And there's the difference between them -- where the Compson nanny had been hateful, Swann's had been kind, and then there was always Eta, perfect Eta, devoted to Swann since the day of her birth and even before, loyal to the Honeymeads for decades on end. Swann's parents aren't mean or cold people (they were distant, more than anything), but it was Eta who'd taught Swann to love, with her every silent move.

She holds Jason tightly, whispering every little comfort she can give him, if only because there's nothing else she can do. Resting back against the car, she pulls him to her, to crush her skirts to her legs while he soaks her neck.