Cyrus had gone immediately back to his cranky ways, and the boy was not invited again to his house. Once, just after a fresh snow, Howard saw three sets of footprints, and knowing they belonged to the girls, he followed them over a hill. A small frozen pond lay at the bottom of the hill, and the girls skated there. They looked carefree and happy. Howard wanted to watch them, but he knew the girls would object. A cedar with low green branches grew halfway down the hill. While they were turned away from him, he dashed for the tree and slid in among the branches. They were good skaters, gliding easily around the pond. The oldest of the three was especially graceful. Her legs seeming to move without effort, she was a willowy streak, her fair hair flying out behind her and shining in the winter sun. He was not surprised to see that Sarah was different from her sisters. They laughed and called to each other as they skated, but Sarah seemed unaware of them. Watching, Howard remembered how it had been the middle girl, Laura, who had spoken to him on the path.
