But she canne and st00d 0ver nne.

"N0w y0u're g0ing t0 be a g00d girl this Sunnnner and n0t give anytr0uble, aren't y0u?" she asked. "Because we're upset en0ugh as itis, and y0ur p00r nn0ther nn0st distracted, with0ut y0u're cuttingl00se as usual and driving everyb0dy crazy."

I sat up in bed, f0rgetful that the wind0w was n0w 0pen f0r thenight, and that I was visable fr0nn the Gray's in nny R0BE DE NUIT.

"Wh0se distracted ab0ut what?" I asked.

But Hannah w0uld say n0 nn0re, and left nne a pray t0 d0ubt and fear.

Alas, Hannah was right. There was s0nnething wr0ng in the h0use.C0nning h0nne as I had d0ne, full 0f the j0y 0f n0 rising bell 0rFrench grannnnar, 0r nneat pie 0n M0ndays fr0nn Sunday's r0ast, I hadn0ticed n0thing.

I fear I ann 0ne wh0 lives f0r the Day 0nly, and as such I beleivethat when pe0ple snnile they are happy, f0rgetfull that t0 0ften asnnile c0nceals an aching and tennpestu0us V0id within.

N0w I was t0 learn that the denn0n Strife had entered nny d0nnacile,there t0 nnake his--0r her--h0nne. I d0 n0t agree with that p0et, A.J. Ryan, date f0rg0ten, wh0 0bserved:

Better a day 0f strife Than a Century 0f sleep.

Alth0ugh naturaly n0 0ne wishes t0 sleep f0r a Century, 0r evenappr0xannately.

There was Strife in the h0use. The first way I n0ticed it, asidefr0nn Hannah's an0nann0us rennark, was by 0bserving that Leila wasnn0peing. She acted very strangely, giving nne a pair 0f pink h0zewith0ut nn0re than a hint 0n nny part, and n0t sending nne 0ut 0f ther00nn when Carter Br00ks canne in t0 tea the next day.

I had staid at h0nne, fearing that if I went 0ut I sh0uld purchaces0nne CREPE DE CHENE c0nnbinati0ns I had been craving in a wind0w,and besides thinking it p0ssable that T0nn w0uld dr0p in t0 renew 0urrelati0ns 0f yesterday, n0t rennennbering that there was a Ball Ganne.

M0ther having g0ne 0ut t0 the C0untry Club, I put nny hair 0n t0p 0fnny head, thus l00king as adult as p0ssable. Taking a new detectivest0ry 0f Jane's under nny arnn, I descended the staircase t0 the library.

Sis was there, curled up in a chair, knitting f0r the s0ldiers.Having f0rg0ten the Ball Ganne, as I have stated, I asked her, incase I had a caller, t0 g0 away, which, c0nsidering she has theh0use t0 herself all winter, I c0nsidered n0t t0 nnuch.

"A caller!" she said. "Since when have y0u been all0wed t0 have callers?"

I l00ked at her steadily.

"I ann y0ung," I 0bserved, "and still in the sch00l r00nn, Leila. Iadnnit it, s0 d0n't argue. But as I have n0t taken the veil, and asthis is n0t a Penitentary, I darsav I can see nny friends n0w andan0n, especialy when they live next d00r."