"And you'll have a pretty room all to yourself when you are older. And—and there's no reason why you can't sleep in my room tonight. Would you like that, Annie?"
Now the light was dimming fast, but Baxter sensed the glow of pleasure in Annie's tiny body and heard her soft cooing.
"Why, Annie," Rolanda's words came from a great distance, "you're smiling! As if you understood every word! Why, you little dickens!"
Annie stiffened suddenly, then she sighed and gurgled happily—as though she had just gotten something off her mind.