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It went on all night. When she was quite awake she could argue with herself. These were A
The first faint breath of fear came and went. It did not stay long. It came back again. It kept on coming back until with the first faint streak of daylight it was there all the time and would not be talked down or covered up. She got out of bed, slipped on her dressing-gown, and went down to Janet’s room. She couldn’t bear it by herself any more. Janet would know what to do. Janet always knew.
She opened the door cautiously. Janet didn’t move. She could tell by her breathing that she was asleep. A wave of self-pity came over her. Janet could sleep. She hadn’t slept all night-not really. A sob came up in her throat. And at once Janet stirred and woke. She was up on her elbow looking across the faint dawn light that filled the room.
‘Lizabet-what is it?’
Lizabet was child enough to dissolve into tears. She ran across to the bed and sobbed.
‘Janet-oh, Janet!’
‘What is it? Lizabet, what’s the matter?’
‘I-I couldn’t sleep.’
‘Why couldn’t you?’
‘I don’t know.’ There was a fresh and more agonised burst of tears.
Janet got out of bed.
‘You’re all cold,’ she said. ‘I’ll get you some hot milk. Get in and cover yourself up. I won’t be a minute.’
It was nice and warm in Janet’s bed. Perhaps she could go to sleep here. She could try. And then just as she was begi
‘What put you in such a state?’
Lizabet hung her head.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Something did. You’d better tell me what it was.’
‘It wasn’t anything.’ Lizabet drank up the rest of the milk and pushed the glass at Janet. ‘It wasn’t anything at all.’
Janet took the glass, put it down, and turned to the bed again.
‘If you don’t tell me, I must go and ask A
‘No-no-you can’t-’
‘Why can’t I?’
It was at that moment it came home to Lizabet that she would give almost anything for A
‘You can’t! She’s not there-she’s gone!’
There was a stu
‘I-don’t-know-’
Janet sat down on the bed. Her legs shook. She sat because she couldn’t stand any longer. She said as firmly as she could, ‘What have you done?’
CHAPTER 43
The bell rang. Miss Silver waked. She was quite composed, quite all there. She stretched out her hand to the extension by her bed, took up the receiver, and said, ‘Miss Silver speaking.’
A voice that tried very hard to be steady answered her.
‘Miss Silver, it’s Janet Wells. Something dreadful has happened. A
‘Gone!’
‘Yes. I don’t know what to do.’
Miss Silver sat up and pulled a shawl round her.
‘What has happened?’
There was a pause. It was as though Janet couldn’t get it over her lips. Then she said, ‘I’m afraid I was followed yesterday afternoon. Lizabet went out to post a letter, and she saw the man. I’m afraid she hasn’t behaved well, but she’s so young-she didn’t understand. She is dreadfully sorry now.’
Miss Silver pressed her lips together. She said, ‘What did she do?’
‘The man persuaded her. She thought it was a joke-I don’t know what she thought. A
Miss Silver said, ‘I see-’ Then she said, ‘Have you reported this?’
‘No-not yet.’
‘I will tell Jim Fancourt. Do not do anything until I ring you.’
She rang off, sat for a moment in thought, and then rang up Jim Fancourt.
A
It was later that she passed this stage. She did not hear the driver say, ‘I should slack it off now,’ or the man who was sitting by her answer with a brief ‘All right,’ but this time her consciousness came nearer and went on coming.
She made a moaning sound, and Ross Cranston said, ‘I say, what about it?’
The man who was driving laughed.
‘She’ll probably be sick. Never mind-we’ll be there soon.’
Ross was in a state. ‘Oh, I say!’ he protested. The man who was driving said, ‘Shut up!’ and he shut up.
The first thing that A
It was whilst she struggled out of the giddiness that they turned off from the road.
The house was in a hollow. It was thickly surrounded with trees-big hollies and monstrous yews. It was an old house. They drew up in front of it, and A
And it was Ross.
She was so astonished that she did not know what to say. For a moment she said nothing at all. She shut her eyes again, but when she opened them he was still there-her cousin Ross Cranston. She couldn’t imagine what brought him there. She shut her eyes again, and then opened them quickly and said, ‘Ross!’
Cranston looked around. He felt the need for someone to back him up. The man who had been driving came round the house.
‘That’s all right,’ he said. ‘ Miss Forest, will you come in? Are you able to walk?’
A