Hence it was that while Leo could look down on the creeper-covered
summer-house, and across at the ivy-clad tool-house and the
rose-encircled bedroom window of Dally Watlock, the latter apple-cheeked
young lady enjoyed the reverse view, with the slight disadvantage that
when she looked across at Leo's window, she could not see roses, but the
long, laurel-like leaves of a great magnolia, carefully trained all
round--a matter not of the smallest importance, for Dally preferred the
window to its surroundings.
Daily's proceedings were strange that night. She sat there eager and
watchful till there was a sudden glow in Leo's window, indicating that
her young mistress had gone up to bed. Then as she watched she saw the
blind drawn aside, and a shadowy hand unfasten the casement, throw it
open, and put in the iron hook.
Dally drew a long breath full of satisfaction, and then waiting till the
blind dropped and the shadow of Leo appeared upon it from time to time,
she proceeded to behave in a remarkably strange manner for a young
person whose character means her life as a domestic servant.
Dally said softly through her nipped-together teeth:
"I thought as much, ma'am!" and then, with all the activity of a boy of
fourteen, she tied a dark handkerchief tightly over her head and under
her chin, stepped from her chair on to the window-sill, lowered herself
on to the top of the tool-house, where she lay flat down in the bed of
leaves, to form, had it been light, as prettily rustic-looking an idea
for an artist of a Dryad in her leafy wreath as he need wish to have.
But Dally Watlock was not going to have a night's rest _al fresco_, for
she was exceedingly wide awake, and as soon as she was extended at full
length parallel with her part of the house, and with her feet towards
that portion where her superiors slept, she began to revolve upon her
own axis in a very slow and careful manner, down and down the ivy slope
of the lean--to thatched shed, there being plenty of stout ivy-boughs
for her to grasp, so as to act as breaks and govern her speed. Now she
was on her side, then as she slowly turned, her little red face was
buried in the dark green leaves. A little more and it came up, and she
was on the other side, and soon after upon her back. And so on and on
till, merely crushing down the leaves a little, and without breaking a
twig, she rolled down to the very edge, when, holding on tightly by the
ivy, she let her legs drop, and touched the earth, making scarcely any
more noise than a cat.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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