With their boats the two boys met at the beginning of Ember Lane. George began to tell Colin excitedly what he thought.
" When you called out Ember Lane it sounded exactly like Emma Lane," he said. " Suppose that's what Jeff meant ? He might have heard wrong, he was half-asleep. Ember Lane. I'm sure that was what it was."
" And you think something was to happen in Ember Lane on the 25th ? " said Colin, looking very thrilled. " Golly, you may be right. But what could happen here ? "
They looked round Ember Lane. Although it was called a lane, it was nothing of the sort, though it might have been years ago.
It was a rather wide, dirty street, with great warehouses on either side. It led down to the canal. There were a good many people about, taking parcels from the warehouses, and running messages. It was difficult to imagine any robbery or anything out of the way taking place here.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Colin and George examined the street very carefully. They came to one warehouse that had a grating let into the bottom of the wall. They peered down. People were hi an underground room below, busy packing up parcels. The grating gave them a little light and air, though it also let in the dust.
" Well, there's a grating ! "said George, standing up after peering through for some time. " I suppose someone could stand here and watch through it, as Jeff said, but what would be the point ? "
" Someone might watch from the other side of the grating," said Colin. " If he stood on that table down there, look, he could peer into the street through the grating. If the place was in darkness, he wouldn't be seen peering out. It would be quite a good place to watch from."
" It might," said George. " Yes, it might. A grating to watch through in Ember Lane. This is rather good! Are we on the track of anything, do you think ? "
" Probably not! " said Colin. " If we are we shall probably spot a red pillow on a sofa somewhere, or hear someone hissing, ' MKX, you're wanted !' "
They went to sail their boats on the canal till dinner-time. Then they went home, peeping through the grating at the foot of the warehouse in Ember Lane as they went. The underground room below was empty now. The workers had gone to their lunch.
" We'd better tell old Peter," said Colin as they parted. " Let's go along this afternoon
and tell him. He ought to know, I think, even though there may be nothing in it."
Peter was most interested. " Golly, that's bright of you," he said. " Emma Lane. Ember Lane. Anyone could mishear that quite easily. But I don't think so much of the grating. There are gratings everywhere."
" Not in Ember Lane," said Colin. " We looked, and that's the only one."
" Janet and I will go along and have a look at Ember Lane this afternoon," said Peter. " And the grating."
They went. Ember Lane looked gloomy and dirty. Janet and Peter examined the grating with interest. Colin was right. There was only one in Ember Lane.
" Well, it doesn't tell us much," said Peter. " Even if we decided that this was the grating through which Mr. Tizer or someone was going to watch, why would they want to watch ? And what? It's no crime to peer through a grating."
" They might want to watch unseen for something or someone, so that they could signal his coining to somebody waiting to pounce," said Janet. Peter stared at her, most impressed.
" Yes. That's exactly what they might do! " he said. " But what could they see from there ? Let's stand with our backs to the grating and see if we can spot what would be within their sight."
They stood and looked hard, their eyes ranging over the warehouse opposite, the pavement, and a lamp-post.
" Well, all that could be seen from behind that grating is the warehouse opposite, though not all of it," said Janet. " And the lamp post and the pavement near it, and that red pillar-box. Yes, I'm sure that red pillar-box could be seen too."
Janet suddenly stopped. She caught her breath and looked round at Peter, her eyes shining. "Peter," she said, " Peter I The red pillow ! "
"The red pillow? Where?" said Peter, puzzled. " Oh Janet... Janet ! I see what you mean! It wasn't a red pillow that Jeff heard, it was red pillar-box. And there it is!"
The two stared at the red pillar-box, thinking hard. A girl went up to it and posted some letters. Peter and Janet felt absolutely certain that " red pillow " meant " red pillar-box."
And it could be watched from behind the only grating in Ember Lane.
" We're getting somewhere," said Peter, suddenly feeling quite out of breath. " Jeff did hear something. His tale wasn't made up, but because he was half-asleep when he heard the men talking, he didn't hear properly."
" If only we could find what MKX was," said Janet. " But we can't. I expect all the men in Mr. Tizer's gang have numbers or letters. But we're certainly putting a few of the jigsaw pieces together, Peter. Let's go and tell the others!"
