chapter 14 rooky is very angry

about an hour later there was a curious grinding, groaning noise that turned to a whining.

richard, anne and george jumped violently. but julian knew what it was.

the gates are being opened,' he told them, and they remembered how he had described the machinerythat opened the gates - the curious wheel-like handle, labelled 'left gate. right gate.

both gates'.

'how do you know that?' asked hunchy at once, surprised and suspicious.

'oh, i'm a good guesser,' replied julian airily. 'correct me if i'm wrong - but i couldn't help thinkingthe gates were being opened - and i'm guessing it's rooky that's coming through them!'

'you're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day,' grumbled hunchy, going to the door.

'so my mother told me when i was two years old,' said julian, and the others giggled. if there was anyanswering back to be done, julian could always do it!

they all went to the window. george opened it. timmy was there, sitting just outside. george hadbegged the woman to let him in, but she wouldn't. she had thrown him some scraps, and told georgethere was a pond he could drink from, but beyond that she wouldn't go.

'timmy,' called george, as she heard the sound of a car purring quietly up the drive, 'timmy -stay there. don't move!'

she was afraid that timmy might perhaps run round to the front door, and go for anyone who jumpedout of the car. timmy looked up at her inquiringly. he was puzzled about this whole 60affair. why wasn't he allowed inside the house with george? he knew there were some people whodidn't welcome dogs into their houses - but george never went to those houses. it was a puzzle tohim, too, to understand why she didn't come out to him.

still, she was there, leaning out of the window; he could hear her voice; he could even lick her handif he stood up on his hind legs against the wall.

'you shut that window and come inside,' said hunchy, maliciously. he took quite a pleasure in seeingthat george was upset at being separated from timmy.

'here comes the car,' said julian. they all looked at it - and then glanced at each other. kmf 102- of course!

the black bentley swept by the kitchen windows and up to the front door. three men got out.

richard crouched back, his face going pale.

julian glanced round at him raising his eyebrows, mutely asking him if he recognized one of the menas rooky. richard nodded miserably. he was very frightened now.

the whining, groaning noise came again. the gates were being shut. voices came from the hall, thenthe men went into one of the rooms, and there was the sound of a door being shut.

julian wondered if he could slip out of the room unnoticed and go up to see if dick was all right.

he sidled to the door, thinking that hunchy was engrossed in cleaning an array of dirty shoes.

but his grating voice sounded at once.

'where you going? if you don't obey orders i'll tell mr. perton - and won't you be sorry!'

there's quite a lot of people in this house going to be sorry for themselves soon,' said julian, in anirritatingly cheerful voice. 'you be careful, hunchy.'

hunchy lost his temper suddenly and threw the shoe-brush he was using straight at julian. juliancaught it deftly and threw it up on the high mantelpiece.

'thanks,' he said. 'like to throw another?'

'oh don't,' said the woman, beseechingly. 'you don't know what he's like when he's in a real temper.

don't!'

the door of the room that the men had gone into opened, and somebody went upstairs. 'to fetchdick,' thought julian at once. he stood and listened.

hunchy got another shoe- brush and went on polishing, muttering angrily under his breath. thewoman went on preparing some food. the others listened with julian. they too guessed that the manhad gone to fetch dick to show him to rooky.

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footsteps came down the stairs again - two lots this time. yes - dick must be with the man, theycould hear his voice.

'let go my arm! i can come without being dragged!' they heard him say indignantly. good old dick!

he wasn't going to be dragged about without making a strong protest.

he was taken into the room where the other three men were waiting. then a loud voice was heard.

'he's not the boy! fools - you've got the wrong boy!'

hunchy and the woman heard the words too. they gaped at one another. something had gone wrong.

they went to the door and stood there silently. the children just stood behind them.

julian edged richard away very gradually.

'rub some soot over your hair,' he whispered. 'make it as black as you can, richard. if the men comeout here to see us, they're not likely to recognize you so easily if your hair's black. go on, quick -while the others aren't paying attention.'

julian was pointing to the inside of the grate, where black soot hung. richard put his trembling handsinto it and covered them with it. then he rubbed the soot over his yellow hair.

'more,' whispered julian. 'much more! go on. i'll stand in front of you so that the others can't seewhat you're doing.'

richard rubbed soot even more wildly over his hair. julian nodded. yes - it looked black enoughnow. richard looked quite different. julian hoped anne and george would be sensible enough not toexclaim when they saw him.

there was evidently some sharp argument going on in the room off the hall. voices were raised, butnot many words could be made out from where the children stood at the kitchen door. dick's voicecould be heard too. it suddenly sounded quite clearly.

