Mays such a shrimp that you can put her between you
andnever know shes there.
Not REAL diamonds, of course; but they lookedjust
like it.
Oh, Illpay her out for it, Ill pay her
out!
Now she and Pat lay stretched out, a sheet drawn
over them, a hump offeathers between. And that was one reason why now she
couldntsleep. The answer to that is, you shouldnt have such a big behind. In the
end,there had been nothing for it but to pinch a stamp from her fathersdesk, and
sell it.
But the Turks wereheathens, and Patty was not
consoled. Anddown the child went, till she all but sat on the sand. She lay chewing
over her injuries,to which another was now added: Its no good
Dont know Im sure, said thirteen-year-old Tetta,
not quitetruthfully.
But to go to bed PROPERLY meant almost as muchwork
as getting up in the morning.
As for this, of course Ill keep it; but itll have
to stay in adrawer. It was then shed madeup her mind to get the slide.
Nonsense, Pat, its only been your funny-bone, and
Tetta rose to herfeet. There was nothing for it: the truth had to come out. But
whatever made you think of a slide, Nell?
Besides, every time Imove my head it ud run into
me. CONVERSATION IN A PANTRYIt was no use, she simply could not sleep. Im
suffocating, she said in a weak voice.
I wish I hadnt come, piped Patty, the youngest, a
short, fat girl ofeleven. Grumblingly Tetta swung out her feet and groped her
unknown way. But the problem of sleep had become a very real one.
This slide was now in her pocket, neatly wrapped in
fine tissue paper.