chapter 11 trapped!

julian looked at the casement window. the moonlight shone on it. it certainly was a little ajar.

'how did we miss that when we went round before?' he wondered. he hesitated a little. should theytry to get in or not? wouldn't it be better to rap on the back door and get that miserable-lookingwoman to answer it and tell them what they wanted to know?

on the other hand there was that evil-looking hunchback there. julian didn't like the look of him atall. no - on the whole it might be better to creep in at the window, see if it was dick upstairs, set himfree, and then all escape through the same open window. nobody would know. the bird would haveflown, and everything would be all right.

julian went to the window. he put a leg up and there he was astride the window. he held out a handto anne. 'come on - i'll give you a hand,' he said, and pulled her up beside him. he lifted her downon the floor inside.

then george came, and then richard. george was just leaning out to encourage timmy to jump inthrough the window too, when something happened!

a powerful torchlight went on, and its beam shone right across the room into the dazzled eyes of thefour children! they stood there, blinking in alarm. what was this?

then anne heard the voice of one of the men who had captured dick, 'well, well, well - a crowd ofyoung burglars!'

the voice changed suddenly to anger. 'how dare you break in here! i'll hand you over to the police.'

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from outside timmy growled fiercely. he jumped up at the window and almost succeeded in leapingthrough. the man grasped what was happening at once, and went to the open window.

he shut it with a bang. now timmy couldn't get in!

'let my dog in!' said george, angrily, and stupidly tried to open the window again. the man broughthis torch down sharply on her hand and she cried out in pain.

'that's what happens to boys who go against my wishes,' said the man, whilst poor george nursed herbruised hand.

'look here,' began julian, fiercely, 'what do you think you're doing? we're not burglars - and what'smore we'd be very, very glad if you'd hand us over to the police!'

'oh, you would, would you?' said the man. he went to the door of the room and yelled out in atremendous voice: 'aggie! aggie! bring a lamp here at once.'

there was an answering shout from the kitchen, and almost immediately the light of a lamp appearedshining down the passage outside. it grew brighter, and the miserable-looking woman came in with abig oil-lamp. she stared in amazement at the little group of children. she seemed about to saysomething when the man gave her a rough push.

'get out. and keep your mouth shut. do you hear me?'

the woman scuttled out like a frightened hen. the man looked round at the children in the light ofthe lamp. the room was very barely furnished and appeared to be a sitting-room of some kind.

'so you don't mind being given up to the police?' said the man. 'that's very interesting. you thinkthey'd approve of you breaking into my house?'

'i tell you, we didn't break in,' said julian, determined to get that clear, at any rate. 'we came herebecause we had reason to believe that you've got my brother locked up somewhere in this house -and it's all a mistake. you've got the wrong boy.'

richard didn't like this at all. he was terribly afraid of being locked up in the place of dick! he keptbehind the others as much as possible.

the man looked hard at julian. he seemed to be thinking. 'we haven't a boy here at all,' he said atlast. 'i really don't know what you mean. you don't suggest that i go about the countryside pickingboys up and making them prisoners, do you?'

'i don't know what you do,' said julian. 'all i know is this - you captured dick, my brother, thisevening in middlecombe woods - thinking he was richard kent - well, he's not, he's my brotherdick. and if you don't set him free at once, i'll tell the police what we know.'

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'and dear me - how do you know all this?' asked the man. 'were you there when he was captured, asyou call it?'

'one of us was,' said julian, bluntly. 'in the tree overhead. that's how we know.'

there was a silence. the man took out a cigarette and lighted it. 'well, you're quite mistaken,' hesaid. 'we've no boy held prisoner here. the thing is ridiculous. now it's very, very late - would youlike to bed down here for the night and get off in the morning? i don't like to send a parcel of kids outinto the middle of the night. there's no telephone here, or i'd ring your home.'

julian hesitated. he felt certain dick was in the house. if he said he would stay for the night he mightbe able to find out if dick was really there or not. he could quite well see that the man didn't wantthem tearing off to the police. there was something at owl's dene that was secret and sinister.

'i'll stay,' he said at last. 'our people are away - they won't worry.'

he had forgotten about richard for the moment. his people certainly would worry! still, there wasnothing to do about it. the first thing was to find dick. surely the men would be mad to hold him aprisoner once they were certain he wasn't the boy. perhaps rooky, the ruffian who knew richard,hadn't yet arrived - hadn't seen dick? that must be the reason that this man wanted them to stay thenight. of course - he'd wait till rooky came - and when rooky said, 'no- he's not the boy we want!' they'd let dick go. they'd have to!

the man called for aggie again. she came at once.

