"What shall we do?" whispered George.They had all tiptoed to the first room, and were standing together,listening."We'd better go down the Secret Way again," said Julian."Oh no, we . . ." began George, when she heard the handle of the doorbeing turned. Whoever was trying to get in, could not open the door.There was an angry exclamation, and then the children heard Mr. Wilton'svoice. "Thomas! My door seems to have stuck. Do you mind if I comethrough your bedroom and see what's the matter with this handle?""Come right along!" came the voice of Mr. Thomas. There was the sound offootsteps going to the outer door of the second room. Then there was thenoise of a handle being turned and shaken."What's this!" said Mr. Wilton, in exasperation. "This won't open,either. Can the doors be locked?""It looks like it!" said Mr. Thomas.There was a pause. Then the children distinctly heard a few wordsuttered in a low voice. "Are the papers safe? Is anyone after them?""They're in your room, aren't they?" said Mr. Thomas. There was anotherpause. The children looked at one another. So the men _had_ got thepapers—and what was more, they _were_ in the room! The very room thechildren stood in! They looked round it eagerly, racking their brains tothink of some place they had not yet explored."Quick! Hunt round again whilst we've time," whispered Julian. "Don'tmake a noise."On tiptoe the children began a thorough hunt once more. How theysearched! They even opened the pages of the books on the table, thinkingthat the papers might have been slipped in there. But they could findnothing."Hie, Mrs. Sanders!" came Mr. Wilton's voice. "Have you by any chancelocked these two doors? We can't get in!""Dear me!" said the voice of Mrs. Sanders from the stairs. "I'll comealong and see. I certainly haven't locked any doors!"Once again the handles were turned, but the doors would not open. Themen began to get very impatient."Do you suppose anyone is in our rooms?" Mr. Wilton asked Mrs. Sanders.She laughed."Well now, sir, who would be in your rooms? There's only me and Mr.Sanders in the house, and you know as well as I do that no one can comein from outside, for we're quite snowed up. I don't understand it—thelocks of the doors must have slipped."Anne was lifting up the wash-stand jug to look underneath, at thatmoment. It was heavier than she thought, and she had to let it downagain suddenly. It struck the marble wash-stand with a crash, and waterslopped out all over the place!Everyone outside the door heard the noise. Mr. Wilton banged on the doorand rattled the handle."Who's there? Let us in or you'll be sorry! What are you doing inthere?""Idiot, Anne!" said Dick. "Now they'll break the door down!"That was exactly what the two men intended to do! Afraid that someonewas mysteriously in their room, trying to find the stolen papers, theywent quite mad, and began to put their shoulders to the door, and heavehard. The door shook and creaked."Now you be careful what you're doing!" cried the indignant voice ofMrs. Sanders. The men took no notice. There came a crash as they bothtried out their double strength on the door."Quick! We must go!" said Julian. "We mustn't let the men know how wegot here, or we shan't be able to come and hunt another time. Anne,George, Dick—get back to the cupboard quickly!"The children raced for the clothes cupboard. "I'll go first and help youdown," said Julian. He got out on to the narrow ledge and found the ironfoot-holds with his feet. Down he went, torch held between his teeth asusual."Anne, come next," he called, "and Dick, you come third, and give a handto Anne if she wants it. George is a good climber—she can easily getdown herself."Anne was slow at climbing down. She was terribly excited, ratherfrightened, and so afraid of falling that she hardly dared to feel foreach iron staple as she went down."Buck up, Anne!" whispered Dick, above her. "The men have almost got thedoor down!"There were tremendous sounds coming from the bedroom door. At any momentnow it might break down, and the men would come racing in. Dick wasthankful when he could begin to climb down the wall! Once they were allout, George could shut the big oak door, and they would be safe.George was hidden among the clothes in the cupboard, waiting her turn toclimb down. As she stood there, trying in vain to go over any likelyhiding-place in her mind, her hands felt something rustly in the pocketof a coat she was standing against. It was a mackintosh coat, with bigpockets. The little girl's heart gave a leap.Suppose the papers had been left in the pocket of the coat the man hadon when he took them from Mr. Roland? That was the only place thechildren had not searched—the pockets of the coats in the cupboard!With trembling fingers the girl felt in the pocket where the rustlingwas.She drew out a sheaf of papers! It was dark in the cupboard, and shecould