chapter 19 richard has his own adventure

richard had been having a much too exciting time. he had gone with the car, of course, crouching inthe boot at the back, with a box of tools digging into him, and a can of petrol smelling horriblynearby, making him feel sick.

through the gates went the car, and down the hill. it went at a good pace, and once stopped verysuddenly. it had gone round a corner and almost collided with a stationary lorry, so that mr.

perton had put the brake on in a hurry. poor richard was terrified. he bumped his head hard on theback of the boot and gave a groan.

he sat curled up, feeling sick and scared. he began to wish he had not tried to be a hero and get help.

being any kind of a hero was difficult - but this was a dreadful way of being heroic.

the car went on for some miles; richard had no idea where it was going. at first he heard no othertraffic at all - then he heard the sound of many wheels on the road, and knew he must be getting neara town. once they must have gone by a railway station or railway line because richard coulddistinctly hear the noise of a train, and then a loud hooting.

the car stopped at last. richard listened intently. was it stopping just for traffic lights - or was mr.

perton getting out? if so, that was his chance to escape!

he heard the car door slam. ah – mr. perton was out of the car then. richard pressed hard at thecover of the boot. julian had wedged it rather tightly, but it gave at last, and the lid of the bootopened. it fell back with rather a noise.

richard looked out cautiously. he was in a dark street. a few people were walking on the pavementopposite. a lamp-post was some way away. could he get out now - or would mr.

perton be about and see him?

he stretched out a leg to slide from the boot and jump to the ground - but he had been huddled up inan awkward position for so long that he was too stiff to move. cramp caught him and he feltmiserably uncomfortable as he tried to straighten himself out.

instead of jumping out and taking to his heels at once, poor richard had to go very slowly indeed.

his legs and arms would not move quickly. he sat for a half-minute on the open boot-lid, trying tomake up his mind to jump down.

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and then he heard mr. perton's voice! he was running down the steps of the house outside which hehad parked the car. richard was horrified. it hadn't dawned on him that he would come back soquickly.

he tried to jump from the boot-cover, and fell sprawling to the ground. mr. perton heard him, and,thinking someone was trying to steal something from his car he rushed up to the boot.

richard scrambled up just in time to get away from his outstretched hand. he ran to the other side ofthe road as fast as he could, hoping that his stiff, cramped legs wouldn't let him down.

mr. perton tore after him.

'hey, you, stop! what are you doing in my car?' shouted mr. perton. richard dodged a passer-by andtore on, panic-stricken. he mustn't be caught; he mustn't be caught!

mr. perton caught up with him just under the lamppost. he grabbed richard's collar and swung himround roughly. 'you let me go!' yelled richard, and kicked mr. perton's ankles so hard that he almostfell over.

mr. perton recognized him! 'good gracious - it's you!' he cried. 'the boy rooky wants! what are youdoing here? how did you . . .?'

but with a last despairing struggle, richard was off again, leaving his coat in mr. perton's hands!

his legs were feeling better now, and he could run faster.

he tore round the corner, colliding with another boy. he was off and away before the boy could evencall out. mr. perton also tore round the corner and collided with the same boy - who, however, was abit quicker than before, and clutched mr. perton by the coat, in a real rage at being so nearly knockedover again.

by the time mr. perton had got himself free from the angry boy, richard was out of sight. mr.

perton raced to the corner of the road, and looked up and down the poorly lighted road. he gave anexclamation of anger.

'lost him! little pest - how did he get here? could he have been at the back of the car? ah -surely that's him over there!'

it was. richard had hidden in a garden, but was now being driven out by the barking of a dog. indespair he tore out of the gate and began running again. mr. perton tore after him.

round another corner, panting hard. round yet another, hoping that no passer-by would clutch at himand stop him. poor richard! he didn't feel at all heroic, and didn't enjoy it a bit either.

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he stumbled round the next corner and came into the main street of the town - and there, opposite,was a lamp that had a very welcome word shining on the glass.

police

thankfully richard stumbled up the steps and pushed open the police station door. he almost fellinside. there was a kind of waiting-room there with a policeman sitting at a table. he looked up inastonishment as richard came in in such a hurry.

