Down a Dark Hall Read Online Free PDF Page A

place,” Professor Farley said. “That upstairs wiring just doesn’t
     do the trick. Madame has been trying to get electricians out from the village, but that’s easier said than done.”
    “Perhaps we could remove the globe,” Madame Duret said, “and use a bulb of a higher wattage. As a temporary measure, of course,
     until we can have another fixture installed.”
    “Oh, that’s all right,” Kit said in sudden embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to make a big deal out of it. I’m not usually worried
     about things like that, it’s just that the dorm floor is so empty right now. It won’t matter at all tomorrow when the other
     girls get here and it’s all filled up with people.”
    There was a moment’s silence. Madame Duret lifted her napkin to dab at her lips. Professor Farley took a sip from his water
     glass. Kit turned to Jules, whose head was bent over his plate.
    “It will be different tomorrow,” she said again, “after everybody gets here.”
    “Naturally,” Jules said. “It will seem different then.” He lifted his head, but his eyes did not meet hers, and there was
     a strange, closed look on his face.
      
    That night she dreamed that the canopy was lowering. Twice she dreamed it. Slowly, softly, the air was pressing down upon
     her as the great, billowing bubble of wine-colored velvet descended to settle over her face.
    The first time she woke, shaking, she groped frantically for the lamp on the bedside table. She pressed the button at its
     base, and at once the room was filled with dim, yellow light.
    Sitting up, Kit looked around the room. It lay in perfect order except for a pile of her own clothing which she had tossed
     onto a chair, and the two suitcases, still only partially unpacked, which lay open on the floor before the closet.
    The canopy stood high above her, just where it should have been.
    Kit turned off the light and lay back upon the pillow, and after a bit she slept. When she woke again, from the same dream,
     she turned the lamp on and left it burning for the rest of the night.

In the morning, Kit laughed at herself for her midnight foolishness. Bright sunshine poured in the window, falling in golden splashes across the rich hues of the carpet
     and picking up the gleam of the woodwork in a way that made the room seem aglow with beauty. The canopy was only a canopy,
     a regal decoration for what must undoubtedly be classed as one of the world’s most elegant beds.
    Kit swung her legs over the side and placed her bare feet on the rug. It felt thick and luxurious, and she dug her toes into
     it as she crossed the room to the window. Once there, she wondered how she could possibly have skipped looking out of it the
     day before, for the view was so spectacular that her heart leapt with pleasure.
    Below her lay a garden, still partially abloom with late summer flowers, and through it ran a narrow, gravel walkway which
     wound about like a maze, splitting and turning and meeting itself once again. Beyond this lay a stretch of lawn that led down
     to a pond. The pond was not large, but it shimmered like silver in the morning light, smooth and flat and luminous as a mirror.
     Past that rose the woods, circling protectively around the opposite shore and coming in a full curve to border Blackwood on
     all sides.
    Above everything rose the sky, blue and clear in a high, rich arc. The air smelled fresh and sweet. From this side of the
     house, Kit was not able to catch sight of the driveway. She could imagine it filled with cars and harried fathers busily extracting
     suitcases. In a short time now there would be other girls filling the hall, laughing and chattering, comparing backgrounds
     and rushing inquisitively in and out of one another’s rooms.
    I’m glad I got here early, Kit thought as she dressed. This way I have sort of a head start . She made her bed and unpacked her suitcases, hanging her dresses and skirts in the closet and folding other clothing to
     place in