and onto a patch of bare earth when the first retching began. Mortified, she stood with her forehead resting against the trunk of a tree, her own vomit mixing with Sarah’s as it splashed against her legs. In a couple of minutes, it was over.
She turned back to the car, and her teary eyes told her that for her daughter it was not yet over.
Sarah sat miserably in the spot where Rose had left her, and the convulsions were beginning again. Frantically, Rose looked for her husband. For a second he seemed to have disappeared, but then she saw him coming from the men’s room, a sodden paper towel in his hands. Ignoring her, he went directly to Sarah, knelt beside her, and began bathing her face with the dripping towel. Rose watched the scene in silence, then began making her way to the women’s room.
For a long time she ran cold water, scooping it up and pouring it over her face, as if the water could wash away the experience that preceded it. Finally she returned to the car.
They saw Mrs. Goodrich standing on the porch when they turned into the driveway. The Congers glanced at each other, and their eyes held for a moment There was a sudden warmth between them that neither of them had felt for a year. When Rose spoke, it was not to wonder why Mrs. Goodrich was on the porch.
“I’m sorry about all that,” she said quietly.
“It’s all right,” Jack replied, his voice gentle. “It’s nice to know that I’m still good at something, even if it’s only looking after my sick womenfolk.”
Rose saw the pain and tenderness flash in his eyes. She looked away, her gaze coming to rest on Sarah, who had fallen asleep in her arms.
“Do you think I ought to call the doctor?” She shifted Sarah’s weight so that the child’s head was cradled on her shoulder.
“If it’ll make you feel better. But I suspect it’s all over now. She’s got all that crap out of her system. I think we can wait till she wakes up at least. Then we’ll see.” He stopped the car in front of the house, got out, and went around to open the door for his wife. Mrs. Goodrich had left the porch and was coming toward them, her ample figure moving as quickly as her age would allow. As Jack pulled open the passenger door, she stopped.
“Lord have mercy,” she muttered, her eyes taking in the mess that covered the inside of the car, Sarah, and Rose. Involuntarily she took a couple of steps backward.
“It’s all right, Mrs. Goodrich,” Rose said, disengaging herself carefully from the car so as not to disturb Sarah, in her arms. “We had a little trouble, but it’s over with now.”
Mrs. Goodrich surveyed the mess stoically. If she wondered what had happened, it didn’t show in her face. “I’ll have to take a hose to the inside of that car,” she said, almost making it sound like a threat.
“I’ll take care of it, Mrs. Goodrich,” Jack began. “We can’t really ask you—”
I’ve cleaned up worse than that in my time,” the housekeeper snapped. “Besides, you’ve got other things to do.” There was an edge to her voice that captured Jack’s attention. Rose had already disappeared with Sarah into the house.
“Other things? What other things?”
“It’s Miss Elizabeth,” the housekeeper said. “I think she’s been playing where she’s not supposed to.” Jack waited for her to continue, and eventually had to prompt her.
“Well,” Mrs. Goodrich said. I saw her come out of the woods not too long ago. “I don’t know why, but I’m sure she was playing on the embankment. She denied it, of course.” The last was said with the certainty of one convinced, by a lifetime of hard experience, that children will deny anything and everything, even when caught red-handed.
“Elizabeth’s usually pretty honest,” Jack said gently. He was reluctant to nettle the old woman; when he did, it usually showed up at dinner in the form of overcooked food. Mrs. Goodrich peered at him over her glasses and stood her ground.
“I’m well aware of that, young man,” she said, and Jack prepared to give in. Ever since he had been a child, he had known that when Mrs. Goodrich called him “young man” she meant business.
“Nevertheless,” she went on, “I think you’d better speak to her. She knows she’s not to go into those woods, let alone anywhere near the embankment And I know she was