“All right. Seven no trump.”
“That’s better.”
“Doubled and redoubled. Hugh? Just as soon as the boys are big enough to hold thirteen cards in their pudgy little hands, we’re going to start teaching them contract. Then we’ll have a family four of our own.”
“Suits. And if they can’t learn to play, we’ll temper them and try again.”
“I don’t want ever to hear that word again!”
“Sorry.”
“And I don’t want to hear that language again, either, dear. The boys should grow up hearing English.”
“Sorry again. You’re right. But I may slip; I’ve gotten in the habit of thinking in it-all that translating. So allow me a few slips.”
“I’ll always allow you a few slips. Speaking of slips- Did you? With Kitten?”
“No.”
“Why not? I wouldn’t have minded. Well, not much anyhow. She was sweet. She would baby-sit for me any time I would let her. She loved our boys.”.
“Barbara, I don’t want to think about Kitten. It makes me sad. I just hope whoever has her now is good to her. She didn’t have any defenses at all-like a kitten before it has its eyes open. Helpless. Kitten means to me everything that is utterly damnable about slavery.”
She squeezed his hand. “I hope they’re good to her, too. But, dear, don’t hurt yourself inside about it; there is nothing we can do for her.”
“I know it and that’s why I don’t want to talk about her. But I do miss her. As a daughter. She was a daughter to me. ‘Bedwarmer’ never entered into it.”
“I didn’t doubt it, dear. But- Well, look here, my good man, maybe this place is too cramped. All right, we’re going to live through it; we go on. Then don’t let me catch you treating me like a daughter! I intend to keep your bed very warm indeed!”
“Mmm- You want to remember that I’m an old man.”
“’Old man’ my calloused feet! We’ll be the same age for all practical purposes-namely something over four thousand years, counting once each way. And my purposes are very practical, understand me?”
“I understand you. I suppose ‘four thousand years’ is one way to look at it. Though perhaps not for ‘practical purposes.’”
“You won’t get out of it that easily,” she said darkly. “I won’t stand for it.”
“Woman, you’ve got a one-track mind. All right, I’ll do my best. I’ll rest all the time and let you do all the work. Hey, I think we’re there.”
The box was moved several times, then remained stationary a few minutes, then surged straight up with sickening suddenness, stopped with another stomach twister, seemed to hunt a little, and then was perfectly steady.
“You in the experimental chamber,” a voice said out of nowhere. “You are warned to expect a short fall. You are advised to stand up, each of you hold one brat, and be ready to fall. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Hugh answered while helping Barbara to her feet. “How much of a fall?”
There was no answer. Hugh said, “Hon, I don’t know what they mean. A ‘short fall’ could be one foot, or fifty. Protect Joey with your arms and better bend your knees a little. If it’s quite a fall, then go ahead and go down; don’t try to take it stiff-legged. These jokers don’t give a hoot what happens to us.”
“Bent knees. Protect Joey. All right.”
They fell.
Chapter 22
Hugh never did know how far they fell but he decided later that it could not have been more than four feet. One instant they were standing in a well-lighted, cramped box; the next instant they were outdoors, in the dark of night, and falling.
His boots hit, he went down, landing on the right side his rump and on two very hard rolls of silver dollars in hip pocket-rolled with the fall and protected the baby in arms.
Then he rolled to a sitting position. Barbara was near h on her side. She was not moving. “Barbara! Are you hui
“No,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t think so. Just knoc] the breath out of me.”
“Is Joey all right? Hughie is, but I think he’s more ti wet now.”