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As Carson and Michael bent close to beaoo, ah goo," to its butt

With alararet, what’s that in herin her mouth, what is it?"

"Relax, lad It’s a tooth"

"A tooth? Where did she get a tooth?"

"It caht She never cried I found it when I prepared her bottle thisher sh little cookie"

"A tooth," Michael ht she’d have a tooth?"

Scout said, "Ga-ga-ga-ga, ba-ba-ba-ba"

"Chains of vowels and consonants! She’s babbling My God, she’s babbling!"

"She is," Carson said "She really is Mary Margaret, did you hear that?"

Clutching the teddy bear by the crotch, Scout said, "Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga, a-wa-ga-ga"

"Chains of vowels and consonants," Michael repeated onder just short of awe "Babbling Scout’s babbling"

"Not just Scout," said Mary Margaret

"She hasn’t even finished her seventh , to babble this early?"

"Not considering her parentage," said the nanny as she continued to peel apples "Indeed, herself el, but let’s not just yet declare her a prodigy"

"Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga," Michael said, encouraging his daughter to repeat her stunning perforaret, "you’ve been displaced," and she dropped a slice of apple that the dog snatched from the air

"Let me hold her," Michael said

Hesitant to hand over the precious bundle, Carson said, "Well … okay But don’t drop her on her head"

"Why would I drop her on her head?"

"I’ you’d do it on purpose"

"Look at that tooth," Michael said "A baby crocodile would be proud of that tooth"

Mary Margaret said, "And as all the volanced at each other, but neither of thearet had no patience for those who evaded questions "A your presence? See here, you couldn’t have worked ho," Michael said, dandling Scout "It was a fear thing"

"You were hard-charging policearet said "Or so I’ve been led to believe You un held to your head before?"

"Of course we did," Michael said "Thousands of times"

"Tens of thousands," said Carson "But never while on a boat Maybe it was the coun to the head and the movement of the boat"

"Ka-ka, ka-ka, ka-ka," said Scout

Turning frohtly, apple in one fist, paring knife in the other, fists on her hips, Mary Margaret appeared as stern as the ht be expected to look when she knew so her on

"However I may appear to you," she said, "I’ all over people--"

"Only one person," Carson clarified

"--because you now have le with no tyke in diapers"

After a silence, Carson said, "I suppose there could be a little truth in that"

"I suppose," Michael agreed

"There’s not just a bit of a bit of truth in it," Mary Margaret said, "it’s all truth, plain word for plain word, as sure as anything in Scripture"

Scout dropped her teddy bear and clutched at her father’s nose

Carson picked up the bear

Michael gently pried Scout’s thuht what conclusion this truth leads to?" Mary Margaret asked "Then I will If you’ve got so much to lose that a bit of risk makes you vomit all over people, then you don’t have the nerve for risk any justice to wronged women"

"There’s not as much money in that kind of work," said Carson

"But surely there’s more of it year by year"

"It’s not always the woed," Michael said "Men are soaret frowned "And I would recoe when such a thing is true"

As the nanny continued peeling and slicing apples, as Duke resuil in hope of charity or clumsiness, Carson asked about her brother: "Where’s Arnie?"

"In the study," said Mary Margaret, "doing what the name of the room implies I’ve never seen a boy who took such pleasure in learning It’s as admirable as it is unnatural"

Michael led the way froa-ga-ga-ga, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba," to encourage the baby to babble again, but she only gazed at hihast that her father appeared to be a gibbering loon

"Don’t drop her," Carson warned

"You’re becoet," Michael said

"What did you callI justthat baby, I’d make an observation"

To Scout, he said, "You are my little bulletproof vest"

Carson said, "I’d et, my ass"

"Your mother is a type A personality," Michael told Scout "Fortunately, the gene for that is not a doene"

When they reached the study, they discovered that Arnie was no longer absorbed by his textbooks He sat at a table, playing chess

His opponent, looame board, was Deucalion

Chapter 17

Mr Lyss was spooked He looked as scared now as he looked angry earlier His squinched face was still tight and knotted, but now you could see all the lines orry lines