chapter 5 anne and dick

it began to get dark very suddenly. the sun had gone, and a big black cloud slid smoothly over thesky. 'it's going to rain,' said dick. 'blow! i thought it was going to be a lovely evening.'

'we'd better hurry,' said anne. 'i hate sheltering under a hedge in the pouring rain, with drips downmy neck, and puddles round my feet!'

they hurried. they went up the road that led out of the village and then came to a turning on theright. this must be the one the man had meant. they stopped and looked down it. it seemed to be likeone of the sunken lanes they had walked down in the morning, and it looked rather dark and tunnel-like now, in the twilight.

'i hope it's right,' said dick. 'we'll ask the very first person we meet.'

'if we do meet anyone!' said anne, feeling that they never would in this curious deep lane. they 18went up it. it wound round and about and then went downhill into a very muddy bit indeed. annefound herself sloshing about in thick mud.

'a stream or something must run across the lane here,' she said. 'ugh! the water's got into my shoes!

i'm sure we don't go this way, dick. the water's quite deep farther on, i'm certain. i was up to myankles just now.'

dick looked about in the deepening twilight. he made out something above him in the high hedgethat grew on the steep bank each side.

'look - is that a stile?' he said, 'where's my torch? at the bottom of my rucksack, of course! can youget it out, anne, to save me taking the thing off?'

anne found the torch and gave it to dick. he switched it on, and immediately the shadows roundthem grew blacker, and the lane seemed more tunnel-like than ever. dick flashed the torch upwardsto what he had thought was a stile.

'yes - it is a stile,' he said. 'i expect that leads up to the farm-house - a short cut, probably. i've nodoubt this lane is the one used by the farm-carts, and probably goes right round to the farm - but ifthis is a short cut we might as well take it. it must lead somewhere, anyway!'

they scrambled up the bank to the stile. dick helped anne over, and they found themselves in a widefield. in front of them was a narrow path, running between crops of some sort.

'yes - this is obviously a short cut,' said dick, pleased. 'i expect we'll see the lights of the farmhousein a minute.'

'or fall into the blue pond first,' said anne, rather dismally. it was just beginning to rain and she waswondering if it was worth while to untie her mac from her shoulder and put it on. or was the farm-house really nearby? julian had said it wasn't very far.

they walked across the field and came to another stile. the rain was coming down fast now.

anne decided to put on her mac. she stood under a thick bush and dick helped her on with it.

she had a small sou'wester in the pocket and put that on too. dick put his on and they set off again.

the second stile led into another endless field, and the path then came at last to a big field-gate.

they climbed over it and found themselves on what looked like a heathery moor - wild anduncultivated land! no farm-house was to be seen - though, indeed they could not have seen anythingof one unless they had been very close to it, because the night was on them, dark and rainy.

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'if only we could see some lights somewhere - shining out of a window,' said dick. he shone historch on to the moor in front of them. 'i don't quite know what to do. there doesn't seem a path here -and i just hate the idea of going all the way back across those wet fields, and into that dark little lane.'

'oh no - don't let's,' said anne, with a shiver. 'i really didn't like that lane. there must be a pathsomewhere! it's silly for a gate to open on to moorland!'

and then, as they stood there, with the rain dripping on them and not much else to be heard, anothernoise came to their ears.

it was so unexpected and so very startling that both of them clutched the other in a start of alarm.

it was certainly a strange noise to hear in that deserted bit of country.

bells! wild, clanging bells sounding without a stop, jangling out over the dark countryside in pealafter peal. anne held on tightly to dick.

'what is it? where are those bells? what are they ringing for?' whispered anne.

dick had no idea. he was as startled as anne to hear this extraordinary noise. it sounded somedistance away, but every now and again the wind blew hard and then the noise of the jangling sweptround them, close to them it seemed.

'i wish they'd stop, oh, i wish they'd stop!' said anne, her heart beating fast. 'i don't like them.

they frighten me. they're not church bells.'

'no. they're certainly not church bells,' said dick. 'they're a warning of some kind. i'm sure - butwhat for? fire? we'd see fire if there was one anywhere near us. war? no - bells and beacons wereused to warn people of war long long ago, not now.'

'that village was called beacons,' said anne, suddenly remembering. 'do you suppose it has thatname because long ago there was a nearby hill where people lighted a beacon, to send a warning toother towns telling them that the enemy was coming? did they ring bells too? are we hearing long-ago bells, dick? they don't sound like bells i've ever heard in my life before.'

'good gracious! they're certainly not long-ago bells!' said dick, speaking cheerfully, though he wasreally just as puzzled and alarmed as anne. 'those bells are being rung now, at this very minute!'

quite suddenly the bells stopped and an enormous silence took the place of the wild ringing. the twochildren stood and listened for a minute or two and then heaved a sigh of relief.

