by Carol Prior
‘I’d feel happier if you had asked me and I would prefer to meet any eccentric professors before you go on balloon rides. Don’t forget it’s me who has to answer to your parents if one of you gets into trouble, or flies off in a balloon never to be seen again! I’m surprised at you Tom, I’m sure Luke leads you astray.’
’You don’t have to worry, Grandma,’ said Tom. ‘No harm done and we’re all back safe and sound.’
‘What’s for supper?’ asked Luke. ‘I’m really hungry. And when we’ve eaten let’s go up and wait for Dan’s balloon to fly over, now we know everything about it!’
‘You children,’ sighed Grandma ‘whatever next!’
It was a clear night, the moon was round and silver and the sky was full of bright stars. They told Ollie about their latest adventure and he joined Luke and Tom in their room to wait for the balloon to go over the house. He could hardly believe that they and Lizzie had flown out over the sea and back, and he made them promise to ask Professor Dan if he could have a turn when they saw him again.
Sure enough the light appeared in the night sky and travelled slowly across towards the twin house on the undercliff.
In their room the girls gazed up at it from their cosy beds.
‘I knew something exciting would happen,’ said Steph. ‘Tomorrow we’ll go across the fields and find the house, then we can tell Bert the name of Old Joll’s brother when we see him.’
‘It could be one of those names we saw today at the museum. Can you remember any of them, Lizzie?’ asked Violet.
‘Stick-in-the-Mud; and Footsey,’ said Lizzie.
‘And Towser, the one that sounds sort of dog like, and Toll, and Yorkshire George,’ said Violet.
‘And Rough Tickner, and Flushing Jack,’ added Steph.
‘And the Miller, Shoemaker Tom and Nasty Face,’ Violet giggled, ‘they had funny names didn’t they?’
‘And Uncle Tom Cobley* and all!’ finished Lizzie.
‘No, I didn’t see any of those,’ said Violet.
*Folk song from Devon, like Lizzie – ‘Widecombe Fair’
THURSDAY
CHAPTER 10
Cornypie
‘Where are you going now?’ shouted Grandma from the kitchen window, ‘And you’ve forgotten your jackets; they’re forecasting rain this morning?’ She watched anxiously as they trooped across the courtyard and down the steps to the unmade road over the marsh.
‘We just have to check something out,’ called Steph, ‘we’ll tell you all about it when we get back. We won’t be long!’
Ollie stumbled down the stairs half awake and rubbing his eyes. ‘Ollie, do you know where they’re off to now? I hope they’re not planning any more trips in that balloon!’
‘Huh, hope not!’ said Ollie. ‘I want to go next time and Luke promised he would tell me. No, I think they’re going to find that old house, you know, the one that matches this, where the balloon landed, um, briefly.’
‘No, they haven’t told me about that, and what do you mean by a matching house?’
‘I thought they told you,’ said Ollie ‘it’s an identical one to this house, on the other side of the Rye Road.’
‘Well, first of all, no, they didn’t mention it; they were too busy telling me about their balloon ride, and someone called Esmeralda! But, oddly enough, Julia happened to mention a twin house when she came here yesterday. I don’t know why we’ve never heard of it. Surely the estate agent knew, I wonder why he never told us.’
‘Dunno,’ Ollie yawned, ‘are there any cornflakes left?’
******
Luke pointed to a narrow gap in the hedgerow. ‘Come on, hurry up, I’m sure it’s this way, we could see it from the air.’
They crossed the road to where a narrow footpath led into a field. It was overgrown with nettles and brambles that brushed against their legs and caught on their jeans but soon it opened out onto a sandy track and they were able to see the vast expanse of flat land that lay in front of them.
‘It’s funny to think that all this used to be under the sea,’ said Steph, ‘and boats would sail where we are now, and I suppose there would be fish.’
‘Maybe it will come back one day; it would be like a huge swimming pool.’ Tom smiled, ‘I quite like the idea.’
‘I hope it doesn’t come back today though,’ said Violet. She looked over her shoulder as if to make sure and they all laughed at her.
‘Well, you never know!’ she said.
