Oddly
enough, it was not Theodora who waked, but Catherine. She sat up and,
remembering instantly where she was, listened without stirring or
speaking. Her first thought was that a deer had come round and was
rubbing itself against the "saloon."
"It will soon go away," she said to herself, and did not rouse her
companion.
The queer, bumping, jarring sounds continued, however, and presently
were followed by a heavy jolt. Then for some moments Catherine heard
footsteps in the weeds outside, and told herself that there must be two
or three deer. She was not alarmed, for she knew that the animals would
not harm them; but she hoped that they would not waken Theodora, who
might be needlessly frightened.
But presently she heard a sound that she could not explain; it was like
the jingling of a small chain. Rising quietly, she peeped out of one of
the little side windows, and then out of the other. The clouds had
cleared away, and bright moonlight flooded the place, but she could not
see anywhere the cause of the disturbance. Whatever had made the sounds
was out of sight in front; there was no window at that end of the
"saloon."
Still not much alarmed, Catherine stepped up on the one old chair of the
studio and cautiously raised the hinged skylight.
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