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Show 77 AH, SWIMMERSI 239 certain the twins slept on. Quiedy I dressed, got die book I had prepared, and glided into die kitchen. Shaking like a groom, I pulled a chair up to one comer of the kitchen table and was ready widi a perfect view. Patiendy I waited, so patiendy, and diat blind was as unmoving as a rock wall. I waited still longer and then, growing cramped from sitting tensely without moving, my throat dry, my eyes watery, I decided to chance leaving my post to save my legs from gangrene. Realizing that I could get closer to her window I went out die back door and around under the kitchen window, where I was closer all right but as conspicuous as a prisoner flattened against the wall with a searchlight. Panicked, I scurried back to die back door, paused to quiet my heart, and dien, certain that I had missed her, rushed inside. Her blind was still down. So I sat and waited, and waited, and when there was still nothing I began to read. I was well into my book when my fadier walked into die kitchen and looked at me widi surprise. "What are you doing up ?" "Just reading. I couldn't sleep," I said, yawning. I must have looked as guilty as a greedy boy in a dimestore for he looked about the kitchen with a perplexed air, growing more perplexed when he found nothing amiss. Then he shook down the stove, built a fire and sent me to the woodpile; when I got back my mother was making biscuits and I gave up and went into the living-room to read. When the girls had washed and we were called to eat, I passed the window slowly on my way to my chair: her blind was up and the bed empty. I sat down and was beginning to eat, silently cursing my luck, when I realized I'd gotten up an hour too early. "What's wrong?" my father asked. "Nothing." I cleared my throat. "I swallowed wrong." "Looks like you swallowed that whole biscuit," said one of the twins. "Shut up," I said. "Take your time," my father said. "You've got plenty of it." "That reminds me," said Modier, "whoever took that clock off the sideboard?" "I did." I was cutting my bacon. "Whatever for?" "It's in my room. I needed it for an exper'ment" "An experiment ? With chemicals! Oh, I hope you've had the sense to -" "No. Just to see how long I could hold my breath." She looked at me widi concern. "Isn't that dangerous ?" I made a face of patient suffering. The twins perked up: "Did it work ?" dley wanted to know. Of course, if I had gotten up at seven instead of six my parents would have been in die kitchen, and so, widiout even thinking of die next best view from |
