"What does?" Mary asked.
"The couch," said Hortense. "See its short curved legs, just like an alligator's? And it's long. Probably its tail is tucked away inside somewhere. Alligators have long tails, you know. I saw an alligator once that looked just like that."
"I declare," said Mary, "you are an awful child. I won't stay in this room a bit longer. I feel creepy."
She gathered up her dust cloths and broom, and Hortense went reluctantly with her.
"Do show me the attic, Mary," Hortense pleaded.
"Not to-day," said Mary firmly. "You'd be seeing things in the corners. I never saw your like!"
So for the rest of the morning, Mary dusted other rooms in which all the furniture seemed dead or asleep and, therefore, quite uninteresting.
After luncheon, however, Hortense asked Grandfather to tell her about the knife with the crinkly blade.
"That," said Grandfather, "is a Malay kris, such as the pirates in the East Indies carry. An old sea captain gave it to me. It once belonged to a Malay pirate. When he was captured, my friend secured it and gave it to me in return for a service I did for him."
"It looks as though it could tell terrible stories," said Hortense.