Rosy glances back toward the tents, to see who else was joining the party, who else needed to be protected from this familiar strange thing.

"I don't know how to protect them from curiosity," she says. "They think it's a right, and..." Ms. Rhee's arrival on the scene makes her feel mildly better, reminds her that adults and authority figures still existed in this world. They weren't always completely alone.

"And, of course, he's curious, too." He has a job to do. He can't be distracted by talking to kids. He has a job to do.