ople?''
''What?'' The stout man had turned and was walking back towards us. I lifted my hand again, and waved it. ''Will you tell me,'' I said to him, ''where I can find Dr Christie? Sir? Please, sir?''
''Be quiet!'' he said again, moving past.
The lady beside me put her hand upon my arm. ''You must be familiar,'' she said, ''with the squares of Kensington.''
''What?'' I said. ''No.''
''I should say the trees are all in leaf.''
''I don''t know. I don''t know. I never saw them.''
''Who are your people?''
The stout man walked as far as the window, then turned and folded his arms. I had raised my hand again, but now let it droop.
''My people are thieves,'' I said miserably.
''Oh!'' The ladies made faces. ''Queer girl. . .''
The woman beside me, however, beckoned me close.
''Your property gone?'' she said, in a whisper. ''Mine, too. But see here.'' She showed me a ring that she wore, on a string, around her neck. It was gilt, and wanted stones. ''Here''s my capital,'' she said. ''Here''s my security.'' She tucked the ring beneath her collar, and touched her nose, and nodded. ''My sisters have taken the rest. They shan''t have this, however! Oh, no!''
I spoke to no-one, after that. When dinner was ended the nurses took us to a garden and made us walk about it for an hour. The garden had walls on every side, and a gate: the gate was locked, but you could see through its bars to the rest of the park that the house was set in. There were many trees there, some of them close to the great park wall. I made a note of that. I had never climbed a tree in my life, but how hard could it be? If I might get to a high enough branch I would risk breaking both my legs in a jump, if the jump meant freedom.