Pam and the Countess
room at the end.

She knocked.  There was no answer, so she opened the door gingerly, and put her head into the opening.  A long heap in the bed stirred, and turned over with a jerk.

"Hullo, who is it; what do you want, Hughie?" demanded Pamela in the slurring tones of one but half awake.

"It’s not Hughie--it’s Crow.  I just peeped in to see if you were awake," said Christobel, not at all pleased with herself, because she felt a wee bit mean.

"Oh, you’re back.  That’s all right.  I’m so glad. Did you have a jolly time?"

"Awfully jolly--after the thunder cleared," said Crow.

"Tell me about it to-morrow.  Good-night, Crow," murmured Pamela sleepily, and relapsed into slumber.

In the passage Christobel whispered to Adrian:

"She was sound asleep--_sound_.  I woke her, but she was only half awake."

Adrian whistled softly, and departed to his room without comment."Who’s the other person?"
"Addie.  We both saw you----"
"Oh dear," ejaculated Pamela in an exasperated voice, "do you mean to say you think you saw me out of doors just before ten o’clock, because you may as well disabuse your mind of the idea at once.  Addie doesn’t count, he leaps to conclusions.  He’d say the Little Pilgrim was me for two pins, and believe it if he was in an imaginative mood. Well, you did _not_ see me, Crow."
"My dear girl, I’m awfully sorry you feel vexed about it."
"Wouldn’t you be vexed, if people practically told you you were telling lies," said Pamela, fingering the pages of her book with unsettled fingers.
"I don’t.  I assure you I don’t," said Christobel urgently, "but please do look at our side of the question.  Now listen, Pam.  We got into Five Trees about 9.25, we came straight along with a moon as bright as day, and just before we came to Folly Ho corner we heard someone running.  _I_ thought it sounded like a girl--unless it was a boy in running shoes--the feet were so light.  Of course we were interested--down past the little grass patch at the crossroad came _you_----"
Pamela made a gesture of speaking.
"All right, then," went on Crow, "not you--a girl so exactly like you that there was no difference.  She had a dark skirt and jumper--like yours--it was most certainly 
 Prev. P 52/404 next 
Back Top
Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact