I poked my head through the dotted Swiss curtain into the cool sweet night. The only light spot anywhere was the strip of sandy road beyond the fence. “Tomorrow,” I thought, “we’ll explore that road and all the others. We’ll go down to the beach and see how cold the water is and——”
“What are you looking at?” Eve called impatiently.
I turned and came toward the bed. “There’s a man creeping along the grass on the other side of the hedge!” I said.
“Creeping?”
“Creeping is what I said!”
“Oh, dear,” Eve sighed. “I just can’t bother with any more mysteries tonight.” She snuggled deeper into her pillow. “Do come to bed. No doubt he’s—just—catching fireflies—or—or—hunting bird’s nests—or something——”
Her voice trailed off into nothingness. And without another word, I climbed into bed and pulled the covers close about me.
III
Craven House
When I opened my eyes to a roomful of sunlight and sea breezes, Eve was gone. My watch had stopped. What with one thing and another, I had forgotten to wind it. But I knew by the look of things that the morning would never see seven o’clock again!