Before Lucy could prevent her, Phyllis had darted out of the room, returning in a minute or two with the required permission.

"May I? That is what I want more than anything else. If I could sleep for half-an-hour I should feel better."

"What if I give you a blow on the other cheek?"

"I hope I haven't got three eyes or two noses, or anything of that sort, to make you single me out for special observation."

"Don't scream. Keep your nerve. I climbed up by the wistaria. I have been in bed for the last hour, expecting you. I happened to be hiding just below the window, clinging on for bare life to the wistaria and the thick ivy, and I heard the conversation between you and Mrs. Merriman, so I knew that you would have your room to yourself, and decided that I would share it with you. Now lock the door, for I have a great deal to say."