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"I need you to come with me now for a while," Dr. Lew told me. "I can't leave the house and the children."

"Oh, they'll be well taken care of." he promised. "And the police are here now. They'll be sure the house is protected."

"The house is always protected." I said, smiling. "We don't need the police for that."

"I'm sure it is," he said, raising his eyebrows. "And I'm very, very interested in how you know that."

I looked at Mama, who was shaking her head. She was sitting on the sofa. "What should I do?" I asked her.

She didn't reply.

"You've got to go with them," Daddy said. "It will be best for the children. too."

"But she promised to play with me," Noble moaned.

"I have to play with my brother," I told Dr. Levy.

"Tell him to come along," he said. "I have lots to do and play with at my offices."

I looked at Noble. Be seemed intrigued. After all, it wasn't often he could leave the grounds.

"Are there other young boys and girls there?" I asked, knowing he would want to know that.

"Oh. yes." Dr. Levy turned to Patty Newman. "Patty helps to take care of them as well, don't you. Patty?"

"Absolutely." she said. "You'll have lots to do."

I turned back to Noble. He was nodding. with much more enthusiasm.

"Okay then," I said slowly, "but I have to be back to make dinner later."

"I understand." Dr. Levy said, He turned to Patty. "Mrs. Newman, shall we help the children move along?"

"Come along, dear," Patty said. She reached for me. I looked at Mama. She was looking down at the floor. Daddy had his arm around her. "She'll be fine," he said. "They'll both be fine,"

We started out of the house. The woman in the suit had Panther in her arms, and the man who had come with her was kneeling in front of Baby Celeste and whispering. She was looking past him at me. She was still angry at me. I thought. Maybe this would help. She nodded after something he said and he looked pleased.

"You're a very bright little girl." he told her. We stepped out onto the porch.

Did I say how beautiful it was? I don't think a cloud was in the sky, and the blue was a cross between deep aqua and turquoise, with the turquoise more toward the horizon. Shadows were shimmering in the forest and the world was so still and quiet, I thought I could make out the distant gurgling of the creek as the water navigated around and Over rocks. A large black crow lifted off a tall branch and soared toward the sun.

Noble and I got into the backseat of Dr. Levy's car. Noble was excited. It had been so long since he had been in a car.

I looked back and saw Baby Celeste and Panther being placed in the other car. In the garden two policemen were digging. I hoped they wouldn't harm any of the plants.

Before we started away, an ambulance arrived and two paramedics got out with a stretcher and headed toward the front door of the house, where another policeman was waiting for them. I saw he was directing them upstairs to Mama's room.

Patty Newman got into the backseat with Noble and me. and Dr. Levy got behind the steering wheel and started the engine.

"Are you all right. dear?" Patty asked me. "Yes," I said. "I'm fine."

Noble fidgeted. He was never good at sitting still and he was impatient about our getting started.

A long time ago when I was Noble's age. Daddy decided he was going to take us to see something special he had discovered on a lot upon which he and his partner were constructing a new home. Mama didn't come with us, but that wasn't unusual. We often went places only with Daddy.

When we reached the lot, we got out and he walked us to the rear of the foundation his men had recently laid. He brought us to a large fallen tree trunk under which a hole had been dug and around which some dried grass had been placed with obvious care. Inside the hole were baby field mice, still pink and blind. They were feeding off their mother. Noble wanted to pick one up. but Daddy told him it would alarm the mother. We should just stand back and watch for a while.

"Not long from now," he said. "they will see and they will be old enough to go off on their own."