If we sit long enough,
we may even recover our long-lost babyhood."
And so they laughed the matter easily away. Soon afterwards, however,
Julian got up to go home to his chambers. Valentine went towards the
door, intending to open it and get his friend's coat. Suddenly he
stopped.
"Strange!" he exclaimed.
"What's the row?"
"Look at the door, Julian."
"Well?"
"Don't you see?"
"What?"
"The curtain is half drawn back again."
Julian gave vent to a long, low whistle.
"So it is!"
"It always does that when the door is opened."
"And only then, of course?"
"Of course."
"But the door hasn't been opened."
"I know."
They regarded each other almost uneasily. Then Valentine added, with a
short laugh:
"I can't have drawn it thoroughly over the door when Wade went away."
"I suppose not. Well, good-night, Val."
"Good-night. Shall we sit again tomorrow?"
"Yes; I vote we do."
Valentine let his friend out. As he shut the front door, he said to
himself:
"I am positive I did draw the curtain thoroughly."
He went back into the tentroom and glanced again at the curtain.
"Yes; I am positive."
After an instant of puzzled wonder, he seemed to put the matter
deliberately from him.
Pages:
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34