"I like names that end with an a, don't you? Or other vowels? Most often it seems to be an a. But wait: Margo's name ends with an o, for mercy's sake! Barnaby's mother. Or it used to be o. Then she met Barnaby's father and added a t."

Sophia looked at me. I told her, "Mom thought Margot with a t was higher class."

"First time I saw it written that way was on the wedding invitations," Gram said. "She brought them home from the printer's and I said, 'Who's this?' She said, 'That's me.' Well, I did try to accommodate. Her dad said it was stuff and nonsense, but I told Jeffrey the next time he came to call, 'Mar-gott will be down in a minute.' He laughed because he thought I was joking but I was serious. I honestly assumed people pronounced the t."