"Let her go."
"Please, sir, may I go with her?"
"Who is this."
"Juliana, sir. I want to go and see my cousin Madalina, sir."
"Oh, yes, I remember. You are the little Italian tambourine girl. Yes, you may go. See if you can get that pretty cousin of yours to come and live here."
"She would like to, sir, but her mother won't let her."
"Very well. Go."
And he resumed his work. "7 and 5 are 12, and 8 are 20; two 1's are 2—"
"Yes, but two ones want to be made one."
"How is that—what do you want?"