by Enid Blyton
With trembling hands the children pulled back the rug and the carpet - and then stood staring at a very strange thing. A big flat stone laid in the floor had slipped downwards, pulled in some manner by the wire attached to the handle hidden behind the panel! There was now a black space where the stone had been.
'Look at that!' said George, in a thrilling whisper. 'The entrance to the Secret Way!'
'It's here after all!' said Julian.
'Let's go down!' said Dick.
'No!' said Anne, shivering at the thought of disappearing into the black hole.
Julian flashed his torch into the black space. The stone had slid down and then sideways. Below was a space just big enough to take a man, bending down.
'I expect there's a passage or something leading from here, under the house, and out,' said Julian. 'Golly, I wonder where it leads to?'
'We simply must find out,' said George.
'Not now,' said Dick. 'It's dark and cold. I don't fancy going along the Secret Way at midnight. I don't mind just hopping down to see what it's like - but don't let's go along any passage till tomorrow.'
'Uncle Quentin will be working here tomorrow,' said Julian.
'He said he was going to sweep the snow away from the front door in the morning,' said George. 'We could slip into the study then. It's Saturday. There may be no lessons.'
'All right,' said Julian, who badly wanted to explore everything then and there. 'But for goodness sake let's have a look and see if there is a passage down there. At present all we can see is a hole!'
I'll help you down,' said Dick. So he gave his brother a hand and the boy dropped lightly down into the black space, holding his torch. He gave a loud exclamation.
'It's the entrance to the Secret Way all right! There's a passage leading from here under the house - awfully low and narrow - but I can see it's a passage. I do wonder where it leads to!'
He shivered. It was cold and damp down there. 'Give me a hand up, Dirk,' he said. He was soon out of the hole and in the warm study again.
The children looked at one another in the greatest joy and excitement. This was an Adventure, a real Adventure. It was a pity they couldn't go on with it now.
'We'll try and take Timmy with us tomorrow,' said George. 'Oh, I say - how are we going to shut the entrance up?)
'We can't leave the rug and carpet sagging over that hole,' said Dick. 'Nor can we leave the panel open.'
'We'll see if we can get the stone back,' said Julian. He stood on tiptoe and felt about inside the panel. His hand closed on a kind of knob, set deep in a stone. He pulled it, and at once the handle slid back, pulled by the wire. At the same time the sunk stone glided to the surface of the floor again, making a slight grating sound as it did so.
'Well, it's like magic!' said Dick. 'It really is! Fancy the mechanism working so smoothly after years of not being used. This is the most exciting thing I've ever seen!'
There was a noise in the bedroom above. The children stood still and listened.
'It's Mr. Roland!' whispered Dick. 'He's heard us. Quick, slip upstairs before he comes down.'
They switched out the light and opened the study door softly. Up the stairs they fled, as quietly as Indians, their hearts thumping so loudly that it seemed as if everyone in the house must hear the beat.
The girls got safely to their rooms and Dick was able to slip into his. But Julian was seen by Mr. Roland as he came out of his room with a torch.
'What are you doing, Julian?' asked the tutor, in surprise. 'Did you hear a noise downstairs? I thought I did.'
'Yes - I heard quite a lot of noise downstairs,' said Julian, truthfully. 'But perhaps it's snow falling off the roof, landing with a plop on the ground, sir. Do you think that's it?'
'I don't know,' said the tutor doubtfully. 'We'll go down and see.'
They went down, but of course, there was nothing to be seen. Julian was glad they had been able to shut the panel and make the stone come back to its proper place again. Mr. Roland was the very last person he wanted to tell his secret to.
They went upstairs and Julian slipped into his room. 'Is it all right?' whispered Dick.
'Yes,' said Julian. 'Don't let's talk. Mr. Roland's awake, and I don't want him to suspect anything.'
The boys fell asleep. When they awoke in the morning, there was a completely white world outside. Snow covered everything and covered it deeply. Timothy's kennel could not be seen! But there were footmarks round about it.
George gave a squeal when she saw how deep the snow was. 'Poor Timothy! I'm going to get him in. I don't care what anyone says! I won't let him be buried in the snow!'
She dressed and tore downstairs. She went out to the kennel, floundering knee deep in the snow. But there was no Timmy there!
A loud bark from the kitchen made her jump. Joanna the cook knocked on the kitchen window. 'It's all right! I couldn't bear the dog out there in the snow, so I fetched him in, poor thing. Your mother says I can have him in the kitchen but you're not to come and see him.'
'Oh, good - Timmy's in the warmth!' said George, gladly. She yelled to Joanna, 'Thanks awfully! You are kind!'
She went indoors and told the others. They were very glad. 'And I've got a bit of news for you' said Dick. 'Mr. Roland is in bed with a bad cold, so there are to be no lessons today. Cheers!'
'Golly, that is good news,' said George, cheering up tremendously. 'Timmy in the warm kitchen and Mr. Roland kept in bed. I do feel pleased!'
'We shall be able to explore the Secret Way safely now,' said Julian. 'Aunt Fanny is going to do something in the kitchen this morning with Joanna, and Uncle is going to tackle the snow. I vote we say we'll do lessons by ourselves in the sitting-room, and then, when everything is safe, we'll explore the Secret Way!'
'But why must we do lessons?' asked George in dismay.
'Because if we don't, silly, we'll have to help your father dig away the snow,' said Julian.
