Ember (10 page)

“
Just
th
e
coff
ee
tod
a
y
,
A
lic
e,
”
sh
e
said,
ma
king
a
point
of
not
looking
at
th
e
gold
e
n
m
uff
i
ns
displ
a
y
e
d
in
a
front
b
a
sk
e
t
.
He
r
sto
ma
ch
prot
e
st
e
d
voc
a
lly
as
Alice
w
a
sh
e
d
out
a
c
e
r
am
ic
cup
a
nd
fill
e
d
it
w
ith
d
a
rk
,
hot
coff
ee.

“
Y
ou
o
u
g
h
t
t
o
get
w
o
r
k
i
n
a
s
h
op
,
”
A
l
i
c
e
s
a
i
d
w
i
t
h
o
u
t
pr
eam
bl
e.

M
ir
a
nd
a
sipped
h
e
r
coff
ee
a
nd
g
aze
d
at
th
e
str
ee
t
lif
e
t
eam
ing
a
round
th
em.
P
l
e
nty
of
n
a
bobs
wa
lk
e
d
a
long
,
a
ngling
for
a
stroll
in
th
e
p
a
rk
as
it
wa
s
Sa
turd
a
y
a
nd
th
e

wea
t
he
r
was
fi
ne.
Bu
t
it
was
t
oo
open.
She
’
d
move
on
t
o
P
i
ccad
ill
y
or
pe
r
haps
To
tt
enham
Cou
rt
Road.

“
Fa
t
he
r
doesn
’t
app
r
ove,
”
was
a
ll
she
chose
t
o
o
ff
e
r
.
“
Cou
r
se
no
t
.
”
Alice
snee
r
ed.
I
t
wasn
’t
d
ir
ec
t
ed
at

M
ir
a
nd
a.
For
a
ll
Alice
kn
e
w
,
M
ir
a
nd
a
idl
e
d
th
e
d
a
ys
awa
y
whil
e
sh
e
a
nd
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
s
a
nk
furth
e
r
into
pov
e
rty
.
N
o
on
e
kn
e
w
of
M
ir
a
nd
a
’s
oth
e
r
lif
e.
N
o
on
e
s
a
v
e
Fa
th
e
r
,
a
nd
though
h
e
s
e
nt
h
e
r
out
on
th
e
str
ee
ts
,
for
so
me
odd
r
ea
son
h
e
h
a
d
w
a
nt
e
d
to
k
ee
p
h
e
r
as
cloist
e
r
e
d
fro
m
th
e
r
e
st
of
th
e
world
as
possibl
e,
as
though
h
e
w
e
r
e
s
a
ving
h
e
r
for
so
me
gr
a
nd
sch
eme.

A
m
u
ff
i
n
w
as
p
l
un
k
ed
do
w
n
i
n
f
r
o
n
t
of
h
e
r
.
“
Y
o
u
’
r
e
was
ti
ng
away
be
f
o
r
e
me
eyes,
g
irl
.
”

M
ir
a
nd
a
look
e
d
up
at
Alice
at
l
a
st
.
“
I
c
a
n’t
.
I
h
a
v
e
n’t
th
e
m
on
e
y
.
”
I
t
a
ll
w
e
nt
to
Fa
th
e
r
.
S
h
e
couldn’t
f
a
ult
hi
m
for
t
a
king
it
,
not
a
ft
e
r
wh
a
t
sh
e
’d
don
e.
S
h
e
stifl
e
d
a
f
am
ili
a
r
shudd
e
r
.

T
h
e
old
e
r
w
o
ma
n
snort
e
d
,
th
e
a
ction
lifting
a
lock
of
s
t
ee
l
-
c
o
l
o
r
ed
h
a
i
r
f
r
om
h
er
w
o
r
n
b
r
o
w
.
“
T
a
k
e
i
t
,
a
n
d
pay
m
e at
wee
k’s
e
nd
.
S
ur
e
ly
y
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
w
ill
giv
e
you
so
me
b
l
unt
th
e
n
.
”

M
ir
anda
’
s
fi
nge
r
s
cu
rl
ed
a
r
ound
t
he
hea
t
ed
mug
t
o
keep
fr
om
r
each
i
ng.
“
I
’
m
sav
i
ng
wha
t
I
can.
For
a
d
r
ess,
”
she
added
w
it
hou
t
t
h
i
nk
i
ng.
She
shou
l
d
be
sav
i
ng
f
o
r
p
r
ac
ti
ca
l
t
h
i
ngs,
ye
t
she
needed
t
h
i
s
one
l
uxu
r
y
.
She
d
i
dn
’t
unde
r
s
t
and
t
he
compu
l
s
i
on,
bu
t
it
was
s
tr
ong.
Jus
t
one
t
h
i
ng
of
beau
t
y
f
o
r
he
r
se
lf
.
Jus
t
once.