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Above the wide right pocket of the justacorps is a fox stitched in red and gold, its foreleg caught in a trap
"I’m Miranda," she says And then, because she’s picked up a Honeywell trick or two herself, she says, "My mother’s in jail"
The Honeywell looks als Theatrically, of course Sticks his hands in his pockets "What’s that got to do with ot problems, that’s all," Miranda says "I’m here because Elspeth feels sorry for me I hate when people feel sorry for me And I don’t feel sorry for you I don’t know you I just don’t think it’s very s out here because you’re in a ood-looking people often don’t bother What’s your nao away?" the Honeywell says
"Yes," Miranda says She can go in the kitchen and play with the kittens Do the dishes and be useful Have her fortune told Sit under the tree again with Daniel until it’s well past tio to sleep Tomorrow she’ll be sent away hootten she has a goddaughter
"I’s to not do, and not a lot of time to not do them in"
"Well," Miranda says She pats Fenny on the broad cuff of the sleeve of his lovely coat She wonders what the lining is How cold heout here when he is welcoht"
She reaches out one last tiht in the trap Stebone "It’s very fine work, truly," she says "But I hope he gets free"
"He was stupid to get caught," Fenny says, "you peculiar and annoying child" He is already turning back to theWhat does he see through it? When Miranda is finally back inside the drawing roo out inappropriate lyrics to carols, pulling Christh theThe snow has stopped No one is there
But Elspeth Honeywell, as it happens, remembers Miranda the next year and the year and the year after that There are presents for Miranda under the nificent tree A ticket to a London musical that she never sees A makeup kit when she is thirteen
The year she is fourteen, Daniel gives her a chess set and a box of assorted skeins of silk thread Under her black tights, Miranda wears a red braided leather anklet that came in an envelope, no letter, frorown up and pretend not to know her
The year she is twelve, she looks for the mysterious Fenny He isn’t there When she asks, no one knoho she ne for the first tirown up The man in the justacorps was a dream, or so At fourteen she’s outgrown fairytales, Santa Claus, ghost stories When Daniel points out that they are standing under the mistletoe, she kisses hiue in his ear
It snows again the Christ about the chance of snow arden There is no arden, of course; there never was But there is Honeywell Hall, which is enough--and see as if they were children again
It’s exhausting, almost Olympic, the amount of fun Honeywells seem to require She can’t decide if it’s awful or if it’s wonderful
Late in the afternoon the Honeywells are playing charades No fun, playing with people who do this professionally Miranda stands at the atching the snow fall, looking for soarden
A Honeywell shouts, "Good god, no! Cleopatra came rolled up in a carpet, not in the Sunday supple to his father on Skype
Mirandafor anything in particular Far down the grounds, she sees so out of place So for a walk!" she yells while the door is swinging closed In case anyone cares