PS
The Hallowe'en I described specifically was in the second grade, so we were all 6 and 7 years old, and there were 52 of us little saints in the class, most of the boys wearing their fathers' bathrobes and burnt cork beards. This puts some perspective on Chris's embarrassment, carrying a doll to school wearing something that looked like his sister's dress, and adds a little to the picture of the wee harlot. The nuns couldn't make a major fuss over Maureen's choice without explaining more than was considered appropriate. (The Magdalene was described, vaguely, as "worldly". Worldly is bad.) To be out of uniform at all was treat enough for most of us, but little Maureen -- and she was a little thing -- was downright glamourous in our eyes.