The Second Visit, 5

Customarily, this day was passed by Loring in that upstairs room. Sitting there in the kitchen, with the daylight and the distances the balloons had made just beyond the window, she felt drawn too far out of herself and her habits. She left the boy sleeping and went back upstairs, and sat again.

And now, the problem was before her, presenting itself, like an occasion of laughter, generously and all at once. Should she open the box?

It was in its new place, where the boy had moved it. She did not dare to touch it to move it back. The lines on the table where it had been, faint dust lines, remained. It was almost like there were two boxes now. It troubled her to think of what the difference would be now, in opening it when it had been moved.

She stirred then to open it, but stood instead, and then sat down again. The walls of the little room were a thin color, and she felt that she could see into the distance, despite all evidence to the contrary.

A dog was whining on the street below. She heard its mistress speaking. The woman said,

— The last one is coming. We can see it best from over here. No, no.

And then there was a knocking at the door.

Loring came down the stairs, as swiftly as she could, and looked through the little window to the right of the door, which opened with a flap. There was indeed a woman outside, and holding a dog.

— What do you want?

— Excuse me, excuse me.

— What do you want?

— I live just down the road. I wonder, I know it is far too much to ask, and I would never want to presume, but I have seen this house so many times and thought how lovely it must be inside, and I was wondering, there is the Jubilee, did you know, the Jubilee is this week, and I was wondering if it might be possible to observe the final balloon from your window, as you see, it is heading into the distance there, and can’t really be seen from the street and by the time I got to the top of the hill, it would already be gone. Might I?

— You want to look at the balloon from my window? That’s what you’re saying?

— I hope it isn’t the wrong thing to say? Did I say that, the wrong thing? I’m terribly sorry if I did. My dog, of course, must come, if I come in. I can’t leave him behind. He is so anxious.

Now, here’s the thing. It wasn’t a dog at all. This woman had her husband on a leash.

Loring stared dumbfounded at the pair. From behind her, in the house, a voice came.

— How long was I asleep for?

Stan was there, rubbing his eyes and looking out at the strange scene.

— For a hundred years! yelled the woman.

— For a thousand, barked her husband.

And then there were more of them in the street, all running together, and the woman and man joined them. It was a circus — they were tumblers. They made a human pyramid in the street right there, and the woman was hoisted all the way up to the top.

— In celebration of the wonderful JUBILEE!!! she shouted.

And they all ran off.

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