About Girl who broke her neck...

"It sounds a good game, " I remarked. " Have you ever played it too, Jackson? "

'Yes,' he answered. "I played it in the house that I was telling you about."

..."And she was there? The girl who broke... ."...

^^^"No, no, no, " said someone else. " He told us he wasn't there when she broke her neck. "^^^

Jackson thought for a moment. " I don't if she was there or not. I'm afraid she was. I know that there were thirteen of us playing the game, and there were only twelve of us in the house. And I didn't know the dead girl's name. When I heard that whispered name in the dark, it didn't worry me. But I tell you, I'm never going to play that kind of game again. It made me quite nervous for a long time. I prefer to pay my forfeit at once! "

We all stared at him. His words did not make sense at all.

...Tim Vouce - was the kindest man in the world. He smiled at us all....

"This sounds like an interesting story, " he said. 'Come on, Jackson, you can tell it us to instead of paying a forfeit.'

" Very well, " said Jackson. And here is his story.

: (Jackson says)

...______ 2 ______...

^^^Have you met the Sangstons? They are cousins of mine, and they live in Surrey. Five years ago they invited me to go and spend Christmas with them.^^^

It was an old house, with lots of unnecessary passages and suitcases. A stranger could get lost in it quite easily.

Well, I went down for that Christmas. Violet Sangston promised me that I knew most of the other guests. Unfortunately, I couldn't get away from my job until Christmas Eve. All the other guests had arrived there the previous day. I was the last to arrive, and I was only just in time for dinner. I said 'Hullo' to everyone I knew, and Violet Sangston introduced me to the people I didn't know. Then it was time to go in the dinner.

That it perhaps why I didn't hear the name of. A tall, dark- haired handsome girl whom I hadn't met before. Everyone was in rather a hurry and I am always bad at catching people's names. She looked cold and clever. She didn't look at all friendly, but she looked interesting, and I wondered who she was. I didn't ask, because I was sure that someone would speak to her by name during the meal. Unluckily , however, I was a long way from her at table. I was sitting next to Mrs Gorman, and as usual Mrs Gorman was being very bright and amusing. Her conversation is always worth listening to, and I completely forgot to ask the name of the dark , proud girl.

There were twelve of us, including the Sangstons themselves. We were all young - or trying to be young. Jack and Violet Sangston were the oldest, and their seventeen-year old Reggie was the youngest. It was Reggie who suggested 'Smee' when the talk turned to games. He told us the rules of the game, just as I've described them to you. Jack Sangston warned us all. "If you are going to play games in the dark," he said, "please be careful of the back stairs on the first floor. A door leads to them, and I've often thought about taking the door off. In the dark a stranger to the house could think they were walking into a room. A girl really did break her neck on those stairs."

I asked how it happened.

"It was about........."

^^^To be continued^^^

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