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The word splashed into Ga He stared at Francoeur, as tree Gas, he knew, refused to die

A few days later the Ga Henri, were invited to a party in Three Pines It was a sunny spring day, the young leaves in full blooreen As they bureen overhead shining like the stained glass in St Thoh they couldn’t quite see it yet, Gamache kneas at the old Hadley house and wondered if the villagers were finally tearing it down A man stepped into the center of the road and waved them to the side Monsieur Béliveau, in overalls and a painter’s cap, was srocer leaned into the open , patting Henri who’d climbed over Ga was driving the car Gareat yells of recognition froers who hadn’t seen him since he was a puppy

Withinpaint froround floor s He didn’t like heights and Reine-Marie didn’t like trim

As he scraped he had the i, as Henri did when he rubbed his ears With pleasure Years of decay, years of neglect, of sorroere being scraped away It was being taken down to its real self, the layers of artifice re? Had the old house beenfor pleasure when coht it sinister?

Far froers of Three Pines had decided to give the old Hadley house another chance They were restoring it to life

Already the place see where the new paint had been applied Tea inside

‘A good spring clean,’ as Sarah the baker said, her long auburn hair falling out of the bun at the back of her head

A barbecue was fired up and the villagers took a break for beer or lees Ga over the hill, into Three Pines It was quiet Everyone was here, old and young; even the ill had been helped up and given lawn chairs and a brush so that all souls of the village touched the Hadley house and broke the curse The curse of anguish and sorrow

But most of all, loneliness

The only people not there were Peter and Clara Morrow

‘I’ from her studio Her face was streaked with paint and she rubbed her hands on an oil rag, too soiled to do any good

Peter stood outside her studio, steadying hi prayer Begging for the painting to be truly, unequivocally, irredee he’d run froh his days and into his drea he be the best, and Peter knowing he’d always fail Someone was always better

‘Close your eyes’ Clara came to the door He did as he was told and felt her s him