Melanie grins in turn, excited to learn something new from such an eager teacher. Her first thought is to follow him down, but she stills herself when he indicates that she should wait. And a few moments later, he's scrambling back up with a guitar slung over his back.

An instrument. And he's going to play it for her. That's a whole different kind of lesson - she's never seen or heard live music before - and as he tunes it, she sits down on top of the roof and wraps her arms around her knees, watching him with rapt attention.

An audience of one she might be, but she is exceptionally attentive. Her open little face displays delight at the upbeat music, amusement at his putting on of different voices, and general intrigue at the actual story, which is challenging to place without context. If she doesn't clap when the final chord fades away, it's only because she doesn't know about applause. Instead, she shows her appreciation by clutching her own knees and crowing, "That was beautiful! But what happened to Big Bill and Czolgosz? Did Bill die?" She is invested.