not see if they were the ones she was hunting for, or not—but howshe hoped they were! She stuffed them up the front of her jersey, forshe had no big pocket, and whispered to Dick:"Can I come now?"CRASH! The door fell in with a terrific noise, and the two men leaptinto the room. They looked round. It was empty! But there was the waterspilt on the wash-stand and on the floor. Someone must be theresomewhere!"Look in the cupboard!" said Mr. Thomas.George crept out of the clothes and on to the narrow ledge, beyond theplace where the false back of the cupboard used to be. It was stillhidden sideways in the wall. The girl climbed down the hole a few stepsand then shut the oak door which was now above her head. She had notenough strength to close it completely, but she hoped that now she wassafe!The men went to the cupboard and felt about in the clothes for anyonewho might possibly be hiding there. Mr. Wilton gave a loud cry."The papers are gone! They were in this pocket! There's not a sign ofthem. Quick, Thomas, we must find the thief and get them back!"The men did not notice that the cupboard seemed to go farther back thanusual. They stepped away from it now that they were sure no one wasthere, and began to hunt round the room.By now all the children except George were at the bottom of the hole,standing in the Secret Way, waiting impatiently for George to come down.Poor George was in such a hurry to get down that she caught her skirt onone of the staples, and had to stand in a very dangerous position tryingto disentangle it."Come on, George, for goodness sake!" said Julian.Timothy jumped up at the wall. He could feel the fear and excitement ofthe waiting children, and it upset him. He wanted George. Why didn't shecome? Why was she up that dark hole? Tim was unhappy about her.He threw back his head and gave such a loud and mournful howl that allthe children jumped violently."Shut up, Tim!" said Julian.Tim howled again, and the weird sound echoed round and about in a queermanner. Anne was terrified, and she began to cry. Timothy howled againand again. Once he began to howl it was difficult to stop him.The men in the bedroom above heard the extraordinary noise, and stoppedin amazement."Whatever's that?" said one."Sounds like a dog howling in the depths of the earth," said the other."Funny!" said Mr. Wilton. "It seems to be coming from the direction ofthat cupboard."He went over to it and opened the door. Tim chose that moment to give aspecially mournful howl, and Mr. Wilton jumped. He got into the cupboardand felt about at the back. The oak door there gave way beneath hishand, and he felt it open."Thomas! There's something queer here," called Mr. Wilton. "Bring mytorch off the table."Tim howled again and the noise made Mr. Wilton shiver! Tim had apeculiarly horrible howl. It came echoing up the hole, and burst outinto the cupboard.Mr. Thomas got the torch. The men shone it at the back of the cupboard,and gave an exclamation."Look at that! There's a door here! Where does it lead to?"Mrs. Sanders, who had been watching everything in surprise andindignation, angry that her door should have been broken down, came upto the cupboard."My!" she said. "I knew there was a false back to that cupboard—but Ididn't know there was another door behind it too! That must be theentrance to the Secret Way that people used in the old days.""Where does it lead to?" rapped out Mr. Wilton."Goodness knows!" said Mrs. Sanders. "I never took much interest in suchthings.""Come on, Thomas—we must go down," said Mr. Wilton, shining his torchinto the square black hole, and seeing the iron foot-holds set in thestone. "This is where the thief went. He can't have got far. We'll goafter him. We've got to get those papers back!"It was not long before the two men had swung themselves over the narrowledge and down into the hole, feeling with their feet for the ironstaples. Down they went and down, wondering where they were coming to.There was no sound below them. Clearly the thief had got away!George had got down at last. Tim almost knocked her over in his joy. Sheput her hand on his head. "You old silly!" she said. "I believe you'vegiven our secret away! Quick, Ju—we must go, because those men will beafter us in a minute. They could easily hear Tim's howling!"Julian took Anne's hand. "Come along, Anne," he said. "You must run asfast as you can. Hurry now! Dick, keep with George."The four of them hurried down the dark, narrow passage. What a long waythey had to go home! If only the passage wasn't such a long one! Thechildren's hearts were beating painfully as they made haste, stumblingas they went.Julian shone his light steadily in front of him, and Dick shone his atthe back. Half-leading, half-dragging Anne, Julian hurried along. Behindthem they heard a shout."Look! There's a light ahead! That's the thief! Come on, we'll soon gethim!"
