Now was my time to escape if I could only manage it. The question was whether I could reach one of the eighteen doors, unlock it, and get away outside without his seeing me. I made up my mind to risk it. With one eye on the baboon I began to work my way cautiously and silently under the mosquito curtains out of bed. That was my undoing. It's a bit of an art until you understand the thing well to get out quickly and neatly from under a mosquito net that has been carefully tucked in. I had got both my feet outside all right, and was just going to duck my head to scramble through when that wretched baboon looked round. He came dancing towards me at once with a dreadful whoop that brought back all my fears straight away. I was half in and half out of bed, and as I scrambled back I got horribly mixed up in the mosquito net. The more frantic the efforts I made to get inside it the more I seemed to be outside, and by the time the baboon got round the bed I was quite inextricably muddled up. There was one leg I could not get inside anyhow, and a last despairing effort brought half the mosquito net down. A nasty cold damp hand placed suddenly on my knee finished me off. I don't remember anything more.
Now I have never fainted before or since in my life, but I suppose I must have done so then. The next thing I was conscious of was opening my eyes, and seeing Ermyntrude looking down at me with a look of horror and solicitude never previously attained even on her expressive countenance. And
