Barbara in Brittany | Page 9

to scream, she whispered
very softly that there was a man beside the window. Miss Britton took
it wonderfully coolly, and after the first start said nothing for a few
minutes. Then she remarked in loud, cheerful tones, "Well, child, as
you are not sleepy, let us talk about our plans for to-morrow."
They talked a long time, hoping that the man would give it up and go;
but still the black figure stood there motionless.
At last Barbara, who could bear it no longer, said "Oh, aunt, since we
can't sleep let us put on the light and read up things in the guide-book."
At that moment she heard a rustle behind, and saw the man try to get
into the recess; but the trunks were there, and meeting that obstruction,
he turned and made a quick dash to the French window, and was out in

a moment, whereupon Aunt Anne and Barbara sat up in bed and
screamed. Then the girl leaped to the electric light, and her aunt to the
bell, and in a few moments the maids and the Misses Belvoir came
running in.
"He's gone!" cried Barbara, looking out of the window and feeling
quite brave now that so many people had arrived. "He's gone, and it
was too dark to see his face."
Aunt Anne, meanwhile, explained, as well as she could, what had
happened, and the Misses Belvoir looked so frightened and worried
that Barbara felt she must be a dreadful nuisance. But they were very
nice and extremely apologetic, declaring that such a thing had never
happened before, and that the police should be told in the morning, and
their brothers would search the garden at once and sit outside their door
all night if Miss Britton liked. But Aunt Anne, who had delightful
common-sense, said briskly--
"Nonsense; whoever it was, he will be too frightened to think of
coming back to-night, so just go to your beds, and let us get to ours."
And she pushed them gently out. They continued to murmur apologies
after the door was shut; but Aunt Anne paid not the least heed.
"Now, my dear," she said, turning to Barbara, "I am sure you know that
what I said to them is quite true, and that our friend will not return
to-night. So be sensible, and go back to bed, and we will talk about it
all in the morning."
Of course, Barbara did as she was told, and, though she was sure she
would never get to sleep, strange to say, in a very little while she was
dreaming peacefully, and did not waken till late next morning.
CHAPTER IV.
THE MAN IN BLUE GLASSES.
The nocturnal adventure caused quite an excitement in the house, and
very little else was talked of at lunch-time. Aunt Anne had asked

Mademoiselle Belvoir if she would rather nothing was said about the
affair; but the girl said it was impossible to keep it quiet, as several
people had heard the bustle in the night, and were anxious to know all
about it. So Miss Britton found that she and her niece were objects of
general interest, and they both struggled nobly to describe the
adventure intelligibly to the others, though Barbara knew that she got
horribly mixed in her French tenses, and was not quite sure whether she
understood all the questions the French people put to her. The solicitor
annoyed her most--he was so superior.
"Why did you not rush upon the fellow and scream for help?" he said.
"I was far too frightened to do anything of the kind," Barbara answered
indignantly. "I would never have dared to fling myself upon a dark
figure like that. If I had seen him, I shouldn't have minded so much."
"So you did not see his face?" said the solicitor.
"Of course I didn't," and Barbara spoke rather crossly. "If I had, I
should have gone and described him to the police the first thing this
morning."
She felt inclined to add that it was a pity he could not inculcate his own
children with some of his apparent courage, for they both seemed far
more frightened than interested in the story, and the son's eyes looked
as if they would jump out of his head. Perhaps the poor youth was
scolded for his timidity afterwards, for when Barbara passed their room
in going upstairs to get ready to go out, she heard the father speaking in
very stern tones, and the boy murmuring piteously, "Oh, father! oh,
father!"
Miss Britton was in a hurry to get out; but, as often happens, it proved a
case of "more haste, less speed," for they had just got into the street
when Barbara remembered she had left her purse behind, and had to