there might have been a thousand rows of tents before us , each containing eight sleeping men , and i had no idea how many tents there were per row . sorry no , she answered , is he someone important ? the shop-keeper snapped , flapping open his book on the counter and returning to his reading . `` we do not dare leave agnes up here with you alone . pushing himself up , he kept one arm around his stomach as if he were about to be ill . explain what happened and bring her back . 