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"It's all right," he said. "It was worth it. A

minute with you is like an hour back home without

you anyway," he added.

"Paul, please," I said, taking his hands into

mine. "Promise me you'll look for someone to love.

Promise me you'll let someone love you. Promise." "All right," he said. "I promise. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you, Ruby, even fall in love

with someone else, if I could."

"You can; you must," I told him.

"I know," he said in a whisper. He looked like I

had forced him to swallow castor oil. I wanted to stay

with him, to talk and remember the good times, but

Edgar was standing in the doorway as a way of

showing me Daphne was being very insistent. "I've got to go inside before she makes a scene

that embarrasses us both, Paul. Have a safe trip back

and call and write to me at school."

"I will," he said. He kissed me quickly on my

cheek and hurried to his car, forcing himself not to

look back. I knew it was because he had tears in his

eyes and he didn't want me to see them.

I felt an ache in my heart when he drove off,

and for a moment I could see that look in his face

again on the day he learned the truth about us, the

truth we both wished had been buried in the swamp

with the sins of our fathers.

I sucked in my breath and hurried to the front

entrance to see what new rules and orders Daphne

wanted to lay on my sister's and my head now, now

that we had no one to stand between her and us and

protect us anymore.

She was waiting in the parlor, sitting back in