Things had been happening to Nora, inexplicable things. In the middle of the fun at Toyland, when she’d been waiting in line with a million other kids to try the slide that ran for two whole stories beside the escalators, some colored girl in a yellow uniform and a thin coat had come up to Alice Groves. They had talked a minute. Alice had then yanked Nora out of line and said,
“That was one of my probationers. They heard me say I’d be here in Toyland. She came for me. I’ve got to go back.”
“Why?”
“There’s been an emergency.”
“Can’t I just take my slide? It’ll be my turn, soon.”
Alice said, “No.”
So they were outside again, on the street in the mobs and hurrying. The nurses with them followed, as reluctantly as Nora. “You’ll have to tag along with us,” Alice had said, “and we’ll telephone your people from the Infirmary. I haven’t time to wait to get you on a bus.” And she added, “I should never have come over to Green Prairie on a day like this!”
“ Why?”
“Because now there’s an emergency, and heaven alone knows how long it’ll take us to get the Ferndale bus. If I could find a taxi….”
They were still looking for an empty taxi when they passed the Sloan Bank on the way to the bus terminal. Minerva Sloan was just coming out and Alice spoke to her.