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’ t it. ”
    It
wasn ’ t like her to be so forward, but this
was strange and she was frightened. His right hand was scraped across the
knuckles and red with blood. Not a lot, but still not something she was used to
seeing. He was careful about his hands since he made his living with them.
    “ You hit somebody? ” she asked in a whisper.
    He
looked at his knuckles then cast a nodding glance back to the house. “ Your mama ’ s sleeping? ”
    Celeste
nodded. Nothing needed to be said. They ’ d seen the Sadness
coming on.
    Bernard
nodded as well, then inspected his knuckles. “ I didn ’ t hit anybody. Got
mad and hit the wall. It was stupid but I was just too angry not to. ” He took a long deep breath and let it
out slowly. “ Things will be fine child, but we have
a rough patch to get through coming up. I hate it came along at Christmas-time,
but it was bound to come along sooner or later. I just hoped it would be later
and I ’ d have a chance to sidestep. ” She saw his jaw clinch for a moment
before he continued. “ The boy your brother fought with was
the grandson of old Mr. Franklin who owns the shop where I work. Did you know
that? ”
    She
nodded. Augustin had told her.
    “ Well, the boy ’ s father isn ’ t like old Mr. Franklin, and it seems
he ’ ll be taking over ownership and running
of the place. Old Mr. Franklin valued my work, but seems his son isn ’ t of the same opinion, no matter how
good my work is. ”
    Celeste
thought she followed. “ Like Augustin and that teacher Miss
Bolton. ”
    “ Near enough, ” he agreed.
    “ So young Mr. Franklin
won ’ t let you work there any more. Is that
it? ”
    “ I ’ m afraid that ’ s it. He came in this afternoon and
sent me away. Just like that. ”
    “ So what ’ ll you do now? Will you find somewhere
else to work? ” She knew it would be seriously bad if
he couldn ’ t and the words of Miss Bolton ’ s ghost came back to haunt again.
    He
sat down on the ground in front of her to put them more eye to eye and studied
her face. “ Don ’ t you worry about that. Not for a minute. ”
    “ You won ’ t have to go away like Augustin did? ”
    He
considered this a while before answering. “ If I can ’ t find something near home that
provides enough for us to live off, then I might have to look farther away and
send money home. My father had to do that for a time, but he came home when he
could and he came back for good once times were better. It ’ s not what I want. The thought of being
away from home for even a day is painful to think about, but if it has to be,
then it has to be. I ’ d expect you to look after your mother
and you ’ d have to draw me a picture of the two
of you for me to keep. ”
    Celeste
listened but only some of it got through. It was like he had already decided
that he would have to leave — just
like Augustin. She was getting lightheaded and didn ’ t realize she had gone tense and rigid,
almost holding her breath until her father reached out and took her gently by
the arm.   She gasped.
    “ So what ’ s going to happen now? ” she said. “ Mother doesn ’ t know, does she? ”
    “ It ’ s like when a storm is coming, ” he said. “ You can see the clouds a ways off. ”

 
    It
was like a storm had hit their lives, turning things inside out. While Bernard
spent his days searching for work, farther and farther a-field which kept him
away from home for some days at a time, walking or catching wagon rides where
he could, Marie continued what sewing and mending she could find to do, and she
taught Celeste to help. Celeste proved to have nimble and clever fingers for
sewing, though she lacked the strength in them to work as long as Marie. Where
Bernard looked out ahead to find a new path for them, Marie focused on each day
as it came, taking nothing for granted, setting aside, paring down, stretching
everything for a long dryness, like great trees do in a drought. She moved from
one thing to the