out. It tern of stars and floy mottons; it ’s dress or niginy garment, ing to touc ing to mark it  fit over a finger now.

    ‘It’s w I was wearing,“ Aurelius explained.

    ‘It’s very old.“

    ‘As old as me, I suppose.“

    ‘Older t, even.“

    ‘Do you think so?“

    ‘Look at titc’s been mended more tton doesn’t matchis before you.“

    ted from to me and back to th, hungry for knowledge.

    ‘And ted at a page of print. It orn from a book and riddled aking it in my arted to read.

    ‘… not at first aion; but and in act to , I instinctively started aside h a cry of alarm—“

    Aurelius took up tinued, reading not from t from memory: “… not soon enoug  me, and I fell, striking my  tting it.”

    Of course I recognized it. , for I  goodness knows imes. “Jane Eyre, ” I said wonderingly.

    ‘You recognized it? Yes, it is. I asked a man in a library. It’s by Cte someone. S of sisters, apparently.“

    ‘?“

    ‘Started to. It  a little girl. S  takes  I o somet. Nasty , not like Mrs. Love at all. t  later so scerrible scerrible food, but ser t… I seemed to lose interest. Didn’t read t see  fitted after t.“ . ”?  o  relevant?“

    ‘S secretly—tries to burn ter is blind, and Jane marries him.“

    ‘Aried to puzzle it all out. But  doesn’t make sense, does it? t t after t… I  means. I ell me truth.“

    urned back to torn-out page. “Probably it’s not t’s important at all. Per’s just t  meaning. Look here—”

    Inside tigters te