Only Mabel Watson Payne knows why, but whenever I come over to her house the first thing she always does is sit me down in this particular corner (she shoves any obstructing toys or books out of the way in a reckless hurry). Then she climbs backward into my lap holding her favorite library book of the moment and snuggles up comfortably against my chest and then shows me the story page by page, keeping hold of my wrists to make sure I notice all the good parts. With this ritual completed, we can get on with whatever we might be doing that day. I was glad to find the tradition intact on Friday afternoon, after three weeks in abeyance.