'these kids are lost,' said the man to her. 'i've said i'll put them up for the night. get one of the roomsready - just put down mattresses and blankets - that's all. give them some food if they want it.'

aggie was evidently tremendously astonished. julian guessed that she was not used to this man beingkind to lost children. he shouted at her.

'well, don't stand dithering there. get on with the job. take these kids with you.'

aggie beckoned to the four children. george hung back. 'what about my dog?' she said. 'he's stilloutside, whining. i can't go to bed without him.'

'you'll have to,' said the man, roughly. 'i won't have him in the house at any price, and that's flat.'

'he'll attack anyone he meets,' said george.

'he won't meet anyone out there,' said the man. 'by the way - how did you get in through the gates?'

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'a car came out just as we got there and we slipped in before the gates closed,' said julian. 'how dothe gates shut? by machinery?'

'mind your own business,' said the man, and went down the passage in the opposite direction.

'pleasant, kindly fellow,' said julian to george.

'oh, a sweet nature,' answered george. the woman stared at them both in surprise. she didn't seem torealize that they meant the opposite to what they said! she led the way upstairs.

she came to a big room with a carpet on the floor, a small bed in a corner, and one or two chairs.

there was no other furniture.

'i'll get some mattresses and put them down for you,' she said.

'i'll help you,' offered julian, thinking it would be a good idea to see round a bit.

'all right,' said the woman. 'you others stay here.'

she went off with julian. they went to a cupboard and the woman tugged at two big mattresses.

julian helped her. she seemed rather touched by this help.

'well, thank you,' she said. 'they're pretty heavy.'

'don't expect you have many children here, to stay, do you?' asked julian.

'well, it's funny that you should come just after . . .' the woman began. then she stopped and bit herlip, looking anxiously up and down the passage.

'just after what?' asked julian. just after the other boy came, do you mean?'

'sh!' said the woman, looking scared to death. 'whatever do you know about that? you shouldn'thave said that. mr. perton will skin me alive if he knew you'd said that. he'd be sure i'd told you.

forget about it.'

'that's the boy who's locked up in one of the attics at the top of the house isn't it?' said julian, helpingher to carry one of the mattresses to the big bedroom. she dropped her end in the greatest alarm.

'now! do you want to get me into terrible trouble - and yourselves too? do you want mr. perton totell old hunchy to whip you all? you don't know that man! he's wicked.'

'when's rooky coming?' asked julian, bent on astonishing the woman, hoping to scare her into oneadmission after another. this was too much for her altogether. she stood there shaking at the knees,staring at julian as if she couldn't believe her ears.

'what do you know about rooky?' she whispered. 'is he coming here? don't tell me he's cominghere!'

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'why? don't you like him?' asked julian. he put a hand on her shoulder. 'why are you so frightenedand upset? what's the matter? tell me. i might be able to help you.'

'rooky's bad,' said the woman. 'i thought he was in prison. don't tell me he's out again. don't tell mehe's coming here.'

she was so frightened that she wouldn't say a word more. she began to cry, and julian hadn't theheart to press her with any more questions. in silence he helped her to drag the mattresses into theother room.

'i'll get you some food,' said the poor woman, sniffing miserably. 'you'll find blankets in thatcupboard over there if you want to lie down.'

she disappeared. julian told the others in whispers what he had been able to find out. 'we'll see if wecan find dick as soon as things are quiet in the house,' he said. 'this is a bad house - a house ofsecrets, of queer comings and goings. i shall slip out of our room and see what i can find out later on.

i think that man – mr. perton is his name - is really waiting for rooky to come and see if dick isrichard or not. when he finds he isn't i've no doubt he'll set him free - and us too.'

'what about me?' said richard. 'once he sees me, i'm done for. i'm the boy he wants. he hates myfather and he hates me too. he'll kidnap me, take me somewhere, and ask an enormous ransom forme - just to punish us!'

'well, we must do something to prevent him seeing you,' said julian. 'but i don't see why he shouldsee you - it's only dick he'll want to see. he won't be interested in what he thinks are dick's brothersand sisters! now for goodness' sake don't start to howl again, or honestly i'll give you up to rookymyself. you really are a frightful little coward - haven't you any courage at all!'

'all this has come about because of your silly lies and deceit,' said george, quiet fiercely. 'it's allbecause of you that our trip is spoilt, that dick's locked up - and poor timmy's outside without me.'

richard looked quite taken aback. he shrank into a corner and didn't say another word. he was verymiserable. nobody liked him - nobody believed him - nobody trusted him. richard felt very, verysmall indeed.