Jimmy began to explain matters.
“At last I thought I’d look in the garden. I shouted out for you, and who should answer but Mr. Leith?” he presently said.
His mother—he noticed it—woke up fully at this point in the narrative.
“Mr. Leith!” she said, with strong surprise. “How could he answer you?”
“He was up in the pavilion reading a book.”
Mrs. Clarke looked frankly astonished. Her eyes traveled to Sonia, whose broad face was also full of amazement.
“At this hour!” said Mrs. Clarke.
“He couldn’t sleep either,” said Jimmy, quite simply. “He’s waiting out there now to know whether I’ve found you.”
Mrs. Clarke smiled faintly.
“What a to do!” she said, with just a touch of gentle disdain. “And all because I suffer from insomnia. Run down to him, Jimmy, and tell him that as I felt it was useless to go to bed I sat by the fountain till I was weary, then read in my sitting-room, and finally came to Sonia to be brushed into sleep. Set his mind at rest about me if you can.”