"Hurry, Anne, do hurry!" shouted Dick, who was just behind.Poor Anne was finding it very difficult to get along quickly. Pulled byJulian and pushed by Dick, she almost fell two or three times. Herbreath came in loud pants, and she felt as if she would burst."Let me have a rest!" she panted. But there was no time for that, withthe two men hurrying after them! They came to the piece that was widenedout, where the rocky bench was, and Anne looked longingly at it. But theboys hurried her on.Suddenly the little girl caught her foot on a stone and fell heavily,almost dragging Julian down with her. She tried to get up, and began tocry."I've hurt my foot! I've twisted it! Oh, Julian, it hurts me to walk.""Well, you've just _got_ to come along, darling," said Julian, sorry forhis little sister, but knowing that they would all be caught if he wasnot firm. "Hurry as much as you can."But now it was impossible for Anne to go fast. She cried with pain asher foot hurt her, and hobbled along so slowly that Dick almost fellover her. Dick cast a look behind him and saw the light of the men'storches coming nearer and nearer. Whatever were they to do?"I'll stay here with Tim and keep them off," said George, suddenly."Here, take these papers, Dick! I believe they're the ones we want, butI'm not sure till we get a good light to see them. I found them in apocket of one of the coats in the cupboard.""Golly!" said Dick, surprised. He took the sheaf of papers and stuffedthem up his jersey, just as George had stuffed them up hers. They weretoo big to go into his trousers pockets. "I'll stay with you, George,and let the other two go on ahead.""No. I want the papers taken to safety, in case they are my father's,"said George. "Go on, Dick! I'll be all right here with Tim. I shall stayhere just where the passage curves round this rocky bit. I'll make Timbark like mad.""Suppose the men have got revolvers?" said Dick, doubtfully. "They mightshoot him.""I bet they haven't," said George. "_Do_ go, Dick! The men are almosthere. There's the light of their torch."Dick sped after the stumbling Anne. He told Julian what George hadsuggested. "Good for George!" said Julian. "She really ismarvellous—not afraid of anything! She will keep the men off till I getpoor old Anne back."George was crouching behind the rocky bit, her hand on Tim's collar,waiting. "Now, Tim!" she whispered. "Bark your loudest. Now!"Timothy had been growling up till now, but at George's command he openedhis big mouth and barked. How he barked! He had a simply enormous voice,and the barks went echoing all down the dark and narrow passage. Thehurrying men, who were near the rocky piece of the passage, stopped."If you come round this bend, I'll set my dog on you!" cried George."It's a child shouting," said one man to another. "Only a child! Comeon!"Timothy barked again, and pulled at his collar. He was longing to get atthe men. The light of their torch shone round the bend. George let Timgo, and the big dog sprang joyfully round the curve to meet his enemies.They suddenly saw him by the light of their torch, and he was a veryterrifying sight! To begin with, he was a big dog, and now that he wasangry all the hairs on the back of his neck had risen up, making himlook even more enormous. His teeth were bared and glinted in thetorch-light.The men did not like the look of him at all. "If you move one stepnearer I'll tell my dog to fly at you!" shouted George. "Wait, Tim,wait! Stand there till I give the word."The dog stood in the light of the torch, growling deeply. He looked anextremely fierce animal. The men looked at him doubtfully. One man tooka step forward and George heard him. At once she shouted to Tim."Go for him, Tim, go for him!"Tim leapt at the man's throat. He took him completely by surprise andthe man fell to the ground with a thud, trying to beat off the dog. Theother man helped."Call off your dog or we'll hurt him!" cried the second man."It's much more likely he'll hurt _you_!" said George, coming out frombehind the rock and enjoying the fun. "Tim, come off."Tim came away from the man he was worrying, looking up at his mistressas if to say "I was having _such_ a good time! Why did you spoil it?""Who are you?" said the man on the ground."I'm not answering any of your questions," said George. "Go back toKirrin Farm-house, that's my advice to you. If you dare to come alongthis passage I'll set my dog on to you again—and next time he'll do alittle more damage."The men turned and went back the way they had come. They neither of themwanted to face Tim again. George waited until she could no longer seethe light of their torch, then she bent down and patted Timothy."Brave, good dog!" she said. "I love you, darling Tim, and you don'tknow how proud I am of you! Come along—we'll hurry after the othersnow. I