bed, thinking about the strange dream. It was so real that she felt as if she had actually
lived the experience. She was equally sure that the house and the dock really existed
somewhere. Surely it resembled the picture she had seen hanging in the major’s
cabin? Anyway, there was no doubt at all that the girl in her dream was Hilde Moller
Knag and that the man was her father, home from Lebanon. In her dream he had
looked a lot like Alberto Knox ...
As Sophie stood up and began to tidy her bed, she found a gold crucifix on a
chain under her pillow. On the back of the crucifix there were three letters engraved:
HMK.
This was not the first time Sophie had dreamed she found a treasure. But this
was definitely the first time she had brought it back from the dream.
“Damn!” she said aloud.
She was so mad that she opened the closet door and hurled the delicate crucifix
up onto the top shelf with the silk scarf, the white stocking, and the postcards from
Lebanon.
The next morning Sophie woke up to a big breakfast of hot rolls, orange juice,
eggs, and vegetable salad. It was not often that her mother was up before Sophie on a
Sunday morning. When she was, she liked to fix a solid meal for Sophie.
While they were eating, Mom said, “There’s a strange dog in the garden. It’s
been sniffing round the old hedge all morning. I can’t imagine what it’s doing here,
can you?”
“Yes!” Sophie burst out, and at once regretted it.
“Has it been here before?”
Sophie had already left the table and gone into the living room to look out of the
window facing the large garden. It was just as she thought.
Hermes was lying in front of the secret entrance to her den.
What should she say? She had no time to think of anything before her mother
came and stood beside her.
“Did you say it had been here before?” she asked.
“I expect it buried a bone there and now it’s come to fetch its treasure. Dogs
have memories too ...”
“Maybe you’re right, Sophie. You’re the animal psychologist in the family.”
Sophie thought feverishly.
“I’ll take it home,” she said.
“You know where it lives, then?”
Sophie shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s probably got an address on its collar.”
A couple of minutes later Sophie was on her way down the garden. When
Hermes caught sight of her he came lolloping toward her, wagging his tail and
jumping up to her.
“Good boy, Hermes!” said Sophie.
She knew her mother was watching from the window. She prayed he would not
go through the hedge. But the dog dashed toward the gravel path in front of the house,
streaked across the front yard, and jumped up to the gate.
When they had shut the gate behind them, Hermes continued to run a few yards
in front of Sophie. It was a long way. Sophie and Hermes were not the only ones out
for a Sunday walk. Whole families were setting off for the day. Sophie felt a pang of
envy.
From time to time Hermes would run off and sniff at another dog or at
something interesting by a garden hedge, but as soon as Sophie called “Here, boy!” he