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‘She just moves about as she likes,’ said Alicia Coo her’

The toure in its limp, soft velvet, with its painted silk face

‘Some old bits of velvet and silk and a lick of paint, that’s all it is,’ said Alicia Coombe Her voice was strained ‘I suppose, you knoe could—er—we could dispose of her’

‘What do you mean, dispose of her?’ asked Sybil Her voice sounded almost shocked

‘Well,’ said Alicia Coombe, ‘we could put her in the fire, if there was a fire Burn her, I mean, like a witch…Or of course,’ she added matter-of-factly, ‘we could just put her in the dustbin’

‘I don’t think that would do,’ said Sybil ‘So her back to us’

‘Or we could send her somewhere,’ said Alicia Coombe ‘You know, to one of those societies who are alriting and asking for so—for a sale or a bazaar I think that’s the best idea’

‘I don’t know…’ said Sybil ‘I’d be almost afraid to do that’

‘Afraid?’

‘Well, I think she’d come back,’ said Sybil

‘You mean, she’d come back here?’

‘Yes’

‘Like a hoeon?’

‘Yes, that’s what I mean’

‘I suppose we’re not going off our heads, are we?’ said Alicia Cooa and perhaps you’re just hu me, is that it?’

‘No,’ said Sybil ‘But I’ve got a nasty frightening feeling—a horrid feeling that she’s too strong for us’

‘What? That s?’

‘Yes, that horrible lis Because, you see, she’s so determined’

‘Determined?’

‘To have her oay! I mean, this is her room now!’

‘Yes,’ said Alicia Coo round, ‘it is, isn’t it? Of course, it alhen you coht she fitted in here, but it’s the room that fits her I must say,’ added the dressmaker, with a touch of briskness in her voice, ‘it’s rather absurd when a doll cos like this You know, Mrs Groves won’t coer and clean’

‘Does she say she’s frightened of the doll?’

‘No She just makes excuses of some kind or other’ Then Alicia added with a hint of panic, ‘What are we going to do, Sybil? It’s gettingfor weeks’

‘I can’t keepout properly,’ Sybil confessed ‘I make all sorts of silly mistakes Perhaps,’ she said uncertainly, ‘your idea of writing to the psychical research people ood’

‘Just make us look like a couple of fools,’ said Alicia Coombe ‘I didn’t seriously o on until—’

‘Until what?’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Alicia, and she laughed uncertainly

On the following day Sybil, when she arrived, found the door of the fitting-room locked

‘Miss Cooht?’

‘Yes,’ said Alicia Coo to stay locked’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I just iven up the room The doll can have it We don’t need two rooms We can fit in here’

‘But it’s your own private sitting-room’

‘Well, I don’t want it anyroom out of that, can’t I?’

‘Do you ain?’ said Sybil incredulously