“But I’m sleepy too,” said Hugh.
A little suppressed sob was the answer.
“You’re not as sleepy as me,” said Daisy. “Nobody could be. And I must sit up because I said I would.”
The bed creaked, and Mrs. Allbutt guessed that Hugh had sat down on it.
“Won’t it do if I tell you a story?” he asked. “Or if I sit and wait here till you go to sleep? I’m tired too, and I don’t want to sing.”
“Then I shall go on sitting up,” said Daisy. “And I do so want to lie down!”
“Well, if I sing, will you promise to go to sleep properly every evening for—for ten years?” asked Hugh.
“Oh, yes—twenty!”
“Well, then, shall I shut the door? It might disturb mummy.”
“I don’t care,” said Daisy viciously. “Besides, she’s at the other end of the passage.”