chapter 13 strange secret

a curious groaning, whining noise began, as some kind of strong machinery was set working.

julian hurriedly turned the handle back. if it was going to make all that noise, he wasn't going to tryhis hand at opening the gates! it would bring mr. perton out of his room in a rush!

'most ingenious, whatever it is,' thought the boy, examining it as well as he could in the moonlightthat streamed through the window. he looked round the room again. a noise came to his ears and hestood still.

'it's somebody snoring,' he thought. 'i'd better not mess about here any more! where are theysleeping? somewhere not far from here, that's certain.'

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he tiptoed cautiously into the next room and looked inside it. it was a lounge, but there was nobodythere at all. he couldn't hear the snoring there either.

he was puzzled. there didn't seem to be any other room nearby where people could sleep. he wentback to the workroom or study. yes - now he could hear that noise again - and it was somebodysnoring! somebody quite near - and yet not near enough to hear properly, or to see.

most peculiar.

julian walked softly round the room, trying to find a place where the snoring sounded loudest of all.

yes - by this bookcase that reached to the ceiling. that was where the snoring sounded most of all.

was there a room behind this wall, next to the workroom? julian went out to investigate.

but there was no room behind the study at all - only the wall of the corridor, as far as he could see. itwas more and more mysterious.

he went back to the study again, and over to the bookcase. yes - there it was again. somebody wasasleep and snoring not far off - but where?

julian began to examine the bookcase. it was full of books jammed tightly together - novels,biographies, reference books - all higgledy-piggledy. he removed some from a shelf and examinedthe bookcase behind. it was of solid wood.

he put back the books and examined the big bookcase again. it was a very solid affair. julian lookedcarefully at the books, shining in the moonlight. one shelf of books looked different from the others -less tidy - the books not so jammed together. why should just one shelf be different?

julian quietly took the books from that shelf. behind them was the solid wood again. julian put hishand at the back and felt about. a knob was hidden in a corner. a knob! whatever was that there for?

cautiously julian turned the knob this way and that. nothing happened. then he pressed it. stillnothing happened. he pulled it - and it slid out a good six inches!

then the whole of the back of that particular shelf slid quietly downwards, and left an opening bigenough for somebody to squeeze through! julian held his breath. a sliding panel! what was behindit?

a dim flickering light came from the space behind. julian waited till his eyes were used to it after thebright moonlight. he was trembling with excitement. the snoring now sounded so loud that julianfelt as if the snorer must be almost within hand's reach!

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then gradually he made out a tiny room, with a small narrow bed, a table and a shelf on which a fewarticles could dimly be made out. a candle was burning in a corner. on the bed was the snorer. juliancould not see what he was like, except that he looked big and burly as he lay there, snoringpeacefully.

'what a find!' thought julian. 'a secret hiding-place - a place to hide all kinds of people, i suppose,who have enough money to pay for such a safe hole. this fellow ought to have been warned not tosnore! he gave himself away.'

the boy did not dare to stay there any longer, looking into that curious secret room. it must be builtin a space between the wall of the study and the wall of the corridor - probably a very old hiding-place made when the house was built.

julian felt for the knob. he pushed it back into place, and the panel slid up again, as noiselessly asbefore. it was evidently kept in good working order!

the snoring was muffled again now. julian replaced the books, hoping that they were more or less ashe had found them.

he felt very thrilled. he had found one of the secrets of owl's dene, at any rate. the police would bevery interested to hear about that secret hole - and perhaps they would be even more interested tohear about the person inside it!

it was absolutely essential now that he and the others should escape. would it be all right if he wentwithout dick? no - if the men suspected any dirty work on his part - discovered that he knew of thesecret hole, for instance - they might harm dick. regretfully julian decided that there must be noescape for him unless everyone, including dick, could come too.

he didn't explore any more. he suddenly felt very tired indeed and crept softly upstairs. he felt as ifhe simply must lie down and think. he was too tired to do anything else.

he went to the bedroom. the key was still in the lock outside. he went into the room and shut thedoor. mr. perton would find the door unlocked the next morning, but probably he would think hehadn't turned the key properly. julian lay down on the mattress beside richard. all the others werefast asleep.

he meant to think out all his problems - but no sooner had he closed his eyes than he was fast asleep.

he didn't hear timmy howling outside once more. he didn't hear the screech owl that made the nighthideous on the hill. he didn't see the moon slide down the sky.

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it was not mr. perton who awoke the children next morning, but the woman. she came into the roomand called to them.

