Blood From a Stone (158 page)

“
N
ot
t
o
chan
g
e
t
he
sub
j
ec
t
, bu
t
,
w
hen
w
e
w
e
r
e
t
a
l
k
i
ng ea
rli
er  I
t
hou
g
ht 
m
a
y
be  I
had
upset
y
ou
b
ri
n
g
i
ng
up
y
our pa
r
en
t
s.
When d
i
d
y
ou
l
ose
t
he
m
?
Was
i
t
t
o
g
e
t
her
or sepa
r
a
t
e
l
y
?” she as
k
ed.

H
e
suc
k
ed
i
n a
r
a
gg
ed b
r
ea
t
h be
t
w
een
b
it
es
of
h
i
s s
t
ea
k
.
H
ow
w
as
he
g
o
i
ng 
t
o
ans
w
er
t
hat
one? 
H
e  d
i
d
n’
t ac
t
ua
ll
y
k
now
how
h
i
s
pa
r
en
t
s
had
d
i
ed,
and
had
f
ew
d
e
t
a
il
s of
w
hen.
A
l
l
t
hat
had
been
l
e
f
t
f
or
h
i
m 
w
hen
he
had
Aw
a
k
ened
w
as
w
hat
littl
e
i
n
f
o
r
m
a
ti
on he
cou
l
d
g
a
t
h
e
r
fr
om ne
i
g
hbo
r
s 
and 
l
oca
l
s. 
A
ft
er 
fift
y  
y
ea
r
s, 
m
ost 
of 
th
e
i
r
g
ene
r
a
ti
on
and
so
m
e
of
t
he
next
had
a
lr
eady passed
on.
H
e
w
asn
‘
t
e
v
en
su
r
e
w
he
r
e
t
hey
w
e
r
e
bu
ri
ed,
and
he
cou
l
dn
‘
t
v
e
r
y
w
e
l
l
g
o
fi
nd
h
i
s
s
i
b
li
n
g
s,
i
f
t
hey
w
e
r
e
e
v
en
stil
l
a
li
v
e,
t
o ask
t
hem
any
ques
ti
ons.
H
e
cou
l
d
on
l
y
i
m
a
g
i
ne
t
he
l
ook
of
f
ear
and
ho
rr
or
t
hat
w
ou
l
d  ha
v
e  c
r
ossed 
t
he
i
r
f
ea
tur
es  at see
i
ng
t
he
i
r
l
ong
l
ost
b
r
o
t
he
r
,
a
li
v
e
and
w
e
ll
,
ha
v
i
ng
not
a
g
ed a
day
s
i
nce
t
he
y
’
d
l
ast
seen
h
i
m
!
Much
l
ess,
h
i
m d
i
sappea
ri
ng a
g
a
i
n
i
n a
m
on
t
h
’
s
ti
m
e.

H
i
s
eyes
grew
m
i
s
t
y
even
now as
he
t
hought
of
h
i
s
m
o
t
her….
t
he
dark
cur
l
s
t
hat
f
ra
m
ed her
f
ace
and her s
w
eet s
m
il
e
as
she
’
d
co
m
f
or
t
ed
h
i
m
t
hrough s
i
ckness, hugged h
i
m
w
hen he
’
d done
w
e
ll
, sco
l
ded h
i
m
w
hen he
’
d been bad.

She,
t
he
beau
tif
u
ll
y dressed and e
l
eg
a
nt
l
ady of
her househo
l
d…and 
desp
it
e 
hav
i
ng 
nu
m
erous 
servan
t
s 
and
ha
nd
m
a
i
dens,
had
i
ns
i
s
t
ed
upon  a
tt
end
i
ng  each  of
h
e
r ch
il
dren.
She
shooed a
w
ay
t
he
w
et
nurses and breas
t-f
ed her o
w
n.
U
nheard
of
f
or a
l
ady of
titl
e, and ye
t
, she had s
t
ood her ground
li
ke
a
m
o
t
her
bear
de
f
end
i
ng
her
cubs.
Y
es, desp
it
e
t
he
i
r
f
a
t
her
’
s
i
ns
i
s
t
ence
t
hat
i
t
w
as
t
he
w
ork
of
na
n
n
i
es and househo
l
d
he
l
p,
she
had
brushed
h
i
s
w
ords
as
i
de
lik
e a bo
t
herso
m
e
m
osqu
it
o,
and
i
ns
i
s
t
ed
upon
t
end
i
ng
t
o
t
hem
i
n every
w
ay.
Y
es,
t
he
i
r
f
a
t
her
had go
tt
en
m
uch
m
ore
t
han he barga
i
ned
f
or
w
hen he
’
d pa
i
d
t
he
do
w
ry
t
o get
t
hat
one.
H
e
’
d
t
hought
he
w
as
ge
tti
ng
a qu
i
e
t
,
beau
t
y
t
o s
i
m
p
l
y
r
u
n h
i
s househo
l
d,
and
f
ound  her
i
ns
t
ead, 
t
o  be
a 
f
asc
i
na
t
i
ng crea
t
ure,
t
hat
t
o
h
i
s
surpr
i
se…and
de
li
gh
t
, kept
h
i
s
m
i
nd, and so
m
e
ti
m
es
h
i
s pa
ti
ence as
occup
i
ed as
h
i
s
body.