"Nothing, only the Zeppelins have been dropping bombs all over the town."
"What!" I cried. "Zeppelins! You don't mean it. Have I slept through all their bombing?"
"You have," he said dryly. "The manageress wants all guests down in the parlor, so that in case this building is damaged, they'll all be near the street. Put something on and come down."
I put some clothes on me and went outside the room. I could not see my own hand in front of me.
"Hold on to me," said Barney, "and I'll bring you downstairs. I know where the stairs are."
"All right," I said, making a clutch at where the voice was coming from.
"You'd better hold on to my back," said Barney. "That's the front of my shirt you've got."
I slid my hand around till I felt the suspenders at the back and held onto them. "Go ahead," I said, and we went. I tried to remember if the corridor was long or short, and if there were any turns from the stairs to my room, but I could not. Never have I walked along a corridor as long as that one seemed. After a bit I said, "Barney, are you sure you're going right? I don't remember it being as long as this." We were going very slowly, gingerly placing one foot after the other.
"We keep on," said Barney, "till we come to a turn and then between two windows are the stairs." And so we went on, but we came to no turning. We were feeling our way by placing our hands on the wall. At last, we felt an open space. "Ah," said Barney, "this must be the stairs." And although we did not feel the windows we cautiously stepped towards it. It was not the stairs and I felt curiously familiar with it. I stumbled over something on the floor and stooped to pick up—my shoe. We were back at my room! We did not know whether to laugh or to be annoyed. We began to laugh and Barney said, "Come on, I know the way back to my room and from there we'll find the stairs."
"Couldn't you strike a match?" I asked.