he room?"

"Cer-tain-ly not! The very idea!" cried Eleanor once more. "I never
heard of anything so silly. Why on earth should one sit up shivering to
eat things in the middle of the night, when one can have them
comfortably downstairs at the right hour? I should not think of doing
anything so foolish."

Pixie sighed heavily. This was England indeed! For the first time
since entering the house she realised that she was a stranger in a
strange land. Eleanor's calm commonsense was so entirely foreign to her
nature that she felt a distinct chilling of the new affection. The
companion on her right looked more sympathetic, and she addressed her
next remark in that direction.

"We were for ever playing tricks on one another at home. Bridgie and
Esmeralda sleep in the same bed, and one day Pat--that's the second
boy--the next but one to me--he went to Bridgie and he says, `I've
played a fine joke on Esmeralda! Ask no questions, but just wait up
until she gets into bed to-night, and you'll have the best laugh you've
had this side Christmas.' Then off he goes to Esmeralda, and `Keep a
secret!' says he. `Let Bridget be the first to get into bed to-night.
Make an excuse and sit up yourself to see the fun, for she'll have a
fine surprise when she lies down.' The girls guessed that they had been
taking the laths off the bed, as they had done once or twice before, to
let a visitor fall through on to the floor, and it was a very cold
night, and they were tired, for they had been working hard mending the
staircase carpet; and says Bridgie to Esmeralda, `Just hurry up, can't
you! I never did see such a girl for dawdling. Get into bed,' she
says, `and don't sit up all night.' `Oh,' says Esmeralda, smiling,
`I've a fancy to brush out me hair. Take no notice of me, but just lie
down and turn your face to the wall, and I'll be as quiet as a mouse.'
`I never can sleep with a light in the room,' says Bridgie, quite
testy... I was in my own bed in the dressing-room, so I heard what they
said, and was stuffing the bedclothes into my mouth not to laugh out,
and spoil the fun. `If you are going to make a night of it, I'll sit
down and read, and you can let me know when you are ready.' `You will
catch cold sitting in that draught!' Esmeralda says, her own teeth
chattering, for it was mortal cold, and there was a hole in the window
above her head, where Pat had thrown up a stone when he wanted to wake
her one morning, and co