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She finished just as new sounds came from the dark land outside the s Footsteps cahed the front porch

She went to the door and waited for a knock

None came

She waited a full minute

Outside on the porch a great bulk stirred and shifted from side to side uneasily

Finally she sighed and called sharply at the door “Will, is that you breathing out there?”

No answer Only a kind of sheepish silence behind the door

She snatched the door wide

The old man stood there, an incredible stack of cordwood in his arm His voice came from behind the stack

“Saw sht need wood,” he said

She stood aside He ca at her

She looked out on the porch and picked up the suitcase and brought it in and shut the door

She saw hi at the dinner table

She stirred the soup on the stove to a great boiling whirl

“Roast beef in the oven?” he asked quietly