expect those two men will explore this passage some timeto-night, and won't they get a shock when they find out where it leadsto, and see who is waiting for them!"George hurried along the rest of the long passage, with Tim runningbeside her. She had Dick's torch, and it did not take her long to catchthe others up. She panted out to them what had happened, and even poorAnne chuckled in delight when she heard how Tim had flung Mr. Wilton tothe ground."Here we are," said Julian, as the passage came to a stop below the holein the study floor. "Hallo—what's this?"A bright light was shining down the hole, and the rug and carpet, socarefully pulled over the hole by Julian, were now pulled back again.The children gazed up in surprise.Uncle Quentin was there, and Aunt Fanny, and when they saw thechildren's faces looking up at them from the hole, they were soastonished that they very nearly fell down the hole too!"Julian! Anne! What in the wide world are you doing down there?" criedUncle Quentin. He gave them each a hand up, and the four children andTimothy were at last safe in the warm study. How good it was to feelwarm again! They got as near the fire as they could."Children—what _is_ the meaning of this?" asked Aunt Fanny. She lookedwhite and worried. "I came into the study to do some dusting, and when Istood on that bit of the rug, it seemed to give way beneath me. When Ipulled it up and turned back the carpet, I saw that hole—and the holein the panelling too! And then I found that all of you had disappeared,and went to fetch your uncle. What _has_ been happening—and where doesthat hole lead to?"Dick took the sheaf of papers from under his jersey and gave them toGeorge. She took them and handed them to her father. "Are these themissing pages?" she asked.Her father fell on them as if they had been worth more than a hundredtimes their weight in gold. "Yes! Yes! They're the pages—all three ofthem! Thank goodness they're back. They took me three years to bring toperfection, and contained the heart of my secret formula. George, wheredid you get them?""It's a very long story," said George. "You tell it all, Julian, I feeltired."Julian began to tell the tale. He left out nothing. He told how Georgehad found Mr. Roland snooping about the study—how she had felt surethat the tutor had not wanted Timmy in the house because the dog gavewarning of his movements at night—how George had seen him talking tothe two artists, although he had said he did not know them. As the talewent on, Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny looked more and more amazed. Theysimply could not believe it all.But after all, there were the missing papers, safely back. That wasmarvellous. Uncle Quentin hugged the papers as if they were a preciousbaby. He would not put them down for a moment.George told the bit about Timmy keeping the men off the escapingchildren. "So you see, although you made poor Tim live out in the cold,away from me, he really saved us all, and your papers too," she said toher father, fixing her brilliant blue eyes on him.Her father looked most uncomfortable. He felt very guilty for havingpunished George and Timothy. They had been right about Mr. Roland and hehad been wrong."Poor George," he said, "and poor Timmy. I'm sorry about all that."George did not bear malice once anyone had owned themselves to be in thewrong. She smiled at her father."It's all right," she said. "But don't you think that as I was punishedunfairly, Mr. Roland might be punished well and truly? He deserves it!""Oh, he shall be, certainly he shall be," promised her father. "He's upin bed with a cold, as you know. I hope he doesn't hear any of this, orhe may try to escape.""He can't," said George. "We're snowed up. You could ring up the police,and arrange for them to come here as soon as ever they can manage it,when the snow has cleared. And I rather think those other two men willtry to explore the secret way as soon as possible, to get the papersback. Could we catch them when they arrive, do you think?""Rather!" said Uncle Quentin, though Aunt Fanny looked as if she didn'twant any more exciting things to happen! "Now look here, you seem reallyfrozen all of you, and you must be hungry too, because it's almostdinner-time. Go into the dining-room and sit by the fire, and Joannashall bring us all a hot lunch. Then we'll talk about what to do."Nobody said a word to Mr. Roland, of course. He lay in bed, coughing nowand then. George had slipped up and locked his door. She wasn't going tohave him wandering out and overhearing anything!They all enjoyed their hot dinner, and became warm and cosy. It was niceto sit there together, talking over their adventure, and planning whatto do."I will telephone to the police, of course," said Uncle Quentin. "Andto-night we will put Timmy into