It took the rest of the day for them to get Prudence back home. Her ankle was in worse shape than she had let on, each step accompanied by a groan of pain. Samantha wished she could make another splint and stretcher as she had for Uncle Hector, but there weren't any materials. And she still didn't want to risk sending Wendell ahead to fetch help or at least some fountain water.
For his part Wendell held Samantha's stick in case any of Pryde's beasts found them. Wendell didn't complain at all, perhaps too tired to put up a fight. Or maybe he sensed he had the easiest job of any of them.
Along the way, Samantha told Prudence and Wendell about finding Pryde's old house. "There were a lot of beautiful old clothes there. So many colors and styles. You would have loved it."
"You think we can go there sometime?" Prudence asked.
"After you're better."
"What is this material called?" Prudence asked, her hand patting Samantha's jacket. "It's so thick and rough, but it's not leather."
"It's denim."
"Denim?"
"Uh-huh. That's what my pants are made of too. Aren't they pretty?"
"Girls shouldn't wear trousers. That's for boys."
"Why? Because Reverend Crane said so?"
"No. It's just wrong," Prudence said.
"Well maybe in your day it was wrong. But nowadays girls can wear pants just like boys. They can cut their hair short too. They could shave their heads if they wanted to."
Prudence and Wendell made a disgusted face at the same time. Wendell said, "You aren't going to do that, are you?"
"Maybe I will."
"Samantha, don't. Your hair is very pretty," Prudence said.
"Anyway," Samantha said, to change the subject, "this is what my mother used to wear."
"It is?"
"Yes. These are her old clothes." Samantha reached into her pocket for the photograph of her and her parents. "Those are my parents."
Prudence and Wendell stopped so they could study the picture. "Your mother is so beautiful," Prudence said.
"She looks just like you."
"I know! Isn't it wonderful? And isn't my father so handsome?"
"I suppose," Wendell said.
Samantha didn't tell them she remembered her parents dying. They didn't need to think about that right now. For now Samantha wanted Prudence to focus on happy thoughts. She reached into her shirt to take out the necklace. "Look what else I found."
'"BE FRIE FOR?' What does that mean?"
"It's only half the necklace. The other half makes it spell out, 'BEST FRIENDS FOREVER.' I know who it is too. She's a girl with pretty black hair like me. I remembered her giving it to me when we were little."