The Midwife's Apprentice

Coming home from errands one day, Jane falls and breaks her ankle, which means Beetle will go to a festival in her place. With Jane’s warnings not to lose her money and to buy only what they need, Beetle sets out with her heart full of joy and finds the festival to be as amazing and wondrous as she’d hoped. As the day ends, she makes Jane’s purchases and notices a hair comb with a carving of a sleeping cat. The merchant notices her interest and tosses it in for free, telling her to “comb those long curls till they shine, girl, and sure you’ll have a lover before nightfall” (29). Beetle is amazed to own something so nice, and though she doesn’t know it yet, the merchant’s words were also a gift.

Someone mistakes Beetle for a girl named Alyce and asks her to read numbers about the horse race. The man realizes his mistake and leaves, but Beetle understands that she is worthwhile and that she deserves a name. She decides to call herself Alyce and heads home not noticing the cold because she feels warm inside.