Turning her head, Molly quickly noticed that Arthur was gawking at her. "What are you staring at?" she asked with a tone of menace. She seemed even more fearsome than before, now that Arthur could see her threatening eyes.

While the aardvark boy gritted his teeth, expecting at any moment to be painfully pulverized, the rabbit man lifted his hand and flicked Molly's left ear with his finger. "Be nice, Molly," he ordered sternly.

To Arthur's surprise, Molly forced a smile and waved weakly at him.

Whoever this man was (and Arthur surmised he was Molly's father or male guardian), the girl was obviously afraid to disobey him. As long as he could remember, neither he nor any of his friends had seen Molly's eyes unobscured by shaggy hair, or Molly wearing anything other than a tattered shirt and jeans.

As Arthur watched, the rabbit man strolled up to the podium where Reverend Fulsome sat, and the clergyman rose and greeted him with a warm hug. He had only seen the reverend hug someone other than Mrs. Fulsome once before, and that was at a funeral. What was so special about this man?

He soon learned the reason, as the reverend positioned himself behind the podium and silenced the congregation. "We are happy to have BenMcDonald among our number today," he proclaimed, gesturing toward the unshaven man, who had taken a seat in the front row with Molly and her mother. "Many of you know the story of Ben's past, and how he made wrong choices that led him to a life of crime, and eventually prison. I visited him many times as he served his sentence, and I am happy to report that he has begun a new life through the cleansing power of Jesus, and was finally released on parole yesterday."

Surprised murmurs filled the chapel, some suspicious, some with an air of relief and gladness. Attorney Mel Cooper was among the wary ones. "I'll believe he's changed when I see it," the duck man muttered to his wife.

As the multitude sweltered in the hot chapel, Fulsome delivered a sermon on contrition and forgiveness, using Ben McDonald's turnaround in prison as an example. After he had dismissed the parishioners, the Reads and the Coopers thronged together by the parking lot. Molly and her parents stopped in front of them long enough for Molly to flash a nervous smile.

"She sure seems friendly now," Arthur remarked.

"Not that we have anything to fear from her," said Odette, thinking back to the day when she had given the rabbit girl a firm pecking for taunting Binky.

D.W. hopped into Van's lap, and the duck boy gave her a wheelchair ride as Arthur followed along. "Quinn's at Harvard now," Van told them. "You don't have to worry about her babysitting you again."

"Oh, goody," said D.W., grinning. "The last time she threatened to give me a spinach juice transfusion."

"Have you ever been to Los Cactos?" Van asked Arthur.

"No," the aardvark boy answered. "I don't even know where that is."

"It's in New Mexico," Van explained, "in the middle of the desert. A lot of scientists live there. Mom and Odette are going there next week."

"What for?"

"April Murphy's being held by the police there," Van went on. "Sue Ellen thinks she's the only person who knows what happened to her parents."

"I hope they're all right," said Arthur.

"I've done legal consulting at Los Cactos on a number of occasions," recounted Mr. Cooper, who had walked up alongside the three kids. "It's a complete wasteland. Nothing to do there but sit around and invent things that can blow up the world. They didn't even have a Wal-Mart until two years ago."

When Arthur returned home, he didn't waste a second before calling Binky to comment on Molly's new image and the change in her family situation.

"Yeah, it's great," Binky enthused. "My dad was a witness at the parole hearing. Ben's coming to our place for dinner tonight. Maybe you'd like to meet him."

"Sure," said Arthur.

After hanging up the phone he hurried to the kitchen, where his parents were preparing lunch. "Mom, can I go to dinner at Binky's?" he requested.

"Not today," Mrs. Read replied. "Grandpa Dave's coming over."

Arthur groaned. How was it possible that he could be descended from the most boring old man in the universe? He would have to wait for another chance to meet the intriguing ex-criminal Ben McDonald.

----

Muffy managed to avoid another of her mother's awful home-cooked meals by accepting an invitation to Jean Stiles' apartment. The paint was still peeling in the hallway as she stepped up to the door and knocked.

The door slowly opened. "Come in, Muffy," said the smiling polar bear woman who greeted her.

Muffy noticed a few differences about the lonely apartment as she entered. The posters on the walls advertising little-seen movies in which Mrs. Stiles had appeared, had been joined by several Mary Moo Cow posters. The most unexpected change of all was a bassinet in one corner of the living room.

"I made sugar cookies," said Mrs. Stiles, holding out a plate of treats.

But Muffy was too absorbed by the presence of the bassinet. Leaning cautiously over it, she beheld that it did, indeed, contain a baby.

It was a tiny, robust-looking boy, with a pointed nose and ears like a rat's. His eyes caught a fleeting glimpse of the strange girl who towered over him, then wandered away.

"He's...he's so cute," Muffy gushed. "Is he yours?"

"I wish," replied the former teacher.

Then Muffy heard from behind her the voice of a dear friend whom she had feared never to see again.

"Hello, Muffy."

She whirled about. "Angela!"

All of the world's oceans couldn't contain her joy, or stop her from throwing her arms around the rat woman with whom she had faced so many dangers.

"Angela, it's you!" Tears of happiness dropped from Muffy's eyes. "You're back! You're safe! I was so afraid the police would get you!"

"So was I," said Angela Ratburn, Nigel's twin sister, as she combed Muffy's braided hair with her nails. "Did you meet little Graham?"

"The baby," Muffy realized. "I'm so glad you and your baby are all right. I was afraid you'd have your baby in jail."

With an arm around her shoulders, Angela led Muffy to where baby Graham lay, and placed a bottle of formula in front of the infant's lips. "Jean was kind enough to let me and Graham stay here for a little while," she related.

"Are you staying here for good?" asked Muffy earnestly. "Please say yes."

"Yes," Angela answered, "if I can find an employer who will take me."

"Too bad my dad isn't hiring," said Muffy solemnly. "The car dealership isn't doing very well. We had to sell the mansion."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Angela, holding the bottle carefully while Graham drank from it.

"There must be someone who will give you a job."

"It's not that simple." Angela reached up and brushed some hairs from her face. "I've lived under fake names for so long, it's a challenge to establish my real identity. Even Social Services asks more questions than I'm able to answer."

"Your family..." Muffy started to say.

"I've already talked to Nigel and Rodentia," Angela recounted. "They're more civil toward me now, but they think I should clean up my own mess."

"But it's not a mess!" Muffy cried indignantly. "It's a baby!"

Angela bowed her head sadly. The sorrow in her expression was greater than Muffy had ever seen. "You tell her, Jean," she instructed Mrs. Stiles.

Muffy's one-time teacher stared at the floor while she spoke. "Angela is giving up her baby for adoption."

Muffy's jaw dropped in horror.