her gently in his arms
and carry her up the steps cut in the cliff. How odd it all was!
Confused thoughts passed quickly through her mind as she clung fast to
the collar of the greenish coat. How kind Monsieur was! how many steps
there were, and how very steep! how heavy she was for him to carry, and
how he panted as he toiled slowly up! finally, how her dripping clothes
pressed against his neatly-brushed garments and made discoloured patches
on them. Would the steps never end? But at last, to her great relief,
they were at the top, and Monsieur was once more striding along on level
ground, uttering from time to time little sentences in broken English
for her encouragement and comfort. They were now in a part of Ramsgate
that she did not know at all, quite out of the town, and away from all
the tall terraces that faced the sea. The houses were mean and poor,
and the streets narrow; now and then came a dingy shop, and in almost
every window there was a card with "Apartments" on it. At one of these
Monsieur stopped and rang the bell. The door was opened at once, as if
someone had been waiting to do so, and a brown-faced, black-eyed lady
appeared, who talked very fast in French, and held up her hands at the
sight of Monsieur's damp burden. He answered in the same language,
calling the lady Delphine, who, chattering all the time, led them
down-stairs to a room where there was a good fire burning. Susan
wondered to herself why Monsieur and his sister sat in the kitchen, for
she saw pots and pans and dishes, all very bright and clean, at one end
of the room. The floor was covered with oil-cloth; but by the fire, on
which a saucepan hissed and bubbled gently, was spread a bright crimson
rug, which made a little spot of comfort. On it there stood a small
table neatly laid with preparations for a meal, and a pair of
large-sized carpet slippers, carefully tilted so that they might catch
the full warmth of the blaze. Sharing this place of honour a fluffy
grey cat sat gravely blinking, with its tail curled round its toes.
Opposite the table were a rocking-chair and a work-basket, and Susan
noticed that someone had been darning a large brown sock.

While she looked at these things from the arm-chair where Monsieur had
placed her on his entrance, she also watched the eager face of Delphine
who had not ceased to exclaim, to ask questions, to clasp her hands, and
otherwise to express great interest and surprise. But it was