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bring it to Father Nolte's attention Sunday next. "Just step to the right, cherie ..."
    Jade Terese did not understand what had happened, but Monsieur Deubler seemed suddenly subdued, his gaiety and high spirits disappearing. She tried to press him again for an explanation but he politely changed subjects. Silence came between them as they at last turned onto Basin Street.
    Jade Terese maintained a modest cottage conveniently close to the convent, where she acted as an instructress in the Negro girls' school. Her position as the music instructress at the school had been an accident of her family's tragedy. Jade's mother, Elizabeth Devon, had been a Catholic by marriage, but not by faith. However, long ago Elizabeth had solicited Mother Francesca's help with a situation she had found troubling and quite foreign to an Englishwoman's sensibilities, and she had found the Reverend Mother's advice not only intelligent but also helpful. And over the years, their friendship had grown, deepening and blossoming, surprising them both as they each trespassed the conventions of society and the disparities of their stations and backgrounds to find a comfort in then-shared beliefs and intelligence. Elizabeth's death had been a devastating blow to Mother Francesca, until Jade began to fill the missing place in her heart.
    So of course, Mother Francesca had known all about Jade Terese and her uncommon gifts long before the fateful day that she had stepped into Jade's life. First of all, Terese was graced with a perfect memory. In addition to a wealth of poems and verses, including much of. Shakespeare's works, Jade knew half of the Bible, verse by verse. She could play chess in her mind or complete a ten-row sum of numbers without benefit of pen and paper, and much faster than anyone else. She spoke four languages fluently. And, after the accident and her resulting blindness, she used her considerable resources to painstakingly live as normal a life as possible for a blind person.
    This often caused trouble for those who knew her well. Presently Monsieur Deubler and Jade had almost reached her doorstep, but the good man had completely forgotten he escorted a blind person. She slipped right into the oozing muck between the wooden boards. Monsieur Deubler quickly caught her fall, cursing himself for his carelessness. "Jade Terese, just look at your hem! Your boots," he said, not realizing the ridiculousness of the suggestion, too horrified at what he had done. "It will be ruined—"
    Hamlet stiffened, sniffed the air. The smells were wrong. He smelled man, the faint air of spilt blood, death. Danger! He barked, reared back, jumped forward and barked again. The hairs lifted on his coat, he barked warning.
    "Oh, Hamlet!" Jade said, alarmed. "Hush! You shall wake the entire neighborhood."
    The dog quieted obediently, but maintained a low menacing growl, his body stiff as he stared off at the house. Watching the dog, Monsieur Deubler felt a sharp premonition of doom and, for no reason he knew, his hands went clammy. He studied the darkened windows of her house. No lights shone inside but then there was no reason for Maydrian to leave a light on after she retired.
    Still ...
    "Let me escort you inside Jade Terese," he said at the bottom of the stairs.
    '"Oh, 'tis not necessary," Jade tried to assure him as Hamlet's growl lifted to a bark again. She laughed at her dog and bent over to remove his leash. Maydrian had taken to feeding an old tomcat, and the cat had taken to teasing Hamlet unmercifully. She imagined the cat sat on the sill or roof and as she set Hamlet free, she warned, "That cat will make mincemeat out of you yet!" To her friend she said, " 'Tis no doubt this cat Maydrian has taken to feeding. Do you see him somewhere about?"
    "No, no," Monsieur Deubler said. "He's looking at the house, Jade Terese. There is something wrong. Let me go inside and make sure all is well first—"
    "I'm sure it is nothing—"
    "But of course." He smiled as