"Sounds like your friend is in love."

"What? No, that can't be it. She can't love him." Prudence thought of the kiss she had witnessed last night. Samantha couldn't love someone like that. She couldn't love someone so cruel he'd fight his own father. He's done something to her to make her act this way.

"Love makes us all act dumb. When I met Mr. Schulman some fifty years ago everyone thought I'd gone crazy. Everyone told me he was no good. Well, ten years later I found out they were right when he went shacking up with that whore Marcy Walker."

"Did you divorce him?"

"No, back in those days you didn't get a divorce at the drop of a hat like now. We stayed together another thirty years until he keeled over dead at the breakfast table one morning. He was eating his Cream of Wheat one second and dead the next."

"That's awful."

"I suppose. Where's this friend of yours going to be?"

"I'm not really sure. You can drop me off at the corner and I'll look for her on foot."

"Fine, if that's the way you want it. Give me a chance to go to the sweet shop and get some fudge. I haven't had any in four years now. You come by later after you've found your friend and I might let you have some if I haven't eaten it all."

Mrs. Schulman spun the automobile hard to the right so that Prudence came within a hair of cracking her skull against the window. The automobile stopped in front of Designs by Suzie. "Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Schulman," Prudence said.

"I hope you find your friend and talk some sense into her. Love isn't worth anything if it's with someone who's worthless like Mr. Schulman. Remember that when you look for a nice boy."

"I will. Thank you." Prudence crawled out of the automobile and waved to Mrs. Schulman as the old woman peeled away. Prudence considered what to do next, but she didn't have long to think before Mr. Pryde's automobile pulled up to her.

"Hey there, Petunia," Samantha said.

"Prudence."

"Oh right. How's your arm?"

"It's better," Prudence said. "Samantha, we need to talk."

"No problem. I know a place." Samantha got out of the car and put a hand on Prudence's shoulder. "We won't be long."

"I'll be right here," Joseph said.

Samantha led Prudence around the corner to a narrow alley between the line of shops and a brick wall. "Samantha, I'm really worried about you lately. I don't know what's going on with you, but it has to stop. We have to think about the other children. They're counting on us to help them and you can't expect Wendell and I to handle everything while you go off with this boy. Maybe Mrs. Schulman is right about you loving him-"




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