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‘What do you think it is?’ she asked

‘Looks like veal Why?’

Meggie pushed the plate away ‘I’reat syht to write a story about you next, you and how you save us all with your voice It would be a very exciting story’

‘But would it have a happy ending?’ Meggie looked out of theOnly another hour, two at the most, and it would be dark Suppose Mo came then? Suppose he made another attelio were planning Suppose they shot at hiie put her arlio stroking her hair ‘It will be all right, Meggie!’ he whispered ‘Believe s If I want theht sleeves!’ she whispered ‘How a?’

‘I’ll distract her attention Don’t worry’

‘But later? They’ll all see me take the paper out’

‘Nonsense, you’ll lio put a hand under her chin ‘It will be all right, Meggie!’ he said again, wiping a tear off her cheek with his forefinger ‘You’re not alone, even if you er is somewhere out there I know him as well as I know myself, and I can assure you he’ll coet it back – and then there’s your father, and that boy as looking at you in such a lovesick way back in the square in front of the ie dug her elbow into his stoh her tears were still blurring everything, the table, her hands, Fenoglio’s wrinkled face She felt as if she had used up enough tears for a whole lifeti lad I’d put in a good word for him with your father like a shot’

‘I said stop it!’

‘Only if you’ll eat solio pushed the plate back towards her ‘And that lady, your friend, as her naie put an olive in her mouth and chewed it until she could feel the stone between her teeth

‘Exactly Perhaps she’s out there too, with your father Good Lord, when I coie allio smiled, pleased with hied toboth surprised and serious as if he had no idea what she was laughing at Meggie could see his face before her so clearly that she ht almost have reached out to touch it

‘You’ll soon see your father again!’ whispered Fenoglio ‘And then you can tell hi the way and rescued her froie just nodded

The dress felt scratchy on her throat and arrown-up than a child, and it was rather too big for Meggie When she took a few steps in it she trod on the hehtly, but she had no difficulty in pushing the sheet of paper up inside one of the She practised a couple of ti it out Finally, she left it up her sleeve It crackled slightly when shepale in the sky above the church tower, and the night wore a veil of ie