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"Thatreal"

"Of course it did" He sat up and took her hand "I won’t tell falsehoods about this What we have is a species of love"

She let out a breath in surprise

"A transitory, short-lived one," he explained "A perfect sunrise--seen once, remembered always Never duplicated"

"Never duplicated?" Her fingers bit into his "Why ever not?"

"Because too to your farm And I--"

"It doesn’t have to be that way" Her hair was in wild, chestnut disarray around her shoulders and her eyes ide and gray

Hugo moved a lock of her hair aside "You can’t stay with me, Serena" His words sounded harsh "Recall who I work for"

She blanched, but hesitated only aher chin "You could--"

"I could what? Come with you? I suppose I could, at that But I won’t I have five hundred pounds waiting on the outcoilist like me has to come into that o with you--"

"You are soo let out a breath "Not enough"

"You are Hugo, if you’d only--"

"It’s not enough," he repeated grie of the bed "Do you hear? It’s not enough for h what?"

Such a reasonable question

"Because you’re intelligent and successful," Serena was saying, "and you’re a goodwith the pins--it was lovely You have a way of putting ," he said "My ave , and toldwould happen on the next day that I couldn’t bear"

Beside hi her the truth He had suffered through days that had made him doubt his mother’s stone

He brushed those memories away "When I was older, she took an old pickle jar to the park She told s Then she buried it deep, deep, where my father couldn’t find it no , but he’d scarcely felt the wet

Do you have a jar, Mama?

She’d smiled and shook her head

We should make one for you