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She didn't answer. She held that thumb in her mouth. A thought came into my mind. a thought both terrifying and intriguing. I turned her slowly to me.

"Did someone tell you to do that, Celeste?'

She nodded.

"Who? Who told you?"

She pointed toward the doorway, but I saw nothing.

"Was it a man?"

She nodded.

"What did he look like? What color was his hair?"

"My hair." She touched her head. Then she turned her back to me again and closed her eyes.

I sat there, unable to speak, unable to move. until I heard Mama drive up.

The moment she entered the house and looked in at us, she knew something was wrong.

"Why are you in here on such a beautiful day. Noble?" she demanded before I could speak.

I felt a great exhaustion, a deep emptiness. I didn't have the strength to find answers that would soothe or please Mama. This sense of helplessness made me numb. All I could do is stare back at her. She stepped farther into the room. looked at Panther in the bassinet, and then at Baby Celeste, who had turned and sat up to look at her. Her eyes moved from one face to another.

"What happened here?"

"When I wasn't watching. Baby Celeste lit one of your black candles and put it in the bassinet under Panther's foot to burn him."

Mama looked at her and then back at me.

"Why weren't you watching?"

"I was upstairs."

"Doing what?"

"I brought something to Betsy."

"Did she do her chores? Is the pantry finished?"

"Yes. Mama." 'Why wasn't she more concerned about what Baby Celeste had done?

Her eyes widened and then she fixed them on me. "'Where's that girl? Why wasn't she watching her own child?"

Betsy had heard her enter the house and had come dawn the stairway quietly. She was still wearing Mama's dress and all the makeup.

"You think you're going to blame it on me?" she said. spinning Mama around. When Mama confronted her, she gasped at the sight of her in the dress and with all that makeup on her face. "It was all your precious special baby's doing." Betsy smiled. "I'm sorry I mean your cousin's baby."

"What is the meaning of this? Why are you in that dress and where did you get the makeup?"

"Don't you recognize the dress?" Betsy said. twirling. "Oh. I'm sorry. I needed to make some alterations. I hope you don't mind."

Betsy's audaciousness stunned Mama. She stood there staring at her and then turned to me.

"What's going on here, Noble?"

"Yes. Noble., what's going on here? Your mother has a right to know. Tell her,"