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‘I’ll go up and get your second pair from the bedroom,’ said Sybil

‘I haven’t a second pair at present,’ said Alicia Coombe

‘Why, what’s happened to them?’

‘Well, I think I left the up there, and I’ve rung up the two shops I went into, too’

‘Oh, dear,’ said Sybil, ‘you’ll have to get three pairs, I suppose’

‘If I had three pairs of spectacles,’ said Alicia Coo for one or the other of theot to look till you find it’

‘Well, they must be somewhere,’ said Sybil ‘You haven’t been out of these two rooms They’re certainly not here, so you -room’

She went back, walking round, looking quite closely Finally, as a last idea, she took up the doll from the sofa

‘I’ve got them,’ she called

‘Oh, where were they, Sybil?’

‘Under our precious doll I suppose you must have thrown them dohen you put her back on the sofa’

‘I didn’t I’m sure I didn’t’

‘Oh,’ said Sybil with exasperation ‘Then I suppose the doll took the them from you!’

‘Really, you know,’ said Alicia, looking thoughtfully at the doll, ‘I wouldn’t put it past her She looks very intelligent, don’t you think, Sybil?’

‘I don’t think I like her face,’ said Sybil ‘She looks as though she knew so that we didn’t’

‘You don’t think she looks sort of sad and sweet?’ said Alicia Cooly, but without conviction

‘I don’t think she’s in the least sweet,’ said Sybil

‘No…perhaps you’re right…Oh, well, let’s get on with things Lady Lee will be here in another ten et these invoices done and posted’

III

‘Mrs Fox Mrs Fox?’

‘Yes, Margaret?’ said Sybil ‘What is it?’

Sybil was busy leaning over a table, cutting a piece of satin material

‘Oh, Mrs Fox, it’s that doll again I took down the brown dress like you said, and there’s that doll sitting up at the desk again And it wasn’t me—it wasn’t any of us Please, Mrs Fox, we really wouldn’t do such a thing’

Sybil’s scissors slid a little

‘There,’ she said angrily, ‘look what you’ve ht, I suppose Nohat’s this about the doll?’

‘She’s sitting at the desk again’

Sybil went down and walked into the fitting-roo at the desk exactly as she had sat there before

‘You’re very deter to the doll

She picked her up unceremoniously and put her back on the sofa

‘That’s your place, irl,’ she said ‘You stay there’

She walked across to the other room

‘Miss Coombe’

‘Yes, Sybil?’

‘Soaain’

‘Who do you think it is?’

‘It must be one of those three upstairs,’ said Sybil ‘Thinks it’s funny, I suppose Of course they all swear to high heaven it wasn’t them’

‘Who do you think it is—Margaret?’