Part 47 (1/2)

hand and touch me?

Come carefully, and then both of you get as far away as you can while I jump.

' She felt his fingers brush her shoe a moment later and heard the children creeping away.

”I'm coming now,” she called, and jumped.

She landed on a pile of rubbish which slipped and slithered away from her feet as she scrambled upright.

”Can you come over here?

' She was ashamed of her shaky voice.

”T think it would be better if we kept together, but first I'm going to

explore a bit.

' The children reached her and she touched them rea.s.suringly before making her way inch by inch away from them. Once or twice she tripped over piles of stone and bricks and twice she found herself up to her ankles in water.

She remembered that a great many houses were built on piles driven into the water; perhaps the piles were giving way. . . as though to answer her thought the ground s.h.i.+fted under her feet and there was a wet, sucking sound and the rattle of stones falling into water.

She tried not to hurry back to where the children were, panic catching at her throat that even in that small s.p.a.ce she might put a foot wrong and go the way of the stones.

The children's hands were cold but somehow welcoming.

Alethea put an arm round each of their shoulders and said cheerfully:

”Well, here we are, I don't think we had better move, it's a bit wet here and there.

What shall we talk about while we're waiting?

' ”Will Papa be long?

' asked Jacomina, and gave a great sob.

”T don't know, my dear, but he'll come I'm sure of that.

' And she was.

Sarel's voice had changed; it was friendly.

”T think he'll come too.

It's our fault, Alethea we came here on purpose, we wanted you to come

and we were going to lock you in just for a little while.

I I'm sorry, and so's Jacomina, you mustn't be angry with her.

She's always liked you and I think I did too, only I didn't want to, so

we pretended we hated you.

' Alethea squeezed his shoulders.

”I'm not angry with either of you,” she a.s.sured him warmly.

”T used to play pranks when I was a little girl, and this is only a

prank.

' ”No, not really, but it's nice of you to say so.

' His voice was very earnest and put her in mind of Sarre.

”You're sure Papa will come?

' ”Positive.

' She had read somewhere that if one thought hard enough about someone