He made her promise that
she would not sleep away from the house, or be out late in the evening,
while he was gone. He strictly forbade her to ask any of the girls she
knew to stay with her at night. She would be perfectly safe, he said, as
he had just put a new Yale lock on the front door.
Cutter had been so insistent in regard to these details that now she felt
uncomfortable about staying there alone. She had n't liked the way he kept
coming into the kitchen to instruct her, or the way he looked at her. "I
feel as if he is up to some of his tricks again, and is going to try to
scare me, somehow."
Grandmother was apprehensive at once. "I don't think it's right for you to
stay there, feeling that way. I suppose it would n't be right for you to
leave the place alone, either, after giving your word. Maybe Jim would be
willing to go over there and sleep, and you could come here nights. I'd
feel safer, knowing you were under my own roof. I guess Jim could take
care of their silver and old usury notes as well as you could."
Antonia turned to me eagerly. "Oh, would you, Jim? I'd make up my bed nice
and fresh for you. It's a real cool room, and the bed's right next the
window. I was afraid to leave the window open last night."
I liked my own room, and I did n't like the Cutters' house under any
circumstances; but Tony looked so troubled that I consented to try this
arrangement.
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