I think she was going to say something different. But she sort of checked herself and pointed. ‘What in heaven’s name is that? ’ And she aimed her finger at me.
I didn’t get it right away, so I turned around to look behind me. ‘What?’
‘That! That!’
‘Oh!’ I said. ‘That’s Baby.’
I slung him down off my back and held him up for her to look at. She made a sort of moaning noise and jumped over and took him away from me. She held him out in front of her and moaned again and called him a poor little thing, and ran and put him down on a long bench, with cushions under the coloured-glass window. She bent over him and put her knuckle in her mouth and bit on it and moaned some more. Then she turned to me.
‘How long has he been like this?’
I looked at Janie and she looked at me. I said, ‘He’s always been like he is.’
She made a sort of cough and ran to where Miriam was lying flaked out on the floor. She slapped Miriam’s face a couple of times back and forth. Miriam sat up and looked us over. She closed her eyes and shivered and sort of climbed up Miss Kew hand over hand until she was on her feet.
‘Pull yourself together,’ said Miss Kew between her teeth. ‘Get a basin with some hot water and soap. Washcloth. Towels. Hurry!’ She gave Miriam a big push. Miriam staggered and grabbed at the wall, and then ran out.
Miss Kew went back to Baby and hung over him, titch-titching with her lips all tight.