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"We went into the double parlor after the supper and there I drank more brandy than I should But I fixed the situation with a call to Cleet me in Aunt Queen's stretch limousine, with Allen to drive the Mercedes home, which worked out very well, since Aunt Queen was 'entertaining' in her room

"Michael and Rowan showed no letup of interest inOliver was affable and curious as well We talked about seeing ghosts and I told the all the appropriate euphe inall of this

"Her eyes were glistening and she never once interrupted iven how very brilliant I found her to be When she did talk it was to bringthem out to me Of the three, Michael was by far theat hireat sense of humor, but Roas modest for a doctor, and, as I had found her in the afternoon, her husky voice was much warmer and sweete

r than her finely angled face

"She had the sharp gray eyes of a beauty, and one could believe she was a neurosurgeon by the look of her long tapering hands Michael was the older one, the rugged one, the one who had worked on 'this house' with his ha its shining floors and its creaks and groans in the small hours And all of these three alluded hosts

"Stirling talked of a childhood full of spirits in an English castle And of discovering the Talae Michael spoke of nearly drowning off the coast of San Francisco and being rescued by, of all people, Rowan, and of his having cos through touch

"Mona told thely that Oncle Julien had ransacked the pantry for Royal Antoinette to serve me the hot chocolate, and I told them about the poem by Christopher Morley which I had loved so as a child, and about the cocoa and aniotten to tell any of them until then, and they were impressed with it, and we speculated as to how spirits make up what they do

" 'But it means God exists, doesn't it?' asked Mona There was the nant tone in her voice

" 'God or the Devil,' said Dr Rowan

" 'Oh, it would be too cruel if the Devil existed without God,' said Mona

" 'I don't think so,' said Rowan 'I think it's entirely possible ¡¯

" 'Nonsense, Rowan,' said Michael 'God exists and God is love ' And with a very deliberate nod to Mona he cautioned Rowan, and I saw at thatanxiously away Then Mona spoke up

" 'I guess I'll know soon,' she said, 'or I'll know nothing That's the hard part Blinking out like a burnt-out bulb ¡¯

" 'That's not going to happen,' I said 'When you have your treatments at Mayfair Medical, is it tiresome? Can I come and sit with you? Is it possible we could talk or I could read to you? What is it like?¡¯

" 'That would be lovely,' said Rowan, 'until you get tired of it, which would happen at some point ¡¯