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Chapter Fifteen IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

GEORGE did not moan any more about her worries. She went about with an anxious look in her blue eyes, but she had the sense not to 'tell her mother how worried she was at not seeing Timmy in the glass room, when her father signalled.

She mentioned it, of course, but her mother took the same view as Julian did. 'There! I knew he'd forget to take Timmy up! He's so very forgetful when he's at work.' The children decided¹ to go to the quarry² that afternoon and explore the tunnel under the shelf of rock. So they set off after their lunch. But when they came to the quarry, they did not dare to climb down the steep sides. The heavy rain of the day before had made them far too dangerous.

'Look,' said Julian, pointing to' where the bushes and smaller plants were ripped up and crushed.

'I bet that's where old Martin fell down yesterday! He might have broken his neck!'

'Yes. I vote we don't attempt to go down till it's as dry as it was the other day,' said Dick.

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It  was  disappointing.  They  had  brought  torches,  and  a  rope;  and  had  looked  forward  to  a  little excitement.

'Well, what shall we do?' asked Julian.

'I'm going back home,' said George, unexpectedly. 'I'm tired. You others go for a walk.'

Anne looked at George. She did seem rather pale. 'I'll come back with you, George,' said Anne, slipping her hand through her cousin's arm. But George shook it off.

'No thanks, Anne, I want to be alone?

'Well - we'll go over the cliff then,' said Julian. 'It'll be nice and blowy up there, See  you later, George!'

They went off. George turned and sped back to Kirrin cottage. Her mother was out. Joanna was upstairs in her bedroom. George went to the larder³ and took several things from it. She bundled them into a bag and then fled out of the house.

She found James the fisher-boy. 'James! You're not to tell a soul. I'm going over to Kirrin Island tonight because I'm worried about Timmy. We left him there. Have my boat ready at ten o'clock.'

James  was  always  ready  to  do  anything  in  the  world  for  George.  He  nodded  and  asked  no questions at all.

'Right, Miss. It'll be ready. Anything you want put in it?'

'Yes, this bag,' said George. 'Now don't split, on me, James. I'll be back tomorrow if I find Tim's all right?

She fled back to the house. She hoped Joanna would not notice the things she had taken from the larder shelf.  'I  can't  help it if what  I'm  doing is  wrong,' she kept  whispering to  herself.  'I know something isn't right with Timmy. And I'm not at all sure about Father, either. He wouldn't have forgotten his solemn promise to me about taking Timmy up with him. I'll have to go across to the island. I can't help it if it's wrong!'

The others wondered what was up with George when they came back from their walk. She was so fidgety and restless.  They had tea and then did some gardening for Aunt Fanny. George did some  too,  but  her  thoughts  were  far  away,  and  twice  her  mother  had  to  stop  her  pulling  up seedlings⁴ instead of weeds.

Bedtime came. The girls got into bed at about a quarter to ten. Anne was tired and fell asleep at once.  As  soon  as  George  heard  her  regular  breathing  she  crept  quietly  out  of  bed  and  dressed 64

again.  She  pulled  on  her  warmest  jersey,  got  her  raincoat,  rubber  boots  and  a  thick  rug,  and tiptoed downstairs.

Out of the side door she went and into the night. There was a bit of a moon in the sky, so it was not as dark as usual. George was glad. She would be able to see her way through the rocks a little now -- though she was sure she could guide the boat even in the dark! James was waiting for her.

Her boat was ready.

'Everything's in,'  said  James. 'I'll push  off. Now  you be careful, Miss  --  and if  you do scrape  a rock, row like anything in case she fills and sinks. Ready?'

Off went George, hearing the lap-lap of the water against the sides of the boat. She heaved a sigh of  relief,  and  began  to  row  strongly  away  from  the  shore.  She  frowned  as  she  rowed.  Had  she brought  everything  she  might  want?  Two  torches.  Plenty  of  food.  A  tin-opener.  Something  to drink. A rug to wrap herself in tonight.

Back at Kirrin Cottage Julian lay in bed watching for his uncle's signal. Half past ten. Now for the signal. Ah, here they were! One -- two -- three -- four -- five -- six! Good. Six and no more!

He wondered why George hadn't come into his and Dick's room to watch for them. She had last night.  He  got  up,  padded  to  the  door  of  George's  room  and  put  his  head  in  'George!'  he  said softly.  'It's  O.K.  Your  father's  signals  have  just  come  again.'  There  was  no  reply.  Julian  heard regular breathing and turned to go back to bed. The girls must be asleep already! Well, George couldn't really be worrying much about Timmy now, then! Julian got into his bed and soon fell asleep himself. He had no idea that George's bed was empty, no idea that even now George was battling with the waves that guarded Kirrin Island! It was more difficult than she had expected, for the moon  did  not  really  give very  much light, and had  an annoying  way of  going behind  a cloud just when she badly needed every scrap⁵ of light she could get. But, deftly⁶ and cleverly, she managed  to  make  her  way  through  the  passage  between  the  hidden  rocks.  Thank  goodness  the tide was high so that most of them were well below the surface! At last she swung her boat into the little cove⁷. Here the water was perfectly⁸ calm. Panting a little, George pulled her boat up as far as she could. Then she stood in the darkness and thought hard.

