Time for Silence by Philippa Carr Read Free Book Online Page A

going to look. Come with me.”
    “It’s late…”
    “Listen.”
    I did, and then I heard it, too. It was definitely the sound of footsteps and they were going down the staircase in the direction of the hall. I felt my heart begin to beat faster. Now I was as curious as Caroline.
    Yvonne was awakened. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    “It’s the ghost. We’ve both heard it,” whispered Caroline.
    “Where?”
    Caroline jerked her head toward the door. “In the corridor and now on the stairs….Listen.”
    We stood very still.
    Helga was now awake. We explained quickly.
    “We’re going to look,” said Caroline.
    Helga hastily got out of bed and put on her dressing gown while Caroline quietly opened the door, and we went out into the corridor.
    We descended the staircase and were in the hall. We gasped, for ahead of us, standing by one of the windows, was…the ghost.
    It was the slim figure of a young woman, her hair loose about her shoulders; she had her back to us so we could not see whether she wore a veil over her scarred face, but in those first moments we were sure she did.
    And then it dawned on us that she was not wearing the robes of an earlier century, but she was in a dressing gown very like those we were wearing. As we stood there the figure turned, and, instead of the pockmarked beauty, we saw that our ghost was Marie Christine du Bray.
    “Marie Christine!” whispered Caroline.
    She laid a hand on my arm, and as she did so, Marie Christine walked slowly toward us, her hands slightly outstretched, as though she were feeling her way. She gave no sign that she saw us.
    “She’s walking in her sleep,” Caroline whispered.
    “What do we do?” asked Yvonne.
    “Go and get Mademoiselle Artois,” said Caroline.
    “What?” cried Helga.
    “Hush. We mustn’t wake her. We don’t know what to do. We ought to get her back to bed.”
    Caroline herself took on the task and hurried upstairs to the room where Mademoiselle Artois slept. It was at the end of the dormitory, where she had two rooms, a bedroom and a study.
    Marie Christine by this time had walked down to the end of the hall and sat in an armchair. Caroline had told us to stay quietly and watch her, in case she went somewhere else.
    It was not long before Mademoiselle appeared, looking unlike her daytime self, with two rather thin plaits hanging down her back and a look of consternation on her face.
    By this time several other girls had arrived on the scene, Anna B with Lucia among them.
    Mademoiselle Artois immediately took charge.
    “You girls go back at once to your dormitories. Marie Christine has walked in her sleep. Be very quiet. She must not be disturbed.”
    The first shock of seeing Mademoiselle in dishabille had passed and the sound of her authoritative voice was as effective by night as it was by day. She went to Marie Christine and took her arm gently. “It’s all right,” she said soothingly. “We shall go to your room. You will be comfortable there.”
    Marie Christine stood up and allowed herself to be led. The girls silently watched as Marie Christine ascended the stairs. Mademoiselle was too taken up with Marie Christine to have noticed that we were still there.
    We all started to whisper.
    “I thought it was the ghost.”
    “So did I.”
    “Marie Christine looked very strange.”
    “So did Mademoiselle.”
    Giggles followed.
    “Do you think Marie Christine was looking for the ghost?”
    “All that talk about it may have preyed on her mind.”
    Mademoiselle appeared suddenly.
    “Why are you not in your beds? Go to them immediately. All is well. Marie Christine has merely been walking in her sleep. It is not unusual for people to do this. Now, back to bed…all of you.”
    The next day everyone was talking about the previous night’s adventure. In the morning Dr. Crozier was called in to see Marie Christine. We were told that she was resting for the day.
    At conversazione when we were all assembled, Madame Rochère