'if you want breakfast you'd better come down and have it!'

they all sat up in a hurry, wondering where in the world they were. 'hallo!' said julian, blinkingsleepily. 'breakfast, did you say? it sounds good. is there anywhere we can wash?'

'you can wash down in the kitchen,' said the woman, sullenly, 'i'm not cleaning any bathroom upafter you!'

'leave the door unlocked for us to get out!' said julian, innocently. 'mr. perton locked it last night.'

'so he said,' answered the woman, 'but he hadn't locked it! it wasn't locked when i tried the door thismorning. aha! you didn't know that, did you? you'd have been wandering all over the house, isuppose, if you'd guessed that.'

'probably we should,' agreed julian, winking at the others. they knew that he had meant to go andfind dick in the night, and snoop round a bit - but they didn't know all he had discovered. he hadn'thad the heart to wake them and tell them the night before.

'don't you be too long,' said the woman, and went out of the door, leaving it open.

'i hope she's taken some breakfast up to poor old dick,' said julian, in a low voice. the others cameclose to him.

'ju - did you find dick last night?' whispered anne. he nodded. then, very quickly and quietly hetold them all he had discovered - where dick was - and then how he had heard the snoring -and discovered the secret panel - the hidden room - and the man who slept so soundly there, notknowing that julian had seen him.

'julian! how thrilling!' said george. 'whoever would have thought of all that?'

'oh yes - and i discovered the machinery that opens the gates too,' said julian. it's in the same room.

but come on - if we don't go down to the kitchen that woman will be after us again. i hope hunchywon't be there - i don't like him.'

hunchy, however, was there, finishing his breakfast at a small table. he scowled at the children, butthey took absolutely no notice of him.

'you've been a long time,' grumbled the woman. 'there's the sink over there, if you want to wash, andi've put a towel out for you. you look pretty dirty, all of you.'

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'we are,' said julian, cheerfully. 'we could have done with a bath last night - but we didn't exactly getmuch of a welcome, you know.'

when they had washed they went to a big scrubbed table. there was no cloth on it. the woman hadput out some bread and butter and some boiled eggs and a jug of steaming hot cocoa. they all satdown and began to help themselves. julian talked cheerfully, winking at the others to make them dothe same. he wasn't going to let the hunchback think they were scared or worried in any way.

'shut up, you,' said hunchy, suddenly. julian took no notice. he went on talking, and george backedhim up valiantly, though anne and richard were too scared, after hearing the hunchback's furiousvoice.

'did you hear what i said?' suddenly yelled hunchy, and got up from the little table where he hadbeen sitting. 'hold your tongues, all of you! coming into my kitchen and making all that row!

hold your tongues!'

julian rose too. 'i don't take orders from you whoever you are,' he said, and he sounded just like agrown-up. 'you hold your tongue - or else be civil.'

'oh, don't talk to him like that, don't,' begged the woman, anxiously. 'he's got such a temper -he'll take a stick to you!'

'i'd take a stick to him - except that i don't hit fellows smaller than myself,' said julian.

what would have happened if mr. perton hadn't appeared in the kitchen at that moment nobodyknew! he stalked in and glared round, sensing that there was a row going on.

'you losing your temper again, hunchy?' he said. 'keep it till it's needed. i'll ask you to produce itsometime today possibly - if these kids don't behave themselves!' he looked round at the childrenwith a grim expression. then he glanced at the woman.

'rooky's coming soon,' he told her. 'and one or two others. get a meal - a good one. keep thesechildren in here, hunchy, and keep an eye on them. i may want them later.'

he went out. the woman was trembling. 'rooky's coming,' she half-whispered to hunchy.

'get on with your work, woman,' said the dwarf. 'go out and get the vegetables in yourself - i've gotto keep an eye on these kids.'

the poor woman scuttled about. anne was sorry for her. she went over to her. 'shall i clear away andwash up for you?' she asked. 'you're going to be busy - and i've nothing to do.'

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'we'll all help,' said julian. the woman gave him an astonished and grateful glance. it was plain thatshe was not used to good manners or politeness of any sort.

'yah!' said hunchy, sneeringly. 'you won't get round me with your smarmy ways!'

nobody took the slightest notice of him. all the children began to clear away the breakfast things,and anne and george stacked them in the sink, and began to wash them.

'yah!' said hunchy again.

'and yah to you,' said julian, pleasantly, which made the others laugh, and hunchy scowl till his eyesdisappeared under his brows!