Sun And Candlelight Part 46

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.

' Alethea stood just where she was.

"Are you hurt, my dears?

' Their shouts were rea.s.suring.

"Then hang on, I'll pull you up.

' She had moved cautiously as she spoke and saw in the furthest corner

the dark hole which should have been the cellar stairs.

She got down on her knees and peered over the edge and caught a glimpse of the two faces below. Rather a long way down, but if she could find a chair and pa.s.s it down to them and they stood on it.

The door behind her banged shut and left her in almost complete

darkness.

It just needs a rat or two, she thought wildly, and asked with all the

calm she could muster if Sarel knew where the matches had been dropped. Somewhere in the middle, he told her vaguely, so she crawled around on her hands and knees on the filthy floor until she found them.

The box wasn't full, she had used almost all of them before she found a broken old chair in a corner. She picked it up with a triumphant cry and it fell to pieces in her hands.

She had to tell Sarel, of course, who suggested that she should go for help. "We'll be all right," he a.s.sured her in a voice that sounded as though he needed rea.s.suring rather badly, and certainly she could think of nothing else to do; it would be a waste of time to wring her hands and moan if only they had a light. . .

The door had jammed, but after a good deal of furious kicking on her part it gave way and she ran up the rickety little stairs to the hall.

The door was shut, locked, and she had left the key on the outside.

And this time it didn't yield to her blows and thumps.

It took a little while for her to admit that it was useless and when

she tried the only window she couldn't make any impression on the boards.

She went back slowly to the children and explained.

"I'm a fool to leave the key outside," she told them, 'but at least when someone comes they'll be able to get in.

' "Who'll come?

' asked Jacomina tearfully.

Alethea remembered that she had put the note they had written in her

pocket and she hadn't seen anyone before she left the house; probably no one would come.

"Your papa," she said with loud conviction.

"But he's in Amsterdam.

' "T know, but he might come back this evening.

' It was a forlorn hope; he was much more likely to stay away after what she had said to him.

"I'm coming down," she called cheerfully.

"We might as well be together.

' There were no matches left.

Alethea crept cautiously towards the top of the non-existent stairs and

lowered herself very slowly, terrified out of her wits.

She dangled for a few seconds, feeling nothing below her.

"Sarel," she called in a carefully calm voice, 'can you stretch out a