222 GARRYOWEN 



the other occupants, and behind Mr French 

 moved figures dimly suggestive of the chorus of 

 the Greek drama waiting to come on. 



" I don't know," replied Miss Grimshaw, her 

 mind divided between Effie and a feeling of thank- 

 fulness that she had her sHppers on. " She seems 

 to have taken a postage stamp, or some nonsense. 

 It's night terror. Now, Effie, don't stop crying 

 if you feel you want to, but just tell me it all. 

 Once you have told me it all the bad things will 

 go away." 



" I stuck it on the letter," sobbed Effie, who had 

 passed from the howling to the blubbering stage, 

 "an' I stuck the letter in the box — and I dre'mt 

 Mr Chopping and the p'leeceman were going to 

 hang me." 



" Well, they aren't. Mr Chopping and the 

 poHceman are in bed. So it was a letter. And 

 how about the letter your father gave you to post? " 



" I never gave her a letter," put in Mr French. 



" I only made it up," said Effie. " Father 

 never gave me anything. It was only my letter 

 to Cousin Dick." 



" Your what ? " said French, who had taken his 

 seat on the end of the bed and was now holding 

 the flat candlestick so that the candle Hght showed 

 up Effie with Rembrandtesque effect. 



" I wrote to make an April fool of him." 



" What did you say? " asked French, and 

 there was a tension in his voice unperceived by his 

 daughter but very evident to Miss Grimshaw, 



