“They can stay,” Mrs. Bagot said. “If I put them downstairs, they’ll go out and tear the roses off the carpet. And Bennie can stay, too. If he sees the carpet out there, he’ll try to drag it back into the house. But you have to lie down and sleep now. You have to shut your eyes.”

Lily laughed. “It would be worth anything to see Bennie bringing the carpet into the house,” she said.

Margaret slept on the left-hand side of the bed. Lily’s place was on the right, nearest the door. When Mrs. Bagot slipped the extra pillow from behind Margaret, she bent and kissed her, and then she kissed her again. Margaret stared up at her as though they were saying goodbye to each other. Margaret always fought sleep at the last minute, and she fought it in whispers, whispering her fears and longings, as though she hoped sleep would hear her and spare her because she was so interesting to listen to. She whispered now, and her voice barely rose above Rupert’s industrious purr. “Stay with me,” she whispered. “Don’t go away. Stay here with me.”

Mrs. Bagot smiled at her, and then she looked up and smiled at Lily.

“Oh, she is full of tricks,” Lily said. “Full of tricks, that’s what she is.”

“Margaret, I can’t stay,” Mrs. Bagot said. “I’ve got to get back down and finish the carpet.” She walked around the bed and stood at the other side, near the open door. “Now, you will go to sleep,” she said, “won’t you?”

“Stay with me,” Margaret whispered, “just for a minute, only a minute. Stay with me. Don’t go away. Just a minute, stay with me. Then I’ll go to sleep.”

“Oh, Margaret,” Mrs. Bagot said, and she leaned across the bed and smoothed the hair back from Margaret’s forehead. Then she began to yawn, and she turned from the child and buried her face in Lily’s pillow until the yawn was finished. The pillow was soft. She pressed her face into it and drew her legs up on the bed and lay there. “Oh, this is very nice,” she said, and she pushed off her shoes, first one and then the other. “Lift my shoes down onto the floor, Lily,” she said, “and I’ll just lie here for a minute, just until Margaret goes to sleep.”

Lily took the shoes and put them on the floor, and then she stood looking down at her mother. “You’re very flat in the bed,” she said.

“Don’t let me fall asleep, Lily,” Mrs. Bagot said.

“Mother, could I ask you one more question?”

“What is it, Lily?”

“If the house blew up, then would we get the money?”

“What money? What are you talking about?”

“The money that’s under the floor downstairs.”