She told how the witch trials began, with a group of young girls bored out of their skulls in the puritanical New England winter. The Company wouldn’t stop cracking jokes. Rose knew Mr. Keller was going to tell her to sit down in a minute. If you couldn’t present your paper convincingly to the class, you failed. Then Daniel shouted, “Hey, you guys, shut up. I want to hear this.”

Mr. Keller made a fishy face, but said nothing. Suddenly everybody shut up and listened. And they liked it. When she told about the lawsuits some of the accused brought on their accusers, they got really into it.

“Seven pounds, six shillings? How much is that, Mr. K? They should have sued for a million dollars.”

“Well done, Rosecleer,” Mr. Keller said. She sat down, sweaty and pleased, remembering it was Daniel who got everybody to shut up. Daniel, making a public statement about her. She didn’t dare look back to catch his eye.

“We have just enough time for one more,” Mr. Keller said. “I call on Gregory Paschek.”

Serves him right for heckling me, Rose thought. Gregory shuffled up to the front of the room, his face red as a beet. His paper was on the Plimouth Plantation, totally predictable and safe, except for a brilliant flourish at the end when he made a comparison with Roman estates. Mr. Keller, who had been gazing out the window and probably thinking about his shopping list for the Stop and Save after work, suddenly sat up and blinked. Before he had a chance to challenge Gregory’s unusually deep thought, the bell rang.

Grace was in the hall.

“You looked wiped out,” she said.

“I gave my paper. Mr. K. made me go first.”

Grace’s eyes searched over Rose’s shoulder, looking for her one and only.

“Gregory didn’t help much,” Rose told her. “I don’t know what you see in that idiot.”

“Did he give his paper?” she asked, oblivious to the complaints.

“Yes, he was second.”

“Did he do okay? I hope he used the stuff I told him.”

“Like about the Roman estates?”

“Yeah, did he?”

“It was a smashing success. Keller almost dropped his teeth.”

Grace looked pleased. “I got it from this book my father has.”

“You shouldn’t have. Keller will never believe Gregory could think up a thing like that.”

Grace’s face clouded. “I hope he doesn’t get into trouble. Where is he? Maybe I should ask him….”

“Come on, Grace. Art. Gregory can take care of himself.”

At lunchtime, Gregory and Company were in the cafeteria, at their regular table. Grace wanted to sit as near to them as possible but by the time they got through the line, there was no room and no chance to see Daniel, either.