At seven o'clock on the same morning, Bertram awoke. Had any observers
been present they would have seen him turn over in bed, push his fists
into the air and fight the sunshine which was streaming through the
window, and then open his eyes and begin to remember where he was. Then
they might have seen him yawn to a greater extent than so small a boy
would seem to be capable of. It was when Bertram's waking operations had
reached this stage that he remembered what had happened last night: he
had been naughty and had gone to bed early in consequence. But he wasn't
in the least sorry for it, not he, and his governess was a beast. These
were his sentiments as he began to dress. 'I shan't wash this morning,'
he said to himself, 'just to spite them.'
It was just as he was turning to leave the room that Bertram caught
sight of something white on the floor underneath the window. Picking it
up, he saw that it was a card--a business card--which certainly was not
there last night. 'It must have blown in,' he thought, and forthwith
began to read it. This is what he read:--