There was a little sound of footsteps, but not inside the church, I thought. Still it might be Serry; she might have slipped out to baffle us. But first I thought I'd try my new idea. I slipped out as near the middle as I could, and then I said, loud and clear, though not shouting, of course—do you know I felt quite frightened when I heard my own voice so loud, it seemed so unreverent—
'Serena'—this was what I said—'you can hear me quite well, I know, so I give you fair warning that if you don't come out before I finish counting twelve we'll go home, and leave you to yourself—to stay here all night if you choose.'
Then I began, 'One, two, three, four'—was it fancy, or did I hear a little smothered laugh just as I was going to say 'five?'—but then all was still again, and I went on, till, just as I was, you may say, on the stroke of 'twelve,' there came a flutter and rush down the aisle, and there was Miss Serry, tossing her hair back, her eyes looking, I am sure, if there had been light enough to see them by, very bright green indeed. But, just as she appeared, there came another sound—a harsh, rasping, grating sound,—a queer feeling went through me as I heard it, only I was so taken up with Serry that I didn't seem to have attention to spare, and I didn't really take in for the moment what it meant.
There was Serry as triumphant as could be.
'I don't mind coming out now,' she said. 'I've proved that you couldn't find me.'
'You have been about as naughty as you could be,' said Anne, 'and whether Jack tells mother all about it or not, I know I shall.'
Serena did not answer. She really seemed startled. It is not often that Anne takes that tone. She used to be so constantly in scrapes herself—about carelessness, and forgettings, and losings, and all that sort of thing—that I think she felt as if she had no right to find fault with others. But after a moment Serry got back her coolness.
'Well, anyway I've gained,' she said. 'You don't know where I was hidden, and you'd never have found me.'
And to this day she has never told us!
'Let us get home now as fast as we can,' said Anne; 'there is poor Maudie shivering with cold. I'm afraid she's got a chill.'