"One of the shortest I've ever seen."
For the first time in weeks tears started from Gloria's eyes and the look she gave him had a quality of real pain.
"Oh, Anthony—"
"My Lord, Gloria!" He approached her in bewilderment and took her elbows in his hands. "Don't cry, please! Didn't you know I was only kidding? Gloria, look at me! Why, dearest, you've got the longest neck I've ever seen. Honestly."
Her tears dissolved in a twisted smile.
"Well—you shouldn't have said that, then. Let's talk about the b-baby."
Anthony paced the floor and spoke as though rehearsing for a debate.
"To put it briefly, there are two babies we could have, two distinct and logical babies, utterly differentiated. There's the baby that's the combination of the best of both of us. Your body, my eyes, my mind, you
