"Who?" said Elsie excitedly.

"That brother of his. From Australia. I said as soon as I set
eyes on him, 'You're a bad lot, my man!' That's what I said,
Elsie. Even before he spoke to me. Rude!" She turned to her
aunt. "Well, I give you my word."

"If you remember, Audrey, I always said there was no saying with
anyone from Australia." Mrs. Stevens lay back in her chair,
breathing rather rapidly. "I wouldn't go out of this room now,
not if you paid me a hundred thousand pounds."

"Oh, Mrs. Stevens!" said Elsie, who badly wanted five shillings
for a new pair of shoes, "I wouldn't go as far as that, not
myself, but--"

"There!" cried Mrs. Stevens, sitting up with a start. They
listened anxiously, the two girls instinctively coming closer to
the older woman's chair.

A door was being shaken, kicked, rattled.

"Listen!"

Audrey and Elsie looked at each other with frightened eyes.

They heard a man's voice, loud, angry.

"Open the door!" it was shouting. "Open the door! I say, open
the door!"