'i told you you'd made a mistake. now you just let me go, see!'

hunchy suddenly pushed everyone roughly away from the door - except poor richard who wasstanding over in a dark corner, shaking with fright!

'they're coming,' he hissed. 'get away from the door.'

everyone obeyed. hunchy took up a shoe-brush again, the woman went to peel potatoes, the childrenturned over the pages of some old magazines they had found.

footsteps came to the kitchen door. it was flung open. mr. perton was there - and behind him anotherman. no mistaking who he was!

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thick-lipped, with an enormous nose - yes, he was the ruffian rooky, once bodyguard to richard'sfather - the man who hated richard because he had told tales of him and who had been sent off indisgrace by the boy's father.

richard cowered back in his corner, hiding behind the others. anne and george had given himastonished stares when they had noticed his hair, but neither of them had said a word. hunchy andthe woman didn't seem to have noticed any change in him.

dick was with the two men. he waved to the others. julian grinned. good old dick!

rooky glanced at all four children. his eye rested for a moment on richard, and then glanced away.

he hadn't recognized him!

'well, mr. perton,' said julian. 'i'm glad to see you've got my brother down from the room you lockedhim up in last night. i imagine that means he can come with us now. why you brought him here asyou did, and made him a prisoner last night i can't imagine.'

'now look here,' said mr. perton, in quite a different voice from the one he had used to them before,'now look here - quite frankly we made a mistake. you don't need to know why or how -that's none of your business. this isn't the boy we wanted.'

'we told you he was our brother,' said anne.

'quite,' said mr. perton, politely. 'i am sorry i disbelieved you. these things happen. now - we wantto make you all a handsome present for any inconvenience you have suffered - er - ten pounds foryou to spend on ice-creams and so on. you can go whenever you like.'

'and don't try and tell any fairy stories to anyone,' said rooky suddenly, in a threatening voice.

'see? we made a mistake - but we're not having it talked about. if you say anything silly, we shall saythat we found this boy lost in the woods, took pity on him and brought him here for the night - andthat you kids were - found trespassing in the grounds. you understand?'

'i understand perfectly,' said julian, in a cool rather scornful voice. 'well - i take it we can all go now,then?'

'yes,' said mr. perton. he put his hand into his pocket and took out some pound notes. he handedtwo to each of the children. they glanced at julian to see if they were to take them or not.

not one of them felt willing to accept mr. perton's money. but they knew they must take them ifjulian did.

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julian accepted the two notes handed to him, and pocketed them without a word of thanks. the othersdid the same. richard kept his head down well all the time, hoping that the two men would not noticehow his knees were shaking. he was really terrified of rooky.

'now clear out,' said rooky when the ten pounds had been divided. 'forget all this - or you'll be verysorry.'

he opened the door that led into the garden. the children trooped out silently, richard well in theirmidst. timmy was waiting for them. he gave a loud bark of welcome and flung himself on george,fawning on her, licking every bit of her he could reach. he looked back at the kitchen door and gavea questioning growl as if to say, 'do you want me to go for anyone in there?'

'no,' said george. 'you come with us, timmy. we'll get out of here as quickly as we can.'

'give me your pound notes, quick,' said julian in a low voice, when they had rounded a corner andwere out of sight of the windows. they all handed them to him wonderingly. what was he going todo with them?

the woman had come out to watch them go. julian beckoned to her. she came hesitatingly down thegarden. 'for you,' said julian, putting the notes into her hand. 'we don't want them.'

the woman took them, amazed. her eyes filled with tears. 'why - it's a fortune - no, no, you takethem back. you're kind, though - so kind.'

julian turned away, leaving the astonished and delighted woman standing staring after them. hehurried after the others.

'that was a very, very good idea of yours,' said anne, warmly, and the others agreed. all of them hadbeen sorry for the poor woman.

'come on,' said julian. 'we don't want to miss the opening of the gates! listen - can you hear thegroaning noise back at the house. somebody has set the machinery working that opens the gates.

thank goodness we're free - and richard too. that was a bit of luck!'

'yes, i was so scared rooky would recognize me, even though my hair was sooted black,' saidrichard, who was now looking much more cheerful. 'oh look - we can see the end of the drive now -and the gates are wide open. we're free!'

'we'll get our bikes,' said julian. 'i know where we left them. you can ride on my crossbar richard,because we're a bike short. dick must have his bike back now - you remember you borrowed it?

look - here they are.'

they mounted their bicycles and began to cycle down the drive - and then anne gave a scream.

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'julian! look, look - the gates are closing again. quick, quick - we'll be left inside!'

everyone saw in horror that the gates were actually closing, very slowly. they pedalled as fast asthey could - but it was no use. by the time they got there the two great gates were fast shut. noamount of shaking would open them. and just as they were so very nearly out!