Candy rushed to the door and pounded on it with her fists.
"Neil! Open the door! Neil! Open the door!"
It was quiet outside the door.
Miss White took a few steps away and, taking a run, hit the door with her shoulder. One more time.
The door wouldn't budge.
The girl sighed and rubbed her bruised shoulder. She looked around the exquisitely furnished room.
"I have to get out of here", she said to herself.
She went to the window–it was open. Candy pulled back the curtains and looked down.
It was quite far from the ground – the room was on the second floor, but there was a tree nearby, and the window sill was wide enough to put a foot on it.
If, for example, she climbs over the balcony and reaches the tree, then... it's decided!
Candy was on the windowsill in a flash, holding on to the window frame. The evening wind ruffled the hem of her dress. The girl let go of the frame with one hand and reached for the branch.
The key turned in the lock, and Candy gripped the branch tighter, trying to keep her balance.
"Miss Candice, I've brought you a dress for dinner," a dispassionate voice said.
In surprise, Miss White almost unclenched her fingers, barely keeping her balance, she saw Gladys bringing an evening dress into the room.
"A-a dinner dress?" Candy asked.
"Yes."
Gladys calmly put the dress on the bed and approached the supposed hostess, who was only half in the room.
" Let me help you, " the maid said, holding out her hand to Miss White, with such a calm look, as if Candy was not on the windowsill, but just sitting on an armchair.
Candy automatically put her hand in Gladys's and jumped off the windowsill, suddenly feeling terribly stupid.
"It's getting cold," Mrs. Brown said, and closed the window.
Only then did Candy come to her senses and shook her head.
"I have to get out of here."
"But that's impossible."
"Why is it impossible! How is it impossible?!" Miss White almost screamed. "Am I a prisoner here?!"
She moved to the door, which was already unlocked.
"But, Miss Candice. After all, dinner is in half an hour, and Madame Elroy will be there."
Candy whirled around, unruly curls hitting her cheeks.
" So what?"
" Do you want Madame Elroy to know about your dissension?"
" I don't care!" Miss White turned up her nose.
" You can leave if you want," Gladys said a little more quietly and came closer to the hostess. "But think about it – do you really want to leave?"
Candy went to the door and put her hand on the handle.
Does she really want to leave?..
Neil, of course, behaved just awful, there are just no words how! But to leave completely, to go to that rented apartment, to lie alone in the dark, thinking about how he is now?... Just leave and wait to see if he will come tomorrow to apologize, to show the extent of his offense ... to part for today in a quarrel, because of some misunderstanding…
And then, of course, Aunt Elroy will express him everything she thinks about her, about Candy.
Thoughts raced through her head fragmentally, but they all meant one thing - either in half an hour she would see Neil or she would not see him until at least tomorrow.
Candy lowered her hand.
"Ah... Mr. Daniel… Did he send you? Is he there now, outside the door?"
"I told him that it was inconvenient to stand there in the corridor and that he should change his clothes. My husband– his valet, was already waiting for him."
Miss White suddenly burst out laughing. She imagined how stupid Neil must have looked, standing at the door and locking it with a key, and then the imperturbable Gladys: "Mr. Daniel, you have to change..."
"And what - he went to change clothes?"
"Well, yes."
Candy sat down thoughtfully in front of the mirror, and Mrs. Brown began to comb her hair.
"What am I going to do... " whispered Miss White to herself.
"You need to be dignified, that's all, " Gladys told her, and Candy turned around in surprise.
Maybe it's not so bad that she has such a maid?