I fancied I heard his footsteps behind me, and I fairly flew along the
beach, into the house, and up to my room, where I began undressing as
quickly as I could. But before I was ready for bed, Mrs. Erveng's maid
brought a message from her mistress. She was so sorry to hear that I
was not well; was there nothing that she could do for me? "Please say
that I am going to bed; that will cure my headache quicker than anything
else," I called through the keyhole, instead of opening the door. I had
a feeling that the Ervengs would think me a crank; but I had got to that
pitch that afternoon where I didn't care what anybody thought of me.
Then Dillon went away, and I got into bed.
But I couldn't sleep for ever so long: you see the sun had not yet set,
and I'm not used to going to sleep in broad daylight; besides, I was
very unhappy. As I lay there looking at the brilliant colours of the
sky, I thought over what I had said to Hilliard, and the oftener I went
over it, the more uncomfortable I got; for I began to see that I'd been
very rude--to insult the people I was visiting! I wondered if Hilliard
had told his mother what I said; and what she thought of me? Would she
send me home? I had declared to Nora that I would behave so badly as to
be sent home before the visit was over, but I had not really meant it.
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