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" 'She looked triumphant,' I said 'She'd made me out to be a lunatic ¡¯

" 'But you're not a lunatic,' said Stirling

" 'No, you're not,' said Aunt Queen 'I', you speak of her as though she's a species of creature ¡¯

" 'I didn't mean to do that,' he said 'That was unwise ofthat word, I suppose As I said, I was trying to judge purely fros you toldwith hio away ¡¯

" 'Nash, what do you think?' Aunt Queen asked

"Of course Nash demurred It wasn't really his place to comment, but Aunt Queen pressed him, as he had one on

" 'Quinn see voice 'I have to agree As to the trip to Europe, I think it's a marvelous idea Now, Petronia, I ave me pause She claimed herself to have lived in ancient Po the eruption of Vesuvius, and I must confess that I experienced a faint, ould you call it, a faint¡¯

" 'Disorientation,' I said immediately

" 'Yes, exactly, I experienced a disorientation while she was talking, as though she were a hypnotist It wasn't entirely co of confusion that I didn't much like I would never have mentioned it, except that you've asked me But I can say in conclusion that Petronia see and perhaps, perhaps a little sly ¡¯

" 'How so sly?' asked Aunt Queen

" 'When a person hypnotizes a whole rooes it, there is a slyness there,' said Nash 'Don't you think?¡¯

"I was very impressed with these statements I had expected Nash to claim neutrality, and I loved him now more than ever before

"Lunch was concluded, but not before I had eaten all the veal and pasta on Goblin's plate, with his respectfully requested per Ramona cleared away both dishes and table so that we could sit and talk

"Aunt Queen made the necessary calls to set our plan in motion Nash averred that his suitcase had never been unpacked And tipsy as I was, I asked if I could drive Stirling around Blackwood Farm to show him the old pastures and a little bit of the swamp that one could see from the road Before ould drive I would take him down to the cemetery to see the tombs and the old church

"I could see that neither Nash nor Aunt Queen wanted me to be alone with him, but they couldn't very well object to it, and as soon as ere alone, headed down to the cemetery, I understood quite fully why