“Now don’t go yelling that you’re coming to rescue him,” I said to Topaz. “You know what it’s like being wakened up suddenly.” “If he ever does wake!” I could have slapped her — partly for being at her most bogus and partly because I was nervous myself. I certainly didn’t think that father would be dead, but I did have a slight fear that we might have unhinged him — the state of his hinges being a bit in doubt even before we started.
