chapter 6 in the middle of the night

'it's not bad,' said anne. 'there's a fairly clean mattress and a rug. i'll be all right. but what about ifthe others come, dick? will you look out for them? i almost think george will have to sleep in a barnwith you and julian if she comes. that old woman won't let anyone else in, i'm sure!'

'i'll look out for them and arrange something,' said dick. 'you eat the rest of your sandwiches andyour cake, and see if you can dry your wet feet and make yourself really comfortable.

there's a shed or something out here. i shall be quite all right. yell for me if you want me.'

anne went back into the room. she felt wet and tired, hungry and thirsty. she ate all her food, andhad a drink from the jug. then she felt sleepy and lay down on the mattress, throwing the rug overher. she meant to listen for the others to come, but she was too tired. she fell fast asleep!

dick was prowling about down below. he was careful because he didn't want to run into the oldwoman's son. he didn't like the sound of him somehow! he came to a small barn with piles of strawin one corner. he flashed his torch cautiously round.

'this will do for me,' he thought. 'i can be quite comfortable here in that straw. poor anne! i wish oldgeorge was with her. i'd better wait about and watch for the other two, or i'll fall asleep and missthem, once i bed down in that straw! it's only about six o'clock too - but we've had a long day. iwonder how timmy is. i wish he was here!'

dick thought that probably george and julian would come in through the same gate as he and annehad used. he found a broken-down shed near the gate and sat down on a box there, waiting 23for them to come.

he ate his sandwiches while he waited. they were very comforting! he ate every one and then thecake. he yawned. he felt very sleepy indeed, and his feet were wet and tired.

no one arrived at all - not even the old woman's son. she could still be seen sewing under the lamp.

but after about two hours, when it was almost eight o'clock, and dick was beginning to be veryworried about george and julian, the old woman got up and put away her work-basket.

she disappeared out of dick's sight, and didn't come back. but the light was still there, shining out ofthe window. left for her son, probably, thought dick.

he tiptoed to the window. the rain had stopped now and the night was much clearer. the stars wereout and a moon was coming up. dick's spirits rose.

he peered in at the lighted room. then he saw the old woman lying on a broken-down sofa in acorner. a blanket was pulled right up to her chin and she seemed to be asleep. dick went back to hisshed, but now he felt there was no use in watching for george and julian. they must have lost theirway completely! or else mr. gaston, or whatever his name was, must have had to do something totimmy's leg, and julian had decided to stay at the inn in beacons village for the night.

he yawned again. 'i'm too sleepy to watch any more,' he decided. 'i shall fall off this box with sleep ifi don't go and lie down in that straw. anyway i think i'd hear if the others came.'

using his torch cautiously again, he made his way to the barn. he shut the door behind him andbolted it roughly from the inside by running a stick through two hasps. he didn't know why he didthat - perhaps because he was still thinking of the old woman's bad-tempered son!

he flung himself down on the straw, and immediately fell asleep. outside the sky became clearer andclearer. the moon came up, not fully, but large enough to give some light. it shone down on thedesolate little stone house and ill-kept out buildings.

dick slept soundly. he lay in the soft straw and dreamed of timmy and george and blue ponds andbells. especially bells.

he awoke suddenly, and lay for a moment wondering where he was. what was this prickly stuffround him? then he remembered - of course, it was straw and he was in a barn! he was about tocuddle down again when he heard a noise.

it was only a small noise - a scratching on the wooden walls of the barn perhaps. dick sat up.

were there rats there? he hoped not!

24

he listened. the scratching seemed to come from outside the barn, not inside. then it stopped.

after an interval it began again. then there came a gentle tapping at the broken window just abovedick's head.

he felt very startled. rats scratched and scrabbled about - but they didn't tap on windows. who wastapping so very very cautiously on the little window? he held his breath and listened, straining hisears.

and then he heard a voice - a hoarse whisper. 'dick! dick!'

dick was amazed. could it be julian? if so, how in the world did he know that he, dick, was in thebarn? he sat listening, stiff with surprise.

the tapping came again, and then the voice, a little louder. 'dick! i know you're there. i saw you goin. come here to the window - quiet, now!'

dick didn't know the voice. it wasn't julian's, and it certainly wasn't either george's or anne's.

then how did the owner know his name and that he was there? it was astounding. dick didn't knowwhat to do!

'buck up!' said the voice. 'i've got to go in half a tick. i've got that message for you.'

dick decided to go nearer to the window. he was quite certain that he didn't want whoever it wasoutside to come into the barn. he cautiously knelt up in the straw and spoke just underneath thewindow.

'i'm here,' he said, trying to make his voice deep and grown-up.

'you've been long enough coming,' grumbled the one outside, and then dick saw him through thewindow - just a face, dim and wild-eyed, with a round bullet-like head. he crouched back, thankfulthat the face couldn't see him in the darkness of the barn.

'here's the message from nailer,' said the voice. 'two-trees. gloomy water. saucy jane. and hesays maggie knows. he sent you this. maggie's got one too.'

a bit of paper fluttered in at the broken pane. dick picked it up in a daze. what was all this? was hedreaming?

the voice came again, insistent and urgent. 'you heard all that, dick? two-trees. gloomy water.

saucy jane. and maggie knows too. now i'm going.'

there came the sound of someone cautiously creeping round the barn - and then there was silence.

dick sat amazed and bewildered. who was this wild-eyed fellow, who called him by his name in themiddle of the night and gave him extraordinary messages that meant nothing at all to 25a sleepy boy? but dick was wide awake now. he stood up and looked out of the window. there wasnothing and no one to be seen except the lonely house and the sky.

dick sat down again and thought. he put his torch on cautiously and looked at the piece of paper hehad picked up. it was a dirty half sheet, with pencil marks on it that meant nothing to dick at all.

words were printed here and there, but they were all nonsense to him. he simply couldn't make heador tail of his visitor, his message or the bit of paper!

'i'm sure i must be dreaming,' thought dick, and put the paper into his pocket. he lay back in hisstraw, cuddling in deep, because he had got cold by the window. he lay and thought for a while,puzzling over the curious happenings, and then he felt his eyes closing.

but before he was quite asleep, he heard cautious footsteps again! was that fellow back once more?

this time someone tried the door - but the wooden stick was in the hasps. whoever it was outsideshook the door and the stick fell out at once. the man shook the door again as if thinking it had stuck,and then opened it. he came inside and shut the door behind him.

dick caught a quick glimpse of him. no - this wasn't the same man as before. this was a man with ahead of thick hair, dick hoped and prayed that he wouldn't come over to the straw.

he didn't. he sat down on a sack and waited. he talked to himself after a while, but dick could onlymake out a word or two.

'what's happened?' he heard. 'how much longer do i wait?' then there was a mumble and dick couldnot catch a word.

'wait, wait - that's all i do,' muttered the man, and he stood up and stretched himself. then he went tothe door and looked out. he came back and sat down on the sack again.

he sat still and quiet then, and dick found his eyes closing once more. was this part of a dream too?

he didn’t have time to think it out because he was suddenly in a real dream, walking along ringingbells and seeing trees in twos everywhere round him!

he slept heavily all night long. when morning came he awoke suddenly and sat up. he was alone inthe barn. where had the second visitor gone? or could it all have been a dream?