Ember (63 page)

D
i
d
she?
M
ir
anda
s
t
a
r
ed
ou
t
at
t
he
smoky
c
it
y
s
tr
e
t
ched
be
f
o
r
e
he
r
.
A
pe
r
son
cou
l
d
go
m
i
ss
i
ng
i
n
London
’
s
da
r
k
co
rri
do
r
s.
O
r
a
pe
r
son
cou
l
d
be
f
ound.
Sma
ll
fl
u
tt
e
r
s
bu
ilt
up
i
n
he
r
be
ll
y
at
t
he
t
hough
t
.

O
n
a
w
h
i
m
,
s
h
e p
u
ll
ed
h
er
c
o
i
n
o
u
t
.
“H
eads
I
s
t
a
y
.
T
a
i
l
s
I
go
.
”

B
e
for
e
sh
e
could
s
e
cond
-
gu
e
ss
h
e
rs
e
lf
,
sh
e
toss
e
d
it
high
.
T
h
e
coin
r
ea
ch
e
d
its
ze
nith
a
nd
s
eeme
d
to
p
a
us
e
as
if
d
e
ciding
h
e
r
f
a
t
e.
I
t
c
a
ught
th
e
f
a
ding
light
a
nd
glint
e
d
for
just
a
m
o
me
nt
,
th
e
n
shot
do
w
n
to
mee
t
h
e
r
outstr
e
tch
e
d
h
a
nd
.

T
h
e
y
b
e
nt
ov
e
r
h
e
r
p
a
l
m
in
unison
.

“
A
moon?
”
B
ill
y
’
s
t
h
i
n
li
ps
t
w
i
s
t
ed.
“
Wha
t’
s
t
ha
t
t
hen?

Hea
ds?
O
r
t
a
ils?”

A
l
a
ugh
slowly
took
h
e
r
as
h
e
r
fing
e
rs
clos
e
d
ov
e
r
th
e
coin
.
“
Hea
ds
.
De
finit
e
ly
h
ea
ds
.
”

She
t
ook
a
deep
b
r
ea
t
h,
and
desp
it
e
t
he
r
ush
of
coa
l
dus
t
and
g
ri
me
t
ha
t
fill
ed
he
r
mou
t
h
at
t
he
ac
ti
on,
she
f
e
lt
li
gh
t
e
r
,
c
l
ea
r
e
r
.
Hope
b
l
oomed
wa
r
m
and
g
l
ow
i
ng,
li
ke
an
embe
r
fi
na
ll
y
g
i
ven
air.
“
Pa
rt
ne
r
s
t
hen.
”

I
s
aa
c
Ma
y
e
r
h
a
d
w
ork
e
d
for
Archib
a
ld
Wa
ll
a
c
e
for
pr
e
cis
e
ly
e
ight
y
ea
rs
.
An
e
t
e
rnity
wh
e
n
it
c
ame
to
Wa
ll
a
c
e
S
t
ee
l
.
M
r
.
Wa
ll
a
c
e
did
not
k
ee
p
em
ploy
ee
s
.
He
r
e
pl
a
c
e
d
th
em,
e
ith
e
r
wh
e
n
th
e
y
quit
–m
ostly
on
a
ccount
of
f
a
il
e
d
n
e
r
v
e
s—
or
w
h
en
h
e
g
r
ew
t
i
r
ed
of
t
h
e
i
r
c
u
r
i
o
s
i
t
y
.
O
n
l
y
h
i
s
ma
jordo
m
o
,
G
il
roy
,
st
a
y
e
d
.
N
ot
th
a
t
m
ost
p
e
opl
e
a
ctu
a
lly
s
aw
G
il
roy
.
He
wa
s
m
or
e
a
ghost
in
th
e
v
a
st
ma
chin
e
th
a
t
wa
s
Wa
ll
a
c
e
S
t
ee
l
,
t
a
king
c
a
r
e
of
M
r
.
Wa
ll
a
c
e
’s
n
ee
ds
a
nd
k
ee
ping
th
e
world
out
.

As
for
M
r
.
Wa
ll
a
c
e,
h
e
wa
s
not
a
bad
em
ploy
e
r
.
N
ot
in
th
e
l
ea
st
.
Ha
lf
of
th
e
ti
me,
h
e
wa
s
a
bro
a
d
,
tr
a
v
e
ling
on
busin
e
ss
—
or
at
l
ea
st
th
a
t
wa
s
wh
a
t
h
e
cl
a
i
me
d
.
N
o
,
not
a
bad
em
ploy
e
r
at
a
ll
.
But
on
e
wa
s
co
m
p
e
ll
e
d
to
ov
e
rlook
his
a
pp
ea
r
a
nc
e.
Ma
y
e
r
h
a
d
p
e
rf
e
ct
e
d
th
e
pr
a
ctic
e.