FIVE ON A HIKE TOGETHER by Enid Blyton

13 A NIGHT IN THE CELLAR

The piece of paper was carefully folded and this time Julian took it for safe keeping. "I can't imagine what it means, but it's clearly important," he said. "We may quite suddenly come on something - or think of something - that will give us a clue to what the words and the lines mean on the paper."

"We mustn't forget that dear Maggie has a copy of the paper too," said Dick. "She probably knows better than we do what it all means!"

"If she does, she will pay a visit to Two-Trees too," said Anne "We ought to keep a look-out for her. Should we have to hide if we saw her?"

Julian considered this. "No," he said, "I certainly don't think we should hide. Maggie can't possibly guess that we have had the message from Nailer, and the paper too, We had better just say we are on a hike and found this place and thought we would shelter here. All perfectly true."

"And we can keep an eye on her, and see what she does if she comes!" said Dick, with a grin. "Won't she be annoyed!"

"She wouldn't come alone," said Julian, thoughtfully.

"I should think it quite likely that she would come with Dirty Dick! He didn't get the message, but she did - and probably part of her message was the statement that Dirty Dick would know everything too. So she would get in touch with him."

"Yes - and be surprised that he hadn't got the message or the paper," said George, "Still, they'd think that the escaped fellow hadn't been able to get to Dirty Dick."

"All very complicated," said Anne, yawning. "I can't follow any more arguments and explanations - I'm half asleep. How long are you going to be before you settle down?"

Dick yawned too. "I'm coming now," he said. "My bed of bracken and heather looks inviting. It's not at all cold in here, is it?"

"The only thing I don't like is the thought of those cellars beyond this little underground room," said Anne. "I keep thinking that Maggie and her friends might be there, waiting to pounce on us when we are asleep.",

"You're silly," said George, scornfully. "Really silly! Do you honestly suppose that Timmy would lie here quietly if there was anyone in those cellars? You know jolly well he would be barking his head off!"

"Yes. I know all that," said Anne, snuggling down in her heathery bed. "It's just my imagination. You haven't got any, George, so you don't bother about imaginary fears. I'm not really scared while Timmy is here. But I do think it's funny the way we always plunge into something peculiar when we're together."

"Adventures always do come to some people," said Dick. "You've only got to read the lives of explorers and see how they simply walk into adventures all the time."

"Yes, but I'm not an explorer," said Anne. "I'm an ordinary person, and I'd be just as pleased if things didn't keep happening to me."

The others laughed, "I don't expect anything much will happen this time," said Julian, comfortingly. "We go back to school on Tuesday and that's not far off. Not much time for anything to happen!"

He was wrong of course. Things can happen one after the other in a few minutes! Still, Anne cuddled down feeling happier. This was better than last night when she was all alone in that horrid little loft. Now she had all the others with her, Timmy too.

Anne and George had one big bed between them. They drew their two rugs over themselves, and put their blazers on top too. Nobody had undressed because Julian had said that they might be too cold in just their night things.

Timmy as usual put himself on George's feet, She moved them because he was heavy. He wormed his way up the bed and found a very comfortable place between the knees of the two girls. He gave a heavy sigh.