The footpath to the house was longer than it appeared from above. It wound slowly through fields of sheep and scrubby grass and thistles. The weather had changed and the sky was overcast. Soon the rain began to fall, slowly at first with the odd spot then in torrents soaking everyone.
‘Quick run,’ yelled Steph, ‘maybe we’ll be able to shelter somewhere until it stops, I’m soaked already! I think I can see the house just ahead!’
The grey stone of the house merged with the trees and rocks of the old cliff face. It had high walls surrounding an enclosed garden and sat on a platform of stone. They walked around to the front and peered through a beautiful metal gate that was decorated with leaves and curlicues. On one side was an elaborate bell with a bell pull hanging underneath.
‘Look at that!’ exclaimed Steph, ‘It is exactly the same as Old Joll, just as you said, Luke. It’s incredible; I don’t suppose the Professor is in though. Shame, we could have dried off.’
‘Worth trying though,’ said Lizzie. She grabbed hold of the bell pull and swung it wildly.
‘Lizzie!’ gasped Tom.
‘Look, we’re all soaking wet,’ moaned Lizzie. ‘It’s worth a try. Huh, no one’s in anyway, I expect he’s in Rye with his air balloon. He must fly it over to the fair every morning and bring it back every evening.’
‘Look it’s got a courtyard and two wings coming out of the main house just like at Grandma’s,’ said Violet ‘and an archway through to the garden, except it’s on the right instead of the left.’
‘Under the east wing,’ muttered Luke, ‘haha… and everyone thinks that nothing ever happens in the east wing.’
‘I don’t think anything has happened in the east wing, yet anyway,’ said Tom. ‘No one’s in though so we’d better walk back.’
‘We can’t go,’ cried Violet ‘we still don’t know what the house is called! Look, just inside the courtyard, I can see some writing on a board.’ She wiped the rain from her face with the back of her hand, ‘It’s not very clear but it looks like it starts with a C, yes, then O, R, N.’
‘Cornypie,’ shouted Luke, ‘it says Cornypie House! Really?! A smuggler called Cornypie?’
‘It’s no odder than Nasty Face,’ said Steph.
‘Or Towzer,’ said Lizzie.
‘Or Old Joll,’ said Tom.
‘Yes, jolly old corn pie!’ smiled Violet, ‘I think we’ve cracked it!’
CHAPTER 11
Under the Garden Wall
Grandma was watching at the kitchen window and was pleased when they came trailing into the courtyard. ‘I told you to take your coats,’ she scolded, ‘you’re absolutely wet through! And you should have told me where you were going, especially after yesterday’s fiasco!’
‘Ah, but wait till we tell you what we’ve discovered!’ said Luke, he grinned around at the others.
‘Yes please, the sooner the better. Ollie told me you’d discovered the twin house to this one and he thought you’d gone to find it. Actually, my friend Julia was talking about it yesterday. We were both amazed that the estate agent hadn’t mentioned it when we bought this place.’
‘Yes, we’ve found it, and we know what Old Joll’s brother was called,’ cried Violet, and they all started talking at once.
‘I’m sure it’s very exciting,’ said Grandma, ‘but can you tell me one at a time, the noise is deafening? Violet, you start, what was Old Joll’s brother called?’
‘You’ll never believe it!’ Violet smiled, ‘It’s Cornypie, and we think it’s the answer to
the riddle and probably a clue to how we get into the secret room.’
‘What’s going on?’ asked Ollie. ‘What a racket, you sound like those parrots. I could hear you upstairs, with my door closed! I hope you haven’t been up in that balloon again without telling me?’
‘Ollie, the name of the other smuggler is Cornypie,’ said Steph, ‘and we’ve found his house but the Professor lives there now, with his balloon. Of course he wasn’t in,’ she added, ‘he’s at the fairground and when the fair moves on he’s going to get a patent for his new invention, you know, the remote controlled hot air balloon, so we don’t know where he’ll go then.’
‘Do you think he’s only staying at Cornypie then?’ asked Tom. ‘Maybe it’s not really his house.’
Grandma went to the sink to fill the kettle, ‘Perhaps he’s just renting the house,’ she said, ‘one that’s big enough to store his balloon and one that’s in a convenient position where he can make short test flights without upsetting people. There aren’t many houses on the marsh, or in the fields opposite.’
