The broad staircase was carpeted down yhe cerpeted down the centre. But every stair made a noise as we stepped on it. I felt sick. I could just see Soldier's dark shape in front of me.
There was an open door , and Soldier went inside.
He said,' I brought a light. You can't see it from outside.'
I pulled it behind me.
'Yes, this will be the room.'
There were lots of books around and shelves full of books. There was a long table and several chairs. There were thick curtains across the windows.
'We've got to find somewhere thinde here.
'Not here , Soldier! Let's wait downstairs. We don't know if they'll come here. When they come in we can see where they go and follow them.
'No,' Soldier said.'That's ni good. They' d hear us. And they'll leave someone downstairs to keep watch.'
At that minute a door closed below.
It closed quirtly, and then there was a step on the stairs.
There was nowhere to hide. There was nowhere at all to hide. Bookshelves. The large table. Curtains. I saw him going over to the curtains, and I went with him but I knew it was silly to hide behind curtains because someone might want to open a window. Then we'd be found. But I saw he wasn't thinking of the curtains.
There was a litttle table by the curtains. It had a tablecloth that reached the floor. Soldier lifted the tablecloth and shone a light in. There wasn't enough room for a cat. But there was no other place to go,so we went under the tablecloth, both of us together.
I don't know how he got in. I don't know how I got in myself. I couldn' t kneel, or sit, or move. And that was where we were when the door opened and the light came on.