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"What did you do with it?" she demanded

"With what?" he asked

"The clothes!"

"You’ve just seen every piece of clothing I have withat her "Maybe I should be calling the police"

"Beon and what you think I’ve done?" he asked, hoping he sounded patient, since he certainly didn’t feel that way

"You ca to be a nineteenth-century ghost And I don’t care what you say, I knoas you The facial hair was great, and the as even better, but it was you"

He frowned "Soe house?"

"Not someone--you!" she accused

"In nineteenth-century clothes?" he said skeptically "Did it ever occur to you that you were drea?"

"Oh, no It was no dream It was real, and I have your footprints to prove it," she announced

He stood She backed away from him

"Sarah, I walked you home, then came back here, and I never left this roo a period costuustine I don’t knohat to say to convince you, but I would never break in to someone’s house and play a joke like that Aside froal You htmare, it was a…a play And you were the flesh-and-blood star," she said She stared hard at him, then said, "Shoes!"

She went back to the closet and pulled out his shoes, turning the at the soles

At last she stood, hair a wild tangle about her face--but noith just a trace of doubt on her features

"I told you, after I said good-night to you I came back here and went to sleep," he said evenly

At that moment there was a tap on his door, and Bertie called, "Excuse ht in here?"

Sarah winced, closing her eyes tightly for a iveon a pair of pants

As soon as he was decent, he went to the door and opened it for Bertie, alked in hesitantly, a wary look on her face

He couldn’t blame her This was her honore the sounds of a heated arguuestroo in the state of the room Then she saw Sarah and just stared

Caleb crossed his arms over his chest "Sarah will explain," he said

Sarah shook her head "Someone…someone dressed up and played a trick on me, tried to scare me He looked just like Caleb," she said

"When did this happen?"

"About an hour ago," Sarah said

Sarah er, but at this ht

"So you came here--and trashed his room?" Bertie asked quietly

Caleb stood, took Sarah by the shoulders and steered her toward the door "Bertie, I think Sarah needs a cup of coffee Why don’t you give o back with her and try to get to the bottoht, Sarah?" he asked, as if he were talking to a particularly sloitted child

She was still angry, but now she also looked uncertain, even ht over here to accost a half-naked and innocent--at least of dressing up and scaring her, he thought, hiding a grin-- her anger around herself like a shield

"Sarah…" Bertie said, leading Sarah out and closing the door in her wake

He locked the door, and then with the woone, took a quick shower and dressed with the speed of lightning When he e and Sarah was nursing a cup of coffee

"Coe house"

"Would you two like soested

"Thank you, but I think this needs to be resolved Now," he said "And don’t worry about the rooet back later today"

He didn’t let either woman protest as he maneuvered Sarah out the front door She was as stiff as a two-by-four, and waves of heat and hostility see air She hurried to get ahead of hiht up to her