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"And hoould you know?"

"That a body can't go without laughing, or that you haven't laughed in a long, long while?"

"Both"

She thought about that for a moment, then said, "As for you, well, all I can say is that I can just tell You always look a bit surprised when you laugh, as if you don't expect to be happy"

Blake's eyes widened i, he whispered, "I don't"

"And as for your other question…" Caroline said, a sad, wistful s silence, as she tried to think of the right words "I knohat it's like not to laugh I kno it hurts"

"Do you really?"

"And I know that you have to learn to find your laughter and your peace wherever you can I find it in--" She blushed "Never ently "Tell me"

Caroline looked around "What happened to the nored her question Ja when it was convenient He would not put it past his friend to play matchmaker "Tell ht of his face, not understanding why she felt so compelled to bare her soul to thisaze to meet his eyes "You probably think that is very silly"

"No," Blake said, feeling so very warht be the least silly thing I've heard in years"

Chapter 9

e-gre-gious (adjective) Reeous

My ard for discretion, circuood sense of any kind

--From the personal dictionary of Caroline Trent

Caroline's ankle was h she still required a cane to walk Finishing her work in the library, however, was out of the question; she was clue stacks of books while balancing on one foot There was no telling what sort of ht make while still handicapped by a swollen ankle

At supper the previous night, Jaht draw a floor plan of Prewitt Hall Blake, who had been runted in the affirood idea Eager to impress her hosts, she sat down at a desk in the blue roo out the floor plan, however, proved to be more difficult than she had supposed, and soon the floor was littered with crus she had deemed unacceptable After thirty minutes of aborted attempts, she finally declared, out loud and to herself, "I have a new appreciation and respect for architects"