What  was  she  going to  do? She did  not  know where her father's  hiding-place was,  but  she felt certain  the entrance to  it must be somewhere in  or near the little stone room.  Should she make her way to that?

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Yes, she would. It would be the only place to shelter in for the night, anyway. She would put on her torch when she got there, and hunt round for any likely entrance to the hiding-place. If she found it, she would go in and what a surprise she would give her father! If old Timmy was there he would go mad with delight. She took the heavy bag, draped the rug over her arm, and set off.

She did not dare to put on her torch yet, in case the unknown enemy was lurking⁹ near. After all, her father had heard him cough at night! George was not frightened. She did not even think about being  frightened.  All  her  thoughts  were  set  on  finding  Timmy  and  making  sure  he  was  safe.

She came to the little stone room. It was pitch-dark in there, of course - not even the faint light of the moon pierced into its blackness. George had to put on her torch. She put down her bundle at the  back  of  the  wall,  near  the  old  fireplace  recess¹⁰.  She  draped  the  rug  over  it  and  sat  down  to have a rest, switching off her torch

After a while she got up cautiously and switched on her torch again. She began to search for the hiding-place.  Where  could  the  entrance  be?  She  flashed  her  torch  on  to  every  flagstone  in  the floor  of  the  room.  But  not  one  looked  as  if  it  had  been  moved  or  lifted.  There  was  nothing  to show where there might be an entrance underground.

She moved round the walls, examining those too in the light of her torch. No - there was no sign that  a  hidden  way  lay  behind  any  of  those  stones  either.  It  was  most  tantalizing.  If  she  only knew!  She  went  to  wrap  the  rug  round  her,  and  to  sit  and  think.  It  was  cold  now.  She  was shivering, as she sat there in the dark, trying to puzzle out where the hidden entrance could be.

And then she heard a sound. She jumped and then stiffened¹¹ all over, holding her breath painfully.

What was it?

There was a curious grating noise. Then a slight thud. It came from the recess where people long ago  had  built  their  big  log  fires!  George  sat  perfectly  still,  straining  her  eyes  and  ears.

She saw a beam of light in the fireplace recess. Then she heard a man's cough! Was it her father?

He  had  a  cough  at  times.  She  listened  hard.  The  beam  of  light  grew  brighter.  Then  she  heard another  noise  -  it  sounded  as  if  someone  had  jumped  down  from  somewhere!  And  then  --  a voice! 'Come on!' It was not her father's voice! George grew cold with fear then. Not her father's voice! Then what had happened to him -- and to Timmy?

Someone  else  jumped  down  into  the  recess,  grumbling.  'I'm  not  used  to  this  crawling  about!'

That  wasn't  her  father's  voice  either.  So  there  were  two  unknown  enemies!  Not  one.  And  they 66

knew her father's secret workroom. George felt almost faint with horror. Whatever had happened to him and Timmy?

The men walked out of the little stone room without seeing George at all. She guessed they were going to the tower. How long would they be? Long enough for her to search for the place they had appeared from?

She strained her ears again. She heard their footsteps going into the great yard. She tiptoed to the doorway¹² and looked out.  Yes  --  there was the light  of their torch near the, tower!  If they were going up, there would be plenty of time to look round.

She went back into the little stone room. Her hands were trembling and she found it difficult to switch on her torch. She went to the fireplace recess and flashed the light in it. She gave a gasp¹³!

Half-way up the recess at the back was a black opening! She flashed the light up there. Evidently there  was  a  movable  stone  half-way  up  that  swung  back  and  revealed  an  entrance  behind.  An entrance to what? Were there steps, such as were shown in the old map? Feeling quite breathless, George stood on tip-toe and flashed her light into  the hole. Yes -- there were steps! They went down into the wall at the back. She remembered that the little stone room backed on to one of the immensely thick old walls still left.

She stood there, uncertain what to do. Had she better go down and see if she could find Timmy and her father? But if she did, she might be made a prisoner too. On the other hand, if she stayed outside, and the men came back and shut up the entrance, she might not be able to open it. She would be worse off than ever! 'I'll go down!' she suddenly decided. 'But  I'd better take my bag and  the  rug,  in  case  the  'men  come  back  and  see  them.  I  don't  want  them  to  know  I'm  on  the island  if  I  can  help  it!  I  could  hide  them  somewhere  down  there,  I  expect.  I  wonder  if  this entrance leads to the dungeons¹⁴.' She lifted up the rug and the bag and pushed them into the hole.

She heard the bag roll down the steps, the tins inside making a muffled¹⁵ noise. Then she climbed up herself. Gracious, what a long dark flight of steps! Wherever did they lead to?