Margaret!“

    It was Aurelius.

    ‘Look at you! You’re blue ook my arm and led me briskly off. My feet stumbled over til o a road, a car.  of ea.

    ‘Drink!“

    I drank. tea .

    ‘Eat!“

    I bit into t.

    In t tea and eating c colder teetarted to cter and I srollably.

    ‘Goodness gracious!“ Aurelius exclaimed softly as y sandher. ”Dear me!“

    to bring me to my senses a little. “ are you doing here, Aurelius?”

    ‘I came to give you to ted a cake tin ts.

    Placing tin on my lap,  me as he lid.

    Inside ers, .

    I oo cold to cry. Instead tion of cold and cake set me talking. ords emerged from me, randomly, like objects disgorged by glaciers as turnal singing, a garden ers, a baby, a spoon. “And soale grandmot you see  means? ”

    Aurelius s sold me—”

    ‘So you, Aurelius! o see , sted it.“

    ‘Bless me!“ exclaimed Aurelius. ” t bro of mine? I o pretend to be a journalist, you kno t I elling o sink in, ”A spoon like mine, you say? And she house?“

    ‘S, Aurelius. And Emmeline is your mother.“

    Aurelius stopped patting my  ared out of tion of there.”

    I nodded.

    turned to me. “take me to .”

    I seemed to  well.”

    ‘Ill? t take me to  delay!“

    ‘Not ill, exactly.“ o explain? ”S only her face. her mind.“

    ion, added it to ore of loss and pain, and ake me to her.”

    as it illness t dictated my response? as it t t it  my oors migo do , but more significant ted for my