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evidence of her fears. Carlotta had known her since childhood, and she’d tease. It was her way.
    â€œWell, then, what are we supposed to do next?” Carlotta had a nasal voice, which often grew into a whine, especially when she got bored. “You’d think they could’ve left us at least one sister in here. Why do we have to do everything ourselves?”
    Dulcie gave the soup a good stir and took a deep, delicious breath, so she wouldn’t get irritable, too. “I told you,” she said, without turning around, “they’re all fixing things up for Mother Ann’s Birthday and for that eldress who’s coming to visit.”
    â€œJust what we need—company. I suppose we’ll have to wait on her, too.”
    Dulcie heard the clatter of crockery and guessed Carlotta was gathering soup bowls for the imminent arrival of the Believers, several novitiates, and the hired help for their noontime meal. The clattering stopped. Dulcie guessed Carlotta was about to speak—probably another complaint or maybe a bit of gossip.
    â€œWhy don’t you get those bowls set up in the dining room?” Dulcie asked quickly. “They’ll all be along soon, and it’d be good if we could show the sisters we can work in the kitchen without them.”
    â€œIn a minute,” Carlotta said. Several moments of silence followed, which Dulcie filled with vigorous stirring.
    â€œListen, Dulcie,” Carlotta said. “Something’s wrong, I can tell. I can always tell. It’s Julia, ain’t it? You can’t let that bother you. I mean, it’s not like you two was all that close, you know, despite you and her being sisters. She was wild. She got what she asked for.”
    â€œYou don’t know anything about anything!” Dulcie’s normally gentle voice seemed to crash around the room and bounce off the copper-bottomed pots. Carlotta jerked as if it had shoved her backward.
    â€œLook, I’m just trying to help. If you want to feel sorry for her, that’s your business, but Julia never deserved nothing but what she got. You gotta get on with things and look on the bright side—she’s not around to embarrass you anymore. Seems to me Theodore will be grateful not to have her for a sister-in-law.”
    To her chagrin, Dulcie was shaking, but not entirely from anger. She stumbled to the worktable and leaned over it, steadying herself with her hands flat on its nicked surface.
    â€œHey, you okay?” Carlotta asked, scraping a chair over to Dulcie. “Here, sit. Did you eat breakfast? I wondered about that. You disappeared right after we served, and you didn’t come back to eat. What’re you up to, anyway? Where do you sneak off to all the time?”
    From the floor above them came the faint sound of feet scuffing across a wood floor, signaling the arrival of the Believers and their guests. Carlotta clicked her tongue and said, “I suppose those bowls of soup had better get served, or we’ll hear about it. You’re sure in no condition to do the carrying; you’d fall right over and take supper with you. I guess that leaves me.” With a sigh of martyrdom, she clattered some bowls on a tray. “Dulcie, my girl, you stay right here, and I expect to hear all about what’s wrong, soon as I finish,” Carlotta said, as she piled some items in the dumbwaiter and headed upstairs to serve.
    As soon as Carlotta’s back had disappeared, Dulcie hurried up the stairs to the ground floor and left by a back entrance, forgetting to grab her frayed jacket from a wall peg.
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    Dulcie rounded the corner of the Brick Dwelling House and the wind sliced through her. She shivered and clasped her arms tightly around her upper arms. She wished she’d paused long enough to grab that old jacket of hers. Not that it would have helped much; the cloth had worn thin, and the patches at the elbow were working loose. Sister