DANIEL ASA ROSE
577
great big mansions. I picked it up at a garage sale. Give it to her
with a little build-up, you know?"
Obligingly, Henry placed the box on the table before his
wife. "This is from Roy," he said.
"It
may be a little dirty but it's
supposed to be quite valuable."
"Oh Roy," said Henrietta, delicately unpeeling the mask-
ing tape. "An antique?"
"Well, kind of," said Roy happily.
"That means junk," warned Ricky.
Before anyone could respond Henrietta pulled out a tall
crystal baby bottle. Her heart skidded. She could find nothing to
say. One side of the interior was caked with fruity white cocoons.
The nipple was cracked and moldy.
"I was just telling Henry that a little ammonia will clean it
right up," chirped Roy. "Of course, you might want
to
replace
the nipple. That's easy enough."
"Yes," said Henrietta slowly, "yes."
"You're unfocusing again," Roy told Henry.
There was a sweaty silence ...
. .. But Rita, for once, was not inclined to cherish it.
"Maybe Henrietta wanted to breast-feed, Roy."
Roy didn't like that. "I don't give a damn what she wants to
do," he shouted. "She can use it for a juice bottle. Or what if the
baby is a biter?" He was angry at his wife. "You've got to have a
little imagination, damn it all!"
Henrietta had lost her color. She looked up at Roy.
"That's real crystal," he pointed out. "You'll have to be
careful if you want to boil it. Now I know a lot of women like to
have all new things for their first baby, and that's fine: I don't
mind if you go out and get a hundred new bottles. I just thought
it was important for you to have this, too."
"It's from an ancient kingdom," Henrietta breathed.
"There, you see!" crowed Roy. "Someone here's got a head
on her shoulders."
Henrietta looked pleadingly at Rita. "But it's horrible!" she
said. "It's for a queen that's dead and buried! Can't you tell him
that?"
