen
i
n
g
.”
H
e
sh
r
u
gg
ed
and
she
l
oo
k
ed
at
h
i
m
p
l
e
a
d
i
n
g
l
y
.

             
“
O
k
a
y
.
I
f
i
t
w
e
r
e
m
e,
I
suppose
I
w
ou
l
d
be
j
ust
as
ca
u
ti
ous.
B
ut
w
il
l
y
ou
at
l
east
cons
i
der
it
?
I
m
ean…
w
hat
if
?
What
i
f
y
our
b
l
ood
cou
l
d
ho
l
d
t
he
k
ey
t
o
cu
ri
ng
cance
r
?
O
r
any of
t
he o
t
her
d
i
seases
t
hat
ha
v
e
p
l
a
g
ued
m
an
k
i
nd
fr
om  day
o
ne?
T
he
r
e a
r
e
j
ust
li
m
itl
ess poss
i
b
iliti
es, and
w
e des
e
r
v
e
t
o
k
now
w
hat
t
hey
a
r
e.”

H
e
paused
f
or
a
l
ong
m
o
m
ent
be
f
o
r
e
sp
e
a
k
i
n
g
.
“
I
’l
l
t
h
i
nk
about
it
.
We
ha
v
e
ti
m
e.
I
’
m not
g
o
i
ng
an
y
w
he
r
e.”
T
hat
w
as
a
li
e,
but
i
t
w
as
a
l
l
he
had
t
o
o
ff
er
ri
g
ht
now
t
o
a
p
pease he
r
.

H
e
w
onde
r
ed
i
f
t
e
lli
ng her
about
H
a
r
o
l
d
m
i
g
ht
o
ff
er her
so
m
e
sense
of
e
m
p
iri
cal
da
t
a.
A
t
l
east
k
no
w
i
ng
t
he
r
e
w
as one
hu
m
an
on
w
hom he
’
d
w
o
r
k
ed
h
i
s
m
a
g
i
c,
t
hat
t
hey
cou
l
d
w
a
t
ch
and
m
on
it
or
t
o
see
w
hat
t
he
l
ong
t
e
r
m
e
ff
ec
t
s
of
h
i
s
littl
e
‘
g
ift
’
w
ou
l
d be.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed
o
v
er
at
her
s
itti
ng
t
he
r
e
next
t
o
h
i
m
,
so a
li
v
e
and
beau
tif
u
l
.
T
he
l
ast
t
h
i
ng
he
w
an
t
ed
t
o
do
w
as
t
a
l
k
about
h
i
s
cu
r
se…h
i
s
g
ift
…
w
ha
t
e
v
er
i
t
w
as.
H
e
j
ust
w
an
t
ed
t
o
k
now
m
o
r
e
about
he
r
…
h
er
lif
e
and
her
f
a
m
il
y
.
Whe
r
e
she
‘
d
g
r
o
w
n
up,
w
he
r
e
she
‘
d
g
one
t
o
schoo
l
.
E
v
e
r
y
pa
g
e
i
n
her sc
r
apbook
of
m
e
m
o
ri
es
t
hat
she
w
an
t
ed
t
o
sha
r
e
w
it
h
h
i
m
and
w
hat
lif
e
expe
ri
ences
had
m
ade
her
i
n
t
o
t
he
pe
r
son
she
now
w
as.
B
ecause
a
lt
hou
g
h
t
hey
w
e
r
e
s
itti
ng
he
r
e
no
w
….
t
he bo
tt
om
li
ne
w
as
t
hat
i
f
he
d
i
dn
’
t
fi
nd
a
w
ay
t
o
b
r
e
ak
t
he
cu
r
se
i
n
t
he
next
t
h
r
ee
w
ee
k
s
or
so,
m
o
m
en
t
s
li
k
e
t
h
i
s
w
er
e
a
l
l
he
w
ou
l
d
ha
v
e
t
o
ho
l
d
on
t
o
and
t
o
r
e
m
e
m
ber
her
by
i
n
t
he end
l
ess
y
ea
r
s
t
o
co
m
e.