Carla had not heard Clark go out, but she woke when he came in.
He told her that he had just been checking around the barn.
“A car went along the road a while ago, and I wondered what it was doing here. I couldn’t get back to sleep till I went out and checked whether everything was O.K.”
“So, was it?”
“Far as I could see. And then while I was up,” he said, “I thought I might as well pay a visit up the road. I took the clothes back.”
Carla sat up in bed.
“You didn’t wake her up?”
“She woke up. It was O.K. We had a little talk.”
“Oh.”
‘‘It was O.K.”
“You didn’t mention any of that stuff, did you?”
“I didn’t mention it.”
“It really was all made up. It really was. You have to believe me. It was all a lie.”
“O.K.”
“You have to believe me.”
“Then I believe you.”
“I made it all up.”
“O.K.”
He got into bed.
“Did you get your feet wet?” she said.
“Heavy dew.”
He turned to her.
“Come here,” he said. “When I read your note, it was just like I went hollow inside. It’s true. I felt like I didn’t have anything left in me.”