chapter 11 julian's idea

once outside the farm-house julian looked round at the others. 'we'll find out how far two-trees isand see if we've got time to pay it a visit,' he said. 'if we have, we'll go along there and snoop round.

if we haven't we'll go tomorrow.'

'how can we find out how far it is?' said dick eagerly. 'will it be on your map?'

'it may be marked there if the lake is big enough,' said julian. they walked down the hill, and took apath that led once more over the moors. as soon as they were out of sight and hearing of anyonejulian stopped and took out his big map. he unfolded it and the four of them crouched over it as hespread it out on the heather.

'that nice old lady said it was in the middle of the moors,' said julian. 'also we know there's a lake orat any rate a big pool of some kind.'

his finger traced its way here and there on the map. then george gave a cry and dabbed her fingerdown.

'there, look! it's not really in the middle. see - gloomy water! that must be it. is two- treesmarked as well?'

'no,' said julian. 'but perhaps it wouldn't be if it's in ruins. ruins aren't marked on maps unless theyare important in some way. this can't be important. well - that's certainly gloomy water markedthere. what do you say? shall we have a shot at going there this afternoon? i wonder exactly how farit is.'

'we could ask at the post-office,' said george. 'probably once upon a time the postman had to takeletters there. they might know. they could tell us the way to go.'

they went back to the village and found the post-office. it was part of the village store. the old manwho kept it looked over the top of his glasses at the children.

'gloomy water! now what be you wanting that for? a real miserable place it is, for all it was so 44fine years ago.'

'what happened to it?' asked dick.

'it was burnt,' said the old man. 'the owner was away, and only a couple of servants were there.

it flared up one night, no one knows how or why - and was burnt almost to a shell. couldn't get a fire-engine out there, you see. there was only a cart-track to the place.'

'and wasn't it ever built up again?' asked julian. the old man shook his head.

'no. it wasn't worth it. the owner just let it fall to rack and ruin. the jackdaws and the owls nestthere now, and the wild animals snuggle in the ruins. it's a queer place. i once went out to see it,hearing tales of lights being seen there. but there was nothing to see but the shell of the place, and thedark blue water. ah, gloomy water's a good name for that lake!'

'could you tell us the way? and how long would it take us to get there?' asked julian.

'what for do you want to go and gaze at a poor old ruin?' said the old man. 'or do you want to bathein the lake? well, don't you do so - it's freezing cold!'

'we just thought we'd go and see gloomy water,' said julian. 'such a strange name. which is theway, did you say?'

'i didn't say,' said the old fellow. 'but i will if so be you're set on it. where's your map? is that one inyour hand?'

julian spread it out. the old fellow took a pen from his waistcoat pocket and began to trace a pathover the moor. he put crosses here and there.

'see them crosses? they mark marshland. don't go treading there, or you'll be up to your knees inmuddy water! you follow these paths i've inked in for you and you'll be all right. keep your eyesopen for deer - there's plenty about those parts, and pretty things they are too.'

'thank you very much,' said julian, folding up the map. 'how long would it take us to get there fromhere?'

'matter of two hours or more,' said the old man. 'don't you try to go this afternoon. you'll findyourselves in darkness coming back, and with them dangerous marshy bits you're in danger all thetime!'

'right,' said julian. 'thanks very much. er - we're thinking of doing a bit of camping, as the weatheris so beautiful. i suppose you couldn't hire us a groundsheet or two and a few rugs?'

the other three stared at him in astonishment. camping out? where? why? what was julian thinkingof all of a sudden?

45

julian winked at them. the old man was ferreting about in a cupboard. he pulled out two largerubber ground-sheets and four old rugs. 'thought i had them somewhere!' he said. 'well, better youcamping out in october than me! be careful you don't catch your deaths of cold!'

'oh thanks - just what we want,' said julian, pleased. 'roll them up, you others. i'll settle up for them.'

dick, anne and george folded up the ground-sheets and the rugs in astonishment. surely - surelyjulian wasn't thinking of camping out by gloomy water? he must think the message that dick hadbeen given was very important!

