Ilse Miller could not sleep. How could anyone sleep at a time like this? She glared at Perry's sleeping form. He'd taken one of the pills the doctor prescribed, and been asleep minutes later. They did nothing for Ilse--nothing at all. They were like candy to her.
She rose from her bed and lit a cigarette--just one. It was a filthy habit. She'd quit when they found Allan. If they found Allan. She must calm her nerves in some way. Ilse stared out the window at the darkened yard and asked herself again the one burning question that had been on her tongue since this happened: Where was Allan tonight?
Below the moon glimmered on the snow. Ilse looked over at the clock--it was midnight, the witching hour. When she glanced back out the window, she saw a figure, all in white, on the front lawn. It was a girl--with dark, curly hair--she was smiling jubilantly. She motioned for Ilse to throw up the window sash.
"Allan is safe!" the ghostly girl cried.
"Perry!" Ilse yelped, and in a flash he joined her at the window.
"I just saw--something--a girl--she told me Allan was safe. And then she ran off through those trees. Can you see her still, Perry? Tell me I didn't dream it!"
Perry Miller said, "I see her--what's Juliet Kent doing out so late?"
They looked at each other--and the telephone rang.
* * *
It was a terrible night over at New Moon. Juliet's breathing slowed and grew shallower with every breath. Her fever raged out of control. Emily went around with her lips pressed firmly together, and Teddy's eyes were wild. Douglas paced the hallway outside the sick room's door.
"I've done all I can," the doctor said. "It's up to Juliet now, to pull herself out of it."
Mother flew to her bedside.
"Darling," she said. "Darling girl! Please get well, my sweet one. Try--I know you can do it. Juliet--Juliet--!"
The slight figure in the bed made no response of having heard.
At about midnight, they all watched desperately as Juliet drew in a short breath--and then --nothing. Her head rolled to the side--he r eyes closed. Emily pressed her hand to her mouth. Teddy grabbed his daughter's hand, which had gone limp. Douglas closed his eyes and tried to steady himself on the bedpost. The doctor moved in to place his fingers against the young girl's neck, to check for a heartbeat. He was already shaking his head.
But--then--there was a tiny sound. Juliet sighed. It was a sound like a fluttering of wings--the wind in the fir trees--a sigh of contentment--a sigh of relief.
The doctor placed his hand on her forehead instead. "Her fever's down," he announced, in an astonished voice. "It's broken--completely--I've never seen anything like this."
Mother, Father, and Douglas exchanged happy, tearful glances. And downstairs, in the parlor at New Moon, the telephone rang.
* * *
The next morning Juliet opened her eyes and recognized her Mother. She blinked--closed them again--opened them--and it was still Mother. She hadn't altered any.
"How do you feel?" Mother asked, smoothing her brow.
"Fine--I feel fine," Juliet croaked. "My eyes hurt--so--though."
"It's from the fever, dear," Mother said. "You're cooling down now--it will go away soon. Juliet--Aunt Ilse is here--and Uncle Perry--they have some thing to tell you."
Aunt Ilse sat, very tearfully, by Juliet's bed. Uncle Perry stood behind her.
"Allan is safe," Aunt Ilse said, and then sobbed. "Juliet--oh Juliet--tell me--how did you know?"
* * *
"We both saw her," said Uncle Perry stubbornly. "It was Juliet--on our front lawn."
"At twelve o'clock at night?" Father said doubtfully.
"It was her," Uncle Perry reiterated.
"What are you all talking about?" Juliet asked from the bed.
Uncle Perry crossed over to her in a great side and knelt by the bed.
"Ilse woke up around midnight last night," he said. "Couldn't sleep. She looked down on the lawn--saw a girl standing there--saw you. You beckoned her to open the window and you said, 'Allan is safe.' Then, not two minutes later, the telephone rang, and we heard the same words come over the line, from overseas. 'Allan is safe.'"
"Ilse, you must have dreamed it," said Mother, putting her hand on Aunt Ilse's arm. "Juliet was here--the whole time--I was with her."
"I saw it, too," Uncle Perry insisted. "I saw Juliet running through the trees."
"Emily," said Aunt Ilse suddenly. "Do you remember that business with my mother? With that little boy--?"
Emily shook her head, but Teddy Kent looked over at his daughter thoughtfully. Perhaps he was remembering a day long ago, when he was prevented somehow from sailing on that doomed ship the Flavian.
"Come," said Emily. "Let's leave Juliet to rest--she looks exhausted. Darling, call if you need us--are you sure you're all right?"
Juliet nodded, eyes shining with tears. Of course she was all right. She was better than all right! This was the happiest day of her life. Allan--was--safe!
* * *
"This is the happiest day of my life," Bea said soberly from Juliet's bedside. "To find out that Allan is alive--and you're better! Juliet, I was so frightened. I felt wretched--I still do. I thought you would die--and I came to apologize to you, but you didn't seem to understand what I was saying. I want to say it now, dearest: I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'll have to say it a thousand times before it even comes close to expressing how I feel!"
"Why did you do it, Bea?" asked Juliet curiously. "Were you in love with Blair?"
"No--I don't think so--no," said Bea. "I was angry with you for hiding it from me. We'd never had a secret before. I felt like I must be a fool--you must think I was a fool--and Blair, too. Juliet, believe me when I say that I didn't know you were engaged! I did read your letters--but only up to the one where he wrote that he loved you. I couldn't read any that came after. But darling, I'm going to fix this. I'm going to write to Blair and tell him exactly what happened."
"Don't you dare," said Juliet. "The truth is, Bea--I don't feel anything for Blair King anymore. It's strange . A week ago I would have given anything for him to love me again--and this week I don't mind if he doesn't. It's strange. But--I forgive you, dearest Bea. Give me a kiss, and we're friends again."
The girls kissed each other, and Bea took Juliet's hand.
"I love you," she said. "You're like a sister to me."
"I love you, too," said Juliet, but Bea was staring down at something else.
"Juliet," she said. "You're wearing Allan's ring--on your left hand! "
Juliet looked, in surprise. So she was. "I must have switched it in my sleep," she laughed. "That's strange--very strange."
But she made no move to switch it back.