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kitchen and into the living room.
    “I don’t know why I call her when I don’t come home,” Calvin said, his voice bitter. “She wouldn’t notice.” He sighed and dialed. “Ma?” he said. “Oh, Hinky. Tell Ma I won’t be home till late.Now don’t forget. I don’t want to be locked out again.” He hung up, looked at Meg. “Do you know how lucky you are?”
    She smiled rather wryly. “Not most of the time.”
    “A mother like that! A house like this! Gee, your mother’s gorgeous! You should see my mother. She had all her upper teeth out and Pop got her a plate but she won’t wear it, and most days she doesn’t even comb her hair. Not thatit makes much difference when she does.” He clenched his fists. “But I love her. That’s the funny part of it. I love them all, and they don’t give a hoot about me. Maybe that’s why I call when I’m not going to be home. Because I care. Nobody else does. You don’t know how lucky you are to be loved.”
    Meg said in a startled way, “I guess I never thought of that. I guess I just took it for granted.”

    Calvin looked somber; then his enormous smile lit up his face again. “Things are going to happen, Meg! Good things! I feel it!” He began wandering, still slowly, around the pleasant, if shabby, living room. He stopped before a picture on the piano of a small group of men standing together on a beach. “Who’s this?”
    “Oh, a bunch of scientists.”
    “Where?”
    Meg went over to the picture. “Cape Canaveral.This one’s Father.”
    “Which?”
    “Here.”
    “The one with glasses?”
    “Yup. The one who needs a haircut.” Meg giggled, forgetting her worries in her pleasure at showing Calvin the picture. “His hair’s sort of the same color as mine, and he keeps forgetting to have it cut. Mother usually ends up doing it for him—she bought clippers and stuff—because he won’t take the time to go to the barber.”
    Calvinstudied the picture. “I like him,” he announced judiciously. “Looks kind of like Charles Wallace, doesn’t he?”
    Meg laughed again. “When Charles was a baby he looked
exactly
like Father. It was really funny.”
    Calvin continued to look at the picture. “He’s not handsome or anything. But I like him.”
    Meg was indignant. “He is too handsome.”
    Calvin shook his head. “Nah. He’s tall and skinny likeme.”
    “Well, I think you’re handsome,” Meg said. “Father’seyes are kind of like yours, too. You know. Really blue. Only you don’t notice his as much because of the glasses.”
    “Where is he now?”
    Meg stiffened. But she didn’t have to answer because the door from lab to kitchen slammed, and Mrs. Murry came in, carrying a dish of stew. “Now,” she called, “I’ll finish this up properly on the stove.Have you done your homework, Meg?”
    “Not quite,” Meg said, going back into the kitchen.
    “Then I’m sure Calvin won’t mind if you finish before dinner.”
    “Sure, go ahead.” Calvin fished in his pocket and pulled out a wad of folded paper. “As a matter of fact I have some junk of mine to finish up. Math. That’s one thing I have a hard time keeping up in. I’m okay on anything to do with words, butI don’t do as well with numbers.”
    Mrs. Murry smiled. “Why don’t you get Meg to help you?”
    “But, see, I’m several grades above Meg.”
    “Try asking her to help you with your math, anyhow,” Mrs. Murry suggested.
    “Well, sure,” Calvin said. “Here. But it’s pretty complicated.”
    Meg smoothed out the paper and studied it. “Do they care
how
you do it?” she asked. “I mean, can you work it out your ownway?”
    “Well, sure, as long as I understand and get the answers right.”
    “Well,
we
have to do it
their
way. Now look, Calvin, don’tyou see how much easier it would be if you did it
this
way?” Her pencil flew over the paper.
    “Hey!” Calvin said. “Hey! I think I get it. Show me once more on another one.”
    Again Meg’s pencil was busy.