Part 46 (1/2)

tomorrow.

' She managed to smile at them both; Sarel looked defiant, but Jacomina looked scared and shamefaced.

She saw them off to school presently, reflecting ruefully that she

hadn't done much good, either with them or with Nanny.

She took the delighted dogs for a long walk that afternoon, getting back much later than usual.

The children would have had their tea, which was perhaps just as

well.

She had hers in the little sitting room, planning something to do that evening.

The children missed their father when he was away, she knew that;

perhaps if they were quick with their homework, they could all go to the cinema, there was a Disney time film on.

She went upstairs and found Nanny alone and when she asked where the children were, she got a blank stare and a spate of Dutch she couldn't follow.

She gave up presently and went down to find Mrs McCrea who would probably know, but she didn't know either.

”Their pa's away,” she commented severely.

”That Nanny's a dear good woman and dotes on them, but they twist her round their thumbs.

' Alethea went uneasily to her room.

It was almost seven o'clock and they never stayed out as late as that unless they were with friends and someone knew where they were.

She went to the window and looked out and then glanced round the

room.

There was an envelope propped up against the musical box and she was across the room like a flash to open it and read.

Sard's written English was peculiar but understandable.

They had gone, he and Jacomina, to explore Nanny's cottage.

That was all.

Alethea was out of the room and shutting the front door behind her within seconds--she hadn't been listening very well to what Sarel had told her about the little house, but she could remember the name of the street and he had said that it was close by.

She didn't know why she was so scared.

True, the children had been gone for two hours and that was a long time, but it wasn't only that.

Sarre had forbidden them to go there, so probably it wasn't safe.

She had to stop and ask several people how to get to Langestraat and when she did reach it she wasn't very impressed.

It was narrow and old and most of the cottages in it were condemned, and in the steeg they were even worse; some of them already tumbled to the ground.

Sarel had said something about it being on a corner and sure enough there it was, its windows boarded up although most of the boards had been carried off long since.

Alethea tried the door and found the key in the lock as she pushed it slowly open.

The little place was a ruin indeed, with plaster all over the floor from the walls and ceiling, broken floor-boards and a gaping hole where once the stove had stood.

It was filthy dirty too and smelled dreadful.

She picked her way from the tiny hall and down a few broken stairs to the kitchen at the back where it was almost dark because the only little window was completely covered over.

She held the door open behind her and called in what she hoped was a normal voice, then jumped out of her skin when she heard Sarel answer.

His voice quavered a good deal and sounded hollow, quickly explained when he told her that they had both fallen into the cellar below the kitchen.

”T dropped the matches and we couldn't see, and there isn't a stairs any more, so we fell.