“Oh! I forgot to fancy anything,” said Girlie. “I can’t see that it makes any difference.”
“Very well, then, I shall fancy hothouse screeches,” said the King’s Minstrel, by which Girlie knew that they had reached dessert, and that the Dinner Party would soon be over.
“WAS BEING TURNED OUT OF THE ROOM.”
Just then a loud commotion arose at the other end of the room, causing all to raise hastily from their seats in alarm. It turned out that the old Cockatoo, who had been arguing with the black Poodle as to what the Wallypug should be compelled to fancy, had at last savagely bitten him, and was being turned out of the room, screaming and kicking; and, to make matters worse, in the midst of all this confusion the lights went out.
CHAPTER VII
THE INVISIBLE JOKE.
GIRLIE was greatly alarmed when she found herself in the dark, the more so that the noise, which had been going on all around her, suddenly ceased in a most mysterious manner. She called aloud once or twice, but received no reply, so she began to grope about in the dark, trying to find her way out. After knocking herself several times against the chairs and other furniture in her endeavours, she, at last, saw a faint light coming from underneath a door a short distance down the room. Feeling her way carefully to it and pushing it open, she found that it led into a large conservatory. An old man who, she thought, must be the gardener, was potting some tall plants before a low bench at the further end of it, and, to Girlie’s great surprise, she could see that the sun was shining brightly.
“Now, that’s very curious,” she thought; “I certainly thought that it was night time. I’m sure that the gas was alight while we were having dinner. I’ll ask this old gentleman.” “Could you please tell me what time it is?” she said aloud, walking over to the Gardener.