'julian!' said dick, as soon as they got outside. 'what's up? what's all this for?'

julian looked a little sheepish. 'well - something suddenly came over me in the store,' he said. 'isuddenly felt we ought to go to gloomy water and snoop round. i felt excited somehow. and aswe've got so little time this week-end i thought if we took things and camped out in the ruin we mightmake more of our few days.'

'what an idea!' said george. 'not go on with our hiking, do you mean?'

'well,' said julian. 'if we find nothing, we can go on with our hike, of course. but if there's anythinginteresting, it's up to us to unearth it. i'm quite sure there's something up at two-trees.'

'we might meet maggie there!' said anne, with a giggle.

'we might!' said julian. 'i feel quite free to go and investigate on our own seeing that we've made ourreport to the police, and it's been turned down with scorn. somebody ought to follow up that message- besides maggie!'

'dear maggie,' said dick. 'i wonder who in the wide world she is!'

'somebody worth watching if she's the friend of convicts,' said julian, more soberly. 'look, this iswhat i thought we'd do - buy some extra food, and go along to gloomy water this afternoon, arrivingthere before dark. we'll find a good place to shelter in - there must be some good spot in the old ruin -and get heather or bracken for beds. then tomorrow we can be up bright and early to have a lookround.'

'it sounds smashing,' said dick, pleased. 'sort of thing we like. what do you say, tim?' 'woof,'

said tim, solemnly, bumping his tail to and fro across dick's legs.

'and if we find there's absolutely nothing of interest, well, we can come back here with the thingswe've borrowed, and go on with our hike,' said julian. 'but we'll have to sleep the night there becauseit will be dark by the time we've had a look round.'

46

they bought some loaves of bread, some butter and potted meat, and a big fruit cake. also somemore chocolate and some biscuits. julian bought a bottle of orangeade as well.

'there's sure to be a well,' he said. 'or a spring of some sort. we can dilute the orangeade and drink itwhen we're thirsty. now i think we're ready. come on!'

they couldn't go as fast as usual because they were carrying so many things. timmy was the onlyone that ran as fast as ever - but then timmy carried nothing but himself!

it was a really lovely walk over the moorlands. they climbed fairly high and had wonderful views allover the autumn country-side. they saw wild ponies again, in the distance this time, and a little herdof dappled deer, that sped away immediately.

julian was very careful to take the right paths - the ones traced so carefully on the map by the oldman in the post-office. 'i expect he knew the way well because he was once a postman and had to takeletters to two-trees!' said dick, bending over the map. 'we're getting on, ju - halfway there!'

the sun began to sink low. the children hurried as much as they could because once the sun hadgone darkness would soon come. fortunately the sky was very clear, so twilight would be later than ithad been the night before.

'it looks as if the moorland near here gives way soon to a little bit of wooded country, according tothe map,' said julian. 'we'll look out for clumps of trees.'

after another little stretch of moorland julian pointed to the right. 'look!' he said. 'trees! quite a lot -a proper little wood.'

'and isn't that water over there?' said anne. they stood still and gazed hard. was it gloomy water?

it might be. it looked such a dark blue. they hurried on eagerly. it didn't look very far now. timmyran ahead, his long tail waving in the air.

they went down a little winding path and joined a cart-track that was very much overgrown - soovergrown that it hardly looked like a track. 'this must lead to two- trees,' said julian. 'i wish thesun wasn't going down so quickly. we'll hardly have any time to look round!'

they entered a wood. the track wound through it. the trees must have been cleared at some time tomake a road through the wood. and then, quite suddenly, they came on what had once been thelovely house of two-trees.

it was a desolate ruin, blackened and scorched with fire. the windows had no glass, the roof hadgone, except for a few rafters here and there. two birds flew up with a loud cry as the children 47went near.

'two maggies!' said anne, with a laugh. they were black and white magpies, their long tailsstretched out behind them. 'i wonder if they know the message too.'

the house stood on the edge of the lake. gloomy water was indeed a good name for it. it lay there,smooth and dark, a curious deep blue. no little waves lapped the edge. it was as still as if it werefrozen.

'i don't like it,' said anne. 'i don't like this place at all! i wish we hadn't come!'