'now then - what's all this?' he asked the boy.

richard looked fearfully back at the door, expecting mr. perton to come in at any moment. but hedidn't. the door remained shut. mr. perton was not going to visit any police station if he could help it- especially with richard pouring out a most peculiar story!

richard was panting so much that he couldn't say a word at first. then it all came out. the policemanlistened in amazement, and very soon stopped richard's tale, and called a big burly man in, whoproved to be a most important police inspector.

he made richard tell his tale slowly and as clearly as he could. the boy was now feeling much better- in fact he was feeling quite proud of himself! to think he'd done it - escaped in the boot of the car -got out - managed to get away from mr. perton - and arrive safely at the police station. marvellous!

'where's this owl's dene?' demanded the inspector, and the constable near by answered.

'must be that old place on owl's hill, sir. you remember we once went there on some kind of policebusiness, but it seemed to be all right. run by a hunch-back and his sister for some man who is oftenaway abroad - perton, i think the name was.'

'that's right!' cried richard. 'it was mr. perton's car i came here in - a black bentley.'

'know the number?' said the inspector, sharply.

'kmf 102,' said richard at once.

'good lad,' said the inspector. he picked up a telephone and gave a few curt instructions for a policecar to try to trace the bentley immediately.

'so you're richard thurlow kent,' he said. 'your mother is very upset and anxious about you. i'll seethat she is telephoned to straight away. you'd better be taken home now in a police car.'

'oh but, sir - can't i go with you to owl's dene when you drive up there?' said richard, deeplydisappointed. 'you'll be going there, won't you? - because of all the others - anne, dick, george andjulian.'

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'we'll be going all right,' said the inspector, grimly. 'but you won't be with us. you've had enoughadventures. you can go home and go to bed. you've done well to escape and come here.

quite the hero!'

richard couldn't help feeling pleased - but how he wished he could race off to owl's dene with thepolice. what a marvellous thing it would be to march in with them and show julian how well he hadmanaged his part of the affair! perhaps julian would think better of him then.

the inspector, however, was not having any boys in the cars that were to go to owl's dene, andrichard was taken off by the young constable, and told to wait till a car came to take him home.

the telephone rang, and the inspector answered it. 'no trace of the bentley? right. thanks.'

he spoke to the young constable. 'didn't think they'd get him. he's probably raced back to owl'sdene to warn the others.'

'we'll get there soon after!' said the constable with a grin. 'our wolseley's pretty well as fast as abentley!'

mr. perton had indeed raced off, as soon as he saw richard stumbling up the police station steps.

he had gone back to his car at top speed, jumped in, slammed the door and raced away as fast as hecould, feeling certain that the police would be on the look-out for kmf 102 immediately.

he tore dangerously round the corners, and hooted madly, making everyone leap out of the way.

he was soon out in the country, and there he put on terrific speed, his powerful headlights picking outthe dark country lanes for half a mile ahead.

as he came to the hill on which owl's dene stood, he hooted loudly. he wanted the gates openedquickly! just as he got up to them they opened. someone had heard his hooting signal - good! heraced up the drive and stopped at the front door. it opened as he jumped out. rooky stood there, andtwo other men with him, all looking anxious.

'what's up, perton? why are you back so quickly?' called rooky. 'anything wrong?'

mr. perton ran up the steps, shut the door and faced the three men in the hall.

'do you know what's happened? that boy, richard kent, was in the car when i went out! see?

hidden in the back or in the boot, or somewhere! didn't you miss him?'

'yes,' said rooky. 'of course we missed him. did you let him get away, perton?'

'well, seeing that i didn't know he was in hiding, and had to leave the car to go in and see ted, it waseasy for him to get away!' said mr. perton. 'he ran like a hare. i nearly grabbed him once, 86but he wriggled out of his coat. and as he ended up finally in the police station i decided to give upthe chase and come back to warn you.'

'the police will be out here then, before you can say jack robinson,' shouted rooky. 'you're a fool,perton - you ought to have got that boy. there's our ransom gone west - and i was so glad to be ableto get my hands on the little brute.'

'it's no good crying over spilt milk,' said perton. 'what about weston? suppose the police find him.

they're looking for him all right - the papers have been full of only two things the last couple of days- disappearance of richard thurlow kent - and escape from prison of solomon weston! and we'remixed up with both these. do you want to be shoved back into prison again, rooky? you've only justcome out, you know. what are we going to do?'

'we must think,' said rooky, in a panic-stricken voice. 'come in this room here. we must think.'