'they've stopped at last,' said anne, 'i hated them! why did they ring out on this dark, dark 20night? oh do let's find blue pond farm-house as soon as ever we can, dick. i don't like being lost inthe dark like this, with bells ringing madly for nothing at all!'

'come on,' said dick. 'keep close to the hedge. as long as we follow that we must come tosomewhere. we won't wander out on to the moorland.'

he took anne's arm and the two of them kept close to the hedge. they came to another path at lastand followed it. that led to a lane, but not a sunken one this time - and then, oh wonderful sight, - notfar off they saw a light shining!

'that must be blue pond farm-house!' said dick, thankfully. 'come on, anne - not much farthernow!'

they came to a low stone wall and followed it till they came to a broken-down gate. it opened with asqueak, and anne stepped through - right into an enormous puddle!

'blow!' she said. 'now i'm wetter than ever! for a moment i thought i must have stepped into the bluepond!'

but it was only a puddle. they went round it and followed a muddy path to a little door set in a whitestone wall. dick thought it must be the back door. nearby was a window, and in it shone the lightthey had seen so thankfully.

an old woman sat near the light, her head bent over some sewing. the children could see her quiteclearly as they stood by the door.

dick looked for a bell or knocker but there was none. he knocked with his bare knuckles.

nobody answered. the door remained shut. they looked at the old woman by the lamp, and saw thatshe was still sewing.

'perhaps she's deaf,' said dick and he knocked again, much more loudly. still the old woman sewedon placidly. she must indeed be deaf!

'we'll never get in at this rate!' said dick, impatiently. he tried the handle of the door - it opened atonce!

'we'll just have to walk in and announce ourselves,' said dick, and he stepped on to the worn matinside the door. he was in a narrow little passage that led to a stone stairway, steep and narrow at thefarther end.

on his right was a door, a little ajar. it opened into the room where the old woman was sitting.

the two children could see a streak of light coming through the crack.

dick pushed the door open and walked boldly in, followed by anne. still the old woman didn't 21look up. she pushed her needle in and out of her sewing and seemed to hear and see nothing elsewhatsoever.

dick had to walk right up to her before she knew he was in the room. then she leapt up in such afright that her chair fell over with a bang.

'i'm sorry,' said dick, upset at frightening the old lady. 'we knocked but you didn't hear!'

she stared at them, her hand over her heart. 'you give me such a fright,' she said. 'where did youcome from, this dark night?'

dick picked up her chair, and she sat down in it, panting a little.

'we've been looking for this place,' said dick. 'blue pond farm-house, isn't it? we wondered if wecould stay the night here - and two others of us as well.'

the old woman pointed to her ears and shook her head. 'deaf as a post,' she said. 'no good talking tome, my dear. you've lost your way, i suppose?'

dick nodded.

'well, you can't stay here,' said the old woman. 'my son won't have no one here at all. you'd best begone before he comes. he have a nasty temper, he have.'

dick shook his head. then he pointed out to the dark rainy night, and then pointed to anne's wetshoes and clothes. the old woman knew what he meant.

'you've lost your way, you're wet and tired, and you don't want me to turn you out,' she said. 'butthere's my son, you see. he don't like strangers here.'

dick pointed to anne, and then to a sofa in a corner of the room. then he pointed to himself, andthen outside. again the old woman understood at once.

'you want me to give your sister shelter, but you'll go out into the night?' she said. dick nodded.

he thought he could easily find some shed or barn for himself. but anne really must be indoors.

'my son mustn't see either of you,' said the old woman, and she pulled anne to what the girl thoughtwas a cupboard. but when the door opened, she saw a very small, steep wooden staircase leadingupwards into the roof.

'you go up there,' said the old woman to anne. 'and don't you come down till i call you in themorning. i'll get into trouble if my son knows you're here.'

'go up, anne,' said dick, rather troubled. 'i don't know what you'll find there. if it's too bad, comedown. see if there's a window or something you can call out from, and then i'll know if you're allright.'

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'yes,' said anne, in rather a trembling voice and she went up the steep, dirty wooden stairs. they ledstraight into a little loft. there was a mattress there, fairly clean, and a chair. a rug was folded up onthe chair and a jug of water stood on a shelf. otherwise the room was bare.

a tiny window opened out of one side. anne went to it and called out. 'dick! are you there?

dick!'

'yes, i'm here,' said dick. 'what's it like, anne? is it all right? listen, i'll find somewhere nearby toshelter in - and you can always call me if you want me!'