“Well, let her go.”
“Yes, and Mater 'd have to spend ever so much on a new governess; and most likely she'd be a worse beast than Cecilia. And no governess we ever had did half the things Mater makes Cecilia do to help in the house. Why she's like an extra servant, as well as a governess. Mater told me all about it. I tell you what, Wilfred, it's our business to see she doesn't run away.”
“All right,” said Wilfred, “I suppose we'd better watch out. When do you reckon she'd go? People generally run away at night, don't they?”
“Well, anyone can see she's just taking advantage of Mater being away. Yes, of course she'd go at night. She might have sent her boxes away yesterday by a carrier—I bet that horrid little Eliza would help her. Ten to one she means to sneak out to-night—she knows Mater will be home to-morrow.”
“What a sell it will be for her if we catch her!” said Wilfred with glee. “I say, what about telling Pater?”
Avice looked sour.
“I did tell him something yesterday, and he only growled at me. At least, I said, 'Do you think Cecilia would ever be likely to run away?' And he just stared at me, and then he said, 'Not your business if she does.' So I'm not going to speak to him again.”
“Well, we'd better take it in turns to watch her,” Wilfred said. “After dark's the most likely time, I suppose, but we'd better be on the look-out all the time. Where's she now, by the way?”
“Why, I don't know. I say, she's been away a long time—I never noticed,” said Avice, in sudden alarm. “She said we were to go on with our French exercises—and that's ages ago.”
“Come on and see,” said Wilfred jumping up.