Crow went on and peeped in at Hughie. A small heap in the bed, the top of a sleek head, and absolute slumber, with the room just as usual.
She fled back down the passage and arrived in her own room rather inclined to giggle.
"Both in bed, both sound asleep, not foxing, but simply sound. I woke Pam; she was perfectly foggy, and wanted to know if it was time to get ready. When I said 'no' she was practically asleep before I came away."
"I suppose they bolted back," said Adrian, though he was plainly surprised.
"Bolted! My dear Addie! Pam's clothes were all as neat as a Chinese puzzle, her shoes put together, her blouse hanging out to air! Hughie's room was the same--you know how tidy those two are; they beat us hollow. It's not a scrap of use reasoning that they could have done all that in the time, because it isn't possible, especially as you say they were going away, not coming in! After all, Addie, one must be reasonable."
Adrian was reasonable. He went off in silence. He saw the force of what his sister said, but he had the evidence of his eyesight against it. The whole thing was staggering. It was part of the strange and complicated way that life had been behaving for weeks.
After that he slept fitfully, being worried, and at half-past six left the house to get things ready on the yawl, leaving the girls dressing. Pamela had come along the passage to Crow with a beaming face and her lovely hair like a bronze shawl over her shoulders; she wanted Christobel to plait her tail as Keziah was busy packing a basket. Adrian saw his sister, and was bound to admit she looked like a guiltless person who had slept soundly.
She said Hughie was asleep; as he was not going there was no need to wake him.
Crow was dressed and putting one short pin in a nice little close hat, when she heard Adrian come back. He came into her room, hardly waiting for the answer to his knock, shut the door, and leaned his back against it.
Christobel, instantly aware of something new, turned round; her brother was breathing rather fast, and there were sparks in his hazel eyes.