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"Thank you," she said softly

" ‘And upon her forehead ritten a naht with a strange fire

"You a preacher or soer to call your family," Mr Hobbes said in answer "No doubt they’ll be worried?"

Ruta thought of her fah Her father would be awake next to her arettes and the factory dust in his lungs Her four brothers and sisters would be cra She wouldn’t be missed And she wasn’t in a hurry to return

"I don’t wanna wake ’em," she said, and Mr Hobbes s number of side streets, until Ruta felt quite lost The Manhattan Bridge looht drizzle fell "Hey--hey, Mr Hobbes, is it gonna be much farther?"

"Here we are Your chariot awaits," he said, and Ruta saw a broken-doagon, the old-fashioned kind, drawn by an old nag

"I thought you said it was nearby"

"But you’re tired I’ll drive us the rest of the way"

Ruta cli rhyth of the horse rocked her to sleep When the old buggy stopped, all she saas a hulking ruin of an old mansion on a hill surrounded by weedy vacant lots

Ruta shrank back "I thought you said you had a boardinghouse Ain’t nothing here but a wreck"

"My dear, your eyes play tricks on you Look again," Mr Hobbes whispered low