They spent a delightful evening laying their plans, and preparing lengths of clothes-line to tie up the Mad Collector, and a gag. Susan had once been bound and gagged herself, and she insisted on a gag for the first enemy of society whom she happened to encounter.
"Now, what about the sleeping rota?" said Bill, determined to do the thing in a business-like way.
"I suppose it has occurred to you," said Charlotte, "that if once Midge goes to sleep nothing on this earth will wake her? Short of dynamite."
"And we haven't any dynamite," said Susan. "Bother."
"Well," said Midge, "if you think I'm going to stay awake all night just because I'm difficult to waken, you've got quite the wrong idea about how much I'll put up with."
"Midge and I can take the first two hours," said Susan. "From twelve - or whenever the old folk go to bed - until two."
"And it will be our job to waken Midge," said Charlotte gloomily, "at four o'clock."
"Oh well," said Bill, determined to keep cheerful at all costs, "I daresay he will come in the early part of the night."
"I dare say he won't come at all," said Midge. "What a sell that will be!"
From SUSAN'S HELPING HAND, Chapter 9, Behaviour of an Antique Dealer.
No comments:
Post a Comment