‘How is Cornypie any sort of clue?’ asked Ollie. ‘I’d be interested to know.’
‘Violet guessed straight away,’ said Lizzie.
‘Yes, she’s good at stuff like that,’ added Luke and Violet smiled and blushed.
‘Jolly old corn pie’ she explained, ‘is made up of the names of the two smugglers! It’s easy now that we know what they’re both called!’
‘So now we’re going outside to test out our theory,’ said Lizzie, ‘come on you lot!’
‘Oh no, you’re not, come back here,’ called Grandma as they headed for the kitchen door. ‘It’s still pouring and anyway you’re not going anywhere until you’ve had lunch!’
Grandma had already set the table with bread and cheese salad, and a plate of scones with jam and cream. They were still warm from the oven and tasted delicious.
‘More tea, anyone?’ asked Grandma.
Tom and Luke jumped up as soon as they had finished. ‘That was delicious, Grandma, thank you very much!’
‘Mmmm, yes, great!’ mumbled Luke.
‘Stop, spitting crumbs, Luke,’ snapped Steph, ‘you might at least swallow before you leave the table! Can we go now, Grandma?’
‘Yes, fine, I’ll leave you the washing up for later, shall I?’
‘Sorry to rush, Grandma,’ said Lizzie, ‘yes leave it, we won’t be long.’
‘Now where have I heard that before?’ Grandma laughed, ‘Yes, of course you can go, I know how important these things are. Just keep me in the loop, please.’
They rushed outside and through the narrow archway. The garden was sheltered from the wind and drowsy bees buzzed sleepily around the flowers as Luke, Tom, Lizzie, Steph and Violet ran over the damp ground to the mysterious stone blocks by the end wall.
‘Come on, Vi,’ said Luke, ‘we know the letters spell out the names but so what? What use is that to us if we don’t know what to do with them?’
‘You have to press them in the right order,’ explained Violet, ‘that’s how it always works in books. We just have to decide on the order but I think we could start by spelling out their names.’
Tom looked doubtful, ‘I don’t see what can happen if we do press them, in whatever order, do you, Luke? They’re just stones.’
‘Well I think we should try,’ said Steph, ‘we don’t know what will happen but it’s worth a go. Try Old Joll first, Violet.’
‘Nothing,’ sighed Violet a few minutes later, ‘maybe I’m just not heavy enough. You try Luke, you’re the biggest, or we could get Ollie.’
‘Perhaps I’ll try Cornypie?’ said Luke, ‘It’s less obvious but it would still be a hint if Old Joll or Cornypie forgot the password.’
‘How bizarre, smugglers with passwords,’ laughed Lizzie. ‘And why would they need a password at the end of the garden?’
’It might be something to do with the secret way in and out. Do you remember? We said there had to be a secret way to escape from the back garden if someone was guarding the archway to the courtyard. Just try it Luke,’ urged Steph, ‘we’ll never know if we don’t.’
‘Alright then, I’ll give it a go, it might work.’
Luke hopped onto the letter C, ‘Oh, that’s strange, it goes in when I stand on it! I’ll try the O, Yes, and the O! I think it’s working, R N, Y, P, I, E… Wow, what’s happening?’
There was the grating sound of stone against stone as the blocks lifted slightly then swung smoothly to one side revealing a dark hole in the earth.
‘Ow…that nearly took my leg with it,’ yelled Luke ‘look, where does it go?’ They crouched down and peered in, nearly bumping heads.
‘Just as we thought, it goes under the wall,’ gasped Steph. ‘It’s the secret way out of the garden, look, you can see light. It’s not deep, let’s climb in and check it out.’
‘Do you think it’s safe?’ asked Violet. ‘I’ll stay here and then I can go for help if something happens.’
They all agreed that was a good idea and Violet sat patiently at the top while the others dropped one by one into the hole.
‘You have to see this, Violet,’ shouted Lizzie from below, ‘there’s a rowing boat! They must have used it to get away when the marsh was flooded!’
Violet knelt down and looked into the hole. A wooden boat was tied to an iron ring just like the ones at the gate, the wood looked old and faded but quite sound.
