The nurse was a quick-tempered woman, who would not stand any
nonsense, and Hal's bad dreams would be sternly driven away. We settled
ourselves to our comfortable light reading by the drawing-room fire.
Suddenly there was a commotion overhead; an outcry--surprised more than
terrified, it sounded to us. Angela laid her book down quickly and
listened with all her ears. Fast-flying footsteps were heard above; the
clapping of a door; then--scurry, scurry--the patter of bare feet down
the staircase. We hurried across the hall, and saw Charlotte in her
nightgown returning slowly up the kitchen stairs, with a puzzled
expression on her honest face.
"'What on earth are you doing, child?' cried Angela.
"'I was giving chase to a hideous old woman in a black bonnet, who chose
to intrude upon us,' panted Charlotte. 'I saw her in our room; I jumped
out of bed and pursued her through your room and the sitting-room. Then
I saw her before me going downstairs, and I ran after her; but the door
at the foot of the kitchen staircase was shut. She certainly could not
have had time to open it, and I really don't know where she can have
gone to!'
"This was Charlotte's explanation of her mad scurry downstairs.
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