r own
legs, from the knee down. She would certainly have bad pins and needles
if she did not get up; but, since she would not wake him for the world,
she must do something else to cure it. And she hit upon this plan. She
had only to say, 'Nonsense, you haven't anything of the sort!' and it
was sure to go away. She said this to her leg, but, being a realist, she
only made it feel like a pin-cushion. She knew, however, that she had
only to persevere, because it would never do to give in. She persevered,
and her leg felt as if red-hot needles were being stuck in it. Then, for
the life of her, she could not help saying a little psalm. The sensation
went away and left her leg quite dead. She would have no strength in it
at all when she got up. But that would be easily cured, when she could
get to her bag, with three globules of nux vomica--and darling Derek
must not be waked up for anything! She waited thus till Nedda came back,
and then said, "Sssh!"

He woke at once, so that providentially she was able to get up, and,
having stood with her weight on one leg for five minutes, so as to be
quite sure she did not fall, she crossed back to the window, took
her nux vomica, and sat down with her tablets to note down the little
affairs she would require, while Nedda took her place beside the bed, to
fan him. Having made her list, she went to Nedda and whispered that
she was going down to see about one or two little things, and while she
whispered she arranged the dear child's hair. If only she would keep
it just like that, it would be so much more becoming! And she went
down-stairs.

Accustomed to the resources of Stanley's establishment, or at least to
those of John's and Felix's, and of the hotels she stayed at, she felt
for a moment just a little nonplussed at discovering at her disposal
nothing but three dear little children playing with a dog, and one
bicycle. For a few seconds she looked at the latter hard. If only it had
been a tricycle! Then, feeling certain that she could not make it into
one, she knew that she must make the best of it, especially as, in any
case, she could not have used it, for it would never do to leave darling
Nedda alone in the house. She decided therefore to look in every room
to see if she could find the things she wanted. The dog, who had been
attracted by her, left the children and came too, and the children,
attracted by the dog, followed; so they all five went into a room on the
ground floor.