"Oh, you'll be back to normal, I'm sure," Toffee said. "When you stop to think about it, it should work out just as Mr. Culpepper said." "Then I'll probably be dragged off by the cops the minute I show my face." "Oh, I don't think so. No one really ever got a very good look at you. After the cops showed up, we were in the shadows most of the time and moving too fast. Besides they'll be looking for a couple with children." Marc shrugged. "Maybe you're right." He sighed and stretched out on the grass at Toffee's side. "It's really very restful here," he said. No sooner were the words out of his mouth than it happened, the earth began to rock beneath them. The little valley was seized by a spasm, it lurched crazily from side to side in an erratic see-saw motion. Marc dug his fingers into the grass, but it didn't help; in a moment he was rolling swiftly down the side of the knoll, heading into a thick bank of blue mist. Behind him he could hear Toffee calling to him, but her words were muffled and unintelligible though her tone was cheerful and unworried. And then the mist closed over him, turned into fog and became dense and black. * * * * * Someone was shaking Marc's shoulder when he opened his eyes, and he looked up into the anxious face of Mr. Culpepper. "The girl!" Mr. Culpepper was crying. "Gone! Entirely gone. I didn't see her take any of the pills, but she's gone!" Marc gazed dazedly around the room, heard himself echoing the word "gone." "I didn't mean to do anything like this!" Mr. Culpepper wailed. "I didn't mean to destroy anyone." To Marc, the room and his thoughts became clear in the same moment. He gazed at Mr. Culpepper's anguished face and smiled. Perhaps the little man deserved the remorse he was feeling; perhaps it was his just payment for tampering too much with the natural order of things. Still.... "I'm sure she's all right," Marc said. "She probably just wandered out when you weren't looking. She often does. Sometimes she just drifts away for whole months at a time. I wouldn't worry about it." The little man looked up, smiled with relief. "She's so pretty," he said. "She's an awful heller but she's such a pretty one." * * * * * Two days later Marc was sitting at his desk, going through the morning mail, when Memphis opened the door and came in. "The boys are here," she said. "Boys?" Marc asked, looking up. "You know. The applicants for the messenger boy job. There are several waiting. Shall I send them in?" Marc dropped the letter in his hand and gazed absently out the window. "Oh, all right," he said. "Run them through." Memphis left the room. A moment later there was a tap at the door. "Come in!" Marc called without turning.