‘We’re going under the wall now,’ continued Lizzie, ‘right, come on, Violet!’
Violet jumped into the hole. It smelled of earth and rotting leaves and she could see a faint limpid light filtering through from just a short distance away.
‘We’re here,’ shouted Tom, ‘we’re clearing the dead leaves and sand. Can you see us now?’
‘Yes, wait for me!’ she yelled back.
It felt cooler outside the wall. The wind was blowing from the sea, and gulls spiralled and shrieked overhead.
They had come out below the stone platform that supported the house and onto the flat ground of the marsh. Next to the tunnel the same letters were engraved on the platform wall.
‘It’s a perfect escape route!’ exclaimed Steph. ‘The boat could have been pulled through and launched straight onto the water. I expect they tied it up because the water often rose above the level of the tunnel floor. And look you can close it here by pressing the same letters. Now all we have to do is walk around the house and in through the front gate. Wait till we tell Grandma that anyone could break in if they only knew the secret code.’
Violet smiled, ‘I can’t wait to tell Bert.’
‘It wouldn’t surprise me if he already knows,’ said Tom, ‘not much escapes him. Especially if we tell him the name of the other smuggler, it’s sure to jog his memory.’
‘We know the way into Cornypie now,’ said Lizzie, ‘which will be useful if we get caught in the rain again. And Old Joll will be the password I wouldn’t mind betting!’
CHAPTER 12
Inside the Secret Room
‘Oh, you’re here now, that’s good,’ called Grandma from the sitting room. ‘Come and tell me what you’ve discovered this time.’
She couldn’t believe it when they told her about the secret way out of the garden and she insisted on going to see it straight away. The stone grating swung back easily this time so they all climbed down and made their way through onto the marsh and back round the house to the courtyard. Bluebell looked up in surprise.
‘I think we’ve confused the cat,’ said Grandma. ‘She watched us go into the garden so she must wonder how it is we’re out here. Anyway, that’s quite enough for one day, you can come and help me make the dinner and tell me what you’ve been up to since I last saw you. You’ve been dashing hither and thither since you arrived.’
By ten o’clock everyone was asleep. Professor Dan’s beautiful balloon had appeared in the twilit sky floating over the fields to its home by the undercliff. They were happy to see it drift past;
it felt as if a friend was somehow keeping guard over the empty marsh.
Luke lay awake for a long time, he was thinking about the secret room. Why was it still there after so many years? Surely someone would have found it way before now. Anyway, what did that matter because he was certain they would find a way in and discover what, if anything was hidden inside. After a while, he got up and tiptoed over to Tom’s bed. He shook Tom’s arm lightly but he just snored and turned over.
Luke picked up the torch and went out of the room and down the corridor to the dark bridge that led to the west wing. Haha… he thought, the west wing, but then he shivered, partly because he was cold but also because suddenly he felt very lonely. Dark shadows crossed his path every time the moon went behind a cloud and he looked back into the darkness afraid that the ghost of Old Joll was standing behind him.
He was certain he could see the outline of a figure in the old four-poster bed but told himself to stop being so ridiculous. ‘Cushions!’ he exclaimed as he switched on the light. It lit up the room and suddenly everything seemed less scary.
‘Now,’ he said ‘to crack the code, it can’t be that hard! I wonder…’
He ran his hands over the strange writing; some of the letters seemed to stand out, just slightly. Not enough for anyone to notice in the normal way. It was easier to concentrate in the silence with no one else around to be distracting.
‘Jack be nimble, Jack be Spry, out of the Pudding, and into the Pie.’ He read the words out loud and they sent a chill down his spine.
He started to write the letters in the dust, the ones that seemed to stick out a little more than the rest. ‘That’s C in ‘Jack’, I in ‘nimble’, N in ‘nimble’, R in ‘spry’, and Y in ‘spry’ as well, I know where this is leading! Yes, O in ‘out’, P in ‘pudding’ and E in ‘pie’! CORNYPIE! Are you in there Old Joll? Or Cornypie?’ he whispered. Then, ‘Oh no, I didn’t mean it, I really don’t want to know if you are, please don’t answer! Right, all I have to do now is press the letters in the right order and I’ve discovered your secret.’