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barely a foot or so from the edge of the drop. |
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"My God," she breathed, "this is a kind of dangerous place to build, isn't it?" |
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Mrs. Bates laughed. "It wasn't so close to the edge originally. Some years ago, before my husband bought the house, there was a very bad stormor a series of stormsthat pulled out the base of the cliff and the whole thing slid down. I suppose we should have had the gazebo moved right away, but it was so beautifuland now, who knows whether I will be back from year to year." Her voice trailed away, and she stared out over the bay. |
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"Don't be silly, Aunt Emmeline," Donald said. "You just like to live dangerously." |
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The brief melancholy was shaken off. Mrs. Bates laughed again. "It isn't really dangerous. Since we screened the gazebo in, you can't slip out and the slide gave the cliff a much broader base. Probably even a hurricane or a typhoon or whatever it is they have here couldn't damage it any more. Besides, the door on that side is kept locked." She showed Linda the latch, which was indeed larger and more secure than those usually found on a gazebo. "You see," Mrs. Bates added, "it's rusted shut. It couldn't get open by accident so, even though the door does swing out, there isn't any danger." |
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Linda had to agree, and she noticed that the screens were new and well fastened. It would take a more powerful push than simply falling against them to break through. Linda stood |
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