or some time. And good idea a towel. He would want it later on, and
meanwhile he could wear it round his waist.

Tennis-shoes.... There Everything was ready. Now then for the dummy
figure.

He looked at his watch again before getting into bed. Twelve-fifteen.
How long to wait before Cayley came up? He turned out the light, and
then, standing by the door in his pyjamas, waited for his eyes to become
accustomed to the new darkness.... He could only just make out the bed
in the corner of the room. Cayley would want more light than that if
he were to satisfy himself from the door that the bed was occupied. He
pulled the curtains a little way back. That was about right. He could
have another look later on, when he had the dummy figure in the bed.

How long would it be before Cayley came up? It wasn't that he wanted his
friends, Beverley and Gillingham, to be asleep before he started on his
business at the pond; all that he wanted was to be sure that they were
safely in their bedrooms. Cayley's business would make no noise, give
no sign, to attract the most wakeful member of the household, so long as
the household was really inside the house. But if he wished to reassure
himself about his guests, he would have to wait until they were far
enough on their way to sleep not to be disturbed by him as he came up
to reassure himself. So it amounted to the same thing, really. He would
wait until they were asleep.... until they were asleep.... asleep....

With a great effort Bill regained the mastery over his wandering
thoughts and came awake again. This would never do. It would be fatal if
he went to sleep.... if he went to sleep.... to sleep .... And then, in
an instant, he was intensely awake. Suppose Cayley never came at all!

Suppose Cayley was so unsuspicious that, as soon as they had gone
upstairs, he had dived down into the passage and set about his business.
Suppose, even now, he was at the pond, dropping into it that secret of
his. Good heavens, what fools they had been! How could Antony have taken
such a risk? Put yourself in Cayley's place, he had said. But how was
it possible? They weren't Cayley. Cayley was at the pond now. They would
never know what he had dropped into it.

Listen!.... Somebody at the door. He was asleep. Quite naturally now.
Breathe a little more loudly, perhaps. He was asleep.... The door was
opening. He could feel it opening behind him.... Good Lord, suppose
Cayley really was a murderer! Why, ev