On a mild summer day in Pennsylvania, Alice and Claude stepped from the train onto the platform.

Alice looked around at the town. "What a quaint town." she said.

"If by quaint you mean antiquated, then yes, it is a quaint town." Claude said.

"Claude!" Alice said. "That isn't very nice."
"Ah, but the truth is never very nice, now is it?" said Claude.

"It is a nice town." Alice said.

Pushing the stroller, they walked the three blocks from the train station to the Cunningham's house.

"Well," Claude said on the doorstep. "Are you nervous, Alice? Feeling a touch jumpy, skittish?"

"Nope." Alice said, squeezing his hand. "But then, I've got you here, so why would I be nervous?"

"That's right. Why, you may not even have to speak at all, if I have my way." He pressed the doorbell.

After a minute, a red-haired teenage girl answered the door. Claude looked at her in astonishment.

"Oh, dear, I must apologize. I do think that I have the wrong house. We'll be on our way, and let you get on with your busy routines. Come, Alice." He turned towards the street. Alice smiled, and bit her lip.

"Claude." said Louise.

"You know my name? My goodness, what a surprise, because I don't recognize you at all." He peered at her intently. "My goodness, but you couldn't be Louisamanda. Obviously, the Cunninghams have taken off for parts unknown. How sad, because we came such a long way to see them. Oh, well. Tantpis, it can't be helped."

"You know, Uncle Claude," said Louise. "Aunt Florence and Aunt Jeanette usually just say, 'My, how you've grown.' It saves time." But Alice saw her smile.

"Time? Time for what?" said Claude. He looked over at Alice. "My goodness. In the time it took for me to recover from my shock at your remarkable transformation, poor Alice has just been standing here stagnating. Another minute, and she'd surely have been turned to stone, and then what would you do with an Alice statue on your driveway? This is the wise bookkeeper, Alice. Alice Newbold, as it were."

Alice smiled, and held out her hand for Louise to shake. "Hi." she said, smiling. "I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Nice to meet you, Alice." Louise said. "We've heard about you, too."
"But I'm certain it didn't do her justice, whatever the descriptions were, n'est-ce pas?" Claude said. Louise smiled.

"But do you recall, Louisamanda, that I once told you that I would come bringing priceless and fragile treasures?"
"Yeah." Louise said. "I remember that, Uncle Claude. The Faberge eggs."
"Well," said Claude. "I'm afraid I don't have any Faberge eggs today, Louisamanda. But I do have a treasure here that is beyond price, and he is certainly very fragile, so you must handle with diligent care." He gestured towards the baby carriage, and pulled away the shade, to reveal the sleeping infant. Louise looked in the carriage, and smiled with enchantment at the baby.

"Oh, Uncle Claude, he's so beautiful." Louise said.

"Thank you, Louisamanda, and since you have expressed such a high opinion of him, you may have him." He looked at Alice. "Not forever, naturally. Alice and I might be attached to him."

"Maybe a little." said Alice, smiling. "But you see, Louise, your uncle and I thought that you should be the first to hold him."

"Because I admire a Frenchwoman such as yourself, Louise." said Claude.

"Really?" Louise said.

"Yes." Alice said. She undid the fasteners in the stroller, and carefully, she scooped the baby out of the stroller. Gingerly, she handed the baby to Louise. Louise smiled at the sleeping baby.

"Oh, Claude. He's…" Louise looked at the baby. "Priceless."

"Indeed he is, Louisamanda. Indeed he is." Claude said. "In fact, so invaluable is he, that we really ought to go in, and let the others see him."

"You're right." Louise said. "We should."
And the four of them went into the house, where the others were waiting.