'Casper, he - the ball bounced and he went after it.'
'No, honey, he can't ...,' he said, and her heart quieted - he was so reasonable, he would explain now how it couldn't have happened, there were laws of gravity and velocity that prevented such a thing ... or how there was an awning down there where Casper would have landed softly like a dog in a movie, or how he could fix a broken dog .... But watching his face she saw his calculations prove out the wrong way. He went to look over the wall, then took her by both arms and turned her toward the stairs.

'I'll take you home,' he said. 'Then I'll go down and see what I can do.'