the study to give the two artists a goodwelcome if they arrive!"Mr. Roland was most annoyed to find his door locked that afternoon whenhe took it into his head to dress and go downstairs. He banged on itindignantly. George grinned and went upstairs. She had told the otherchildren how she had locked the door."What's the matter, Mr. Roland?" she asked, in a polite voice."Oh, it's you, George, is it?" said the tutor. "Well, see what's thematter with my door, will you? I can't open it."George had pocketed the key when she had locked the door. She answeredMr. Roland in a cheerful voice."Oh Mr. Roland, there's no key in your door, so I can't unlock it. I'llsee if I can find it!"Mr. Roland was angry and puzzled. He couldn't understand why his doorwas locked and the key gone. He did not guess that everyone knew abouthim now. Uncle Quentin laughed when George went down and told him aboutthe locked door."He may as well be kept a prisoner," he said. "He can't escape now."That night, everyone went to bed early, and Timmy was left in the study,guarding the hole. Mr. Roland had become more and more angry and puzzledwhen his door was not unlocked. He had shouted for Uncle Quentin, butonly George had come. He could not understand it. George, of course, wasenjoying herself. She made Timmy bark outside Mr. Roland's door, andthis puzzled him too, for he knew that George was not supposed to seeTimmy for three days. Wild thoughts raced through his head. Had thatfierce, impossible child locked up her father and mother and Joanna, aswell as himself? He could not imagine what had happened.In the middle of the night Timmy awoke everyone by barking madly. UncleQuentin and the children hurried downstairs, followed by Aunt Fanny, andthe amazed Joanna. A fine sight met their eyes!Mr. Wilton and Mr. Thomas were in the study crouching behind the sofa,terrified of Timothy, who was barking for all he was worth! Timmy wasstanding by the hole in the stone floor, so that the two men could notescape down there. Artful Timmy! He had waited in silence until the menhad crept up the hole into the study, and were exploring it, wonderingwhere they were—and then the dog had leapt to the hole to guard it,preventing the men from escaping."Good evening, Mr. Wilton, good evening, Mr. Thomas," said George, in apolite voice. "Have you come to see our tutor, Mr. Roland?""So this is where he lives!" said Mr. Wilton. "Was it you in the passageto-day?""Yes—and my cousins," said George. "Have you come to look for thepapers you stole from my father?"The two men were silent. They knew they were caught. Mr. Wilton spokeafter a moment."Where's Roland?""Shall we take these men to Mr. Roland, Uncle?" asked Julian, winking atGeorge. "Although it's the middle of the night I'm sure he would love tosee them.""Yes," said his uncle, jumping at once to what the boy meant to do."Take them up. Timmy, you go too."The men followed Julian upstairs, Timmy close at their heels. Georgefollowed too, grinning. She handed Julian the key. He unlocked the doorand the men went in, just as Julian switched on the light. Mr. Rolandwas awake and gave an exclamation of complete amazement when he saw hisfriends.Before they had time to say a word Julian locked the door again andthrew the key to George."A nice little bag of prisoners," he said. "We will leave old Timoutside the door to guard them. It's impossible to get out of thatwindow, and anyway, we're snowed up if they could escape that way."Everyone went to bed again, but the children found it difficult to sleepafter such an exciting time. Anne and George whispered together and sodid Julian and Dick. There was such a lot to talk about.Next day there was a surprise for everyone. The police did arrive afterall! The snow did not stop them, for somewhere or other they had gotskis and had come skimming along valiantly to see the prisoners! It wasa great excitement for everyone."We won't take the men away, sir, till the snow has gone," said theInspector. "We'll just put the handcuffs on them, so that they don't tryany funny tricks. You keep the door locked too, and that dog outside.They'll be safe there for a day or two. We've taken them enough foodtill we come back again. If they go a bit short, it will serve themright!"The snow melted two days later, and the police took away Mr. Roland andthe others. The children watched them go."No more lessons _these_ holls!" said Anne gleefully."No more shutting Timothy out of the house," said George."You were right and we were wrong, George," said Julian. "You werefierce, weren't you—but it's a jolly good thing you were!""She _is_ fierce, isn't she?" said Dick, giving the girl a sudden hug."But I rather like her when she's fierce, don't you, Julian? Oh George,we do have marvellous adventures with you! I wonder if we'll have anymore?"