So, to his uncle's surprise, Julian suggested that the four children should do lessons by themselves in the sitting-room. 'Well, I thought you'd like to come and help dig away the snow,' said Uncle Quentin. 'But perhaps you had better get on with your work.'
The children sat themselves down as good as gold in the sitting-room, their books before them. They heard Mr. Roland coughing in his room. They heard their aunt go into the kitchen and talk to Joanna. They heard Timmy scratching at the kitchen door - then paws pattering down the passage - then a big, inquiring nose came round the door, and there was old Timmy, looking anxiously for his beloved mistress!
'Timmy!' squealed George, and ran to him. She flung her arms round his neck and hugged him.
'You act as if you hadn't seen Tim for a year,' said Julian.
'It seems like a year,' said George. 'I say, there's my father digging away like mad. Can't we go to the study now? We ought to be safe for a good while.'
They left the sitting-room and went to the study. Julian was soon pulling the handle behind the secret panel. George had already turned back the rug and the carpet. The stone slid downward and sideways. The Secret Way was open!
'Come on!' said Julian. 'Hurry!'
He jumped down into the hole. Dick followed, then Anne, then George. Julian pushed them all into the narrow, low passage. Then he looked up. Perhaps he had better pull the carpet and rug over the hole, in case anyone came into the room and looked around. It took him a few seconds to do it. Then he bent down and joined the others in the passage. They were going to explore the Secret Way at last!
Chapter Fifteen
AN EXCITING JOURNEY ANDHUNT
TIMOTHY had leapt down into the hole when George had jumped. He now ran ahead of the children, puzzled at their wanting to explore such a cold, dark place. Both Julian and Dick had torches, which threw broad beams before them.
There was not much to be seen. The Secret Way under the old house was narrow and low, so that the children were forced to go in single file, and to stoop almost double. It was a great rel
ief to them when the passage became a little wider, and the room a little higher. It was very tiring to stoop all the time.
'Have you any idea where the Secret Way is going?' Dick asked Julian. 'I mean - is it going towards the sea, or away from it?'
'Oh, not towards the sea!' said Julian, who had a very good sense of direction. 'As far as I can make out the passage is going towards the common. Look at the walls - they are rather sandy in places, and we know the common has sandy soil. I hope we shan't find that the passage has fallen in anywhere.'
They went on and on. The Secret Way was very straight, though occasionally it wound round a rocky part in a curve.
'Isn't it dark and cold,' said Anne, shivering. 'I wish I had put on a coat. How many miles have we come, Julian?'
'Not even one, silly!' said Julian. 'Hallo - look here -the passage has fallen in a bit there!'
Two bright torches shone in front of them and the children saw that the sandy roof had fallen in. Julian kicked at the pile of sandy soil with his foot.
'It's all right,' he said. 'We can force our way through easily. It isn't much of a fall, and it's mostly sand. I'll do a bit of kicking!'
After some trampling and kicking, the roof-fall no longer blocked the way. There was now enough room for the children to climb over it, bending their heads low to avoid knocking them against the top of the passage. Julian shone his torch forward, and saw that the way was clear.
'The Secret Way is very wide just here!' he said suddenly, and flashed his torch around to show the others.
'It's been widened out to make a sort of little room,' said George. 'Look, there's a kind of bench at the back, made out of the rock. I believe it's a resting-place.'
George was right. It was very tiring to creep along the narrow passage for so long. The little wide place with its rocky bench, made a very good resting-place. The four tired children, cold but excited, huddled together on the queer seat and took a welcome rest. Timmy put his head on George's knee. He was delighted to be with her again.
'Well, come on,' said Julian, after a few minutes. 'I'm getting awfully cold. I do wonder where this passage comes out!'
'Julian - do you think it could come out at Kirrin Farm-house?' asked George, suddenly. 'You know what Mrs. Sanders said - that there was a secret passage leading from the Farm-house somewhere. Well, this may be the one - and it leads to Kirrin Cottage!'
'George, I believe you're right!' said Julian. 'Yes -the two houses belonged to your family years ago! And in the old days there were often secret passages joining houses, so it's quite plain this secret way joins them up together! Why didn't I think of that before?'
‘I say!' squealed Anne, in a high, excited voice, 'I say! I've thought of something too!'
'What?' asked everyone.
'Well - if those two artists have got Uncle's papers, we may be able to get them away before the men can send them off by post, or take them away themselves!' squeaked Anne, so thrilled with her idea that she could hardly get the words out quickly enough. 'They're prisoners at the Farm-house because of the snow, just as we were at the Cottage.'
'Anne! You're right!' said Julian.
'Clever girl!' said Dick.
'I say - if we could get those papers again - how wonderful it would be!' cried George. Timmy joined in the general excitement, and jumped up and down in joy. Something had pleased the children, so he was pleased too!
'Come on!' said Julian, taking Anne's hand. 'This is thrilling. If George is right, and this Secret Way comes out at Kirrin Farm-house somewhere, we'll somehow hunt through those men's rooms and find the papers.'
'You said that searching people's rooms was a shocking thing to do,' said George.
'Well, I didn't know then all I know now,' said Julian. 'We're doing this for your father - and maybe for our country too, if his secret formula is valuable. We've got to set our wits to work now, to outwit dangerous enemies.'
'Do you really think they are dangerous?' asked Anne, rather afraid.
'Yes, I should think so,' said Julian. 'But you needn't worry, Anne, You've got me and Dick and Tim to protect you.'
'I can protect her too,' said George, indignantly. Tm as good as a boy any day!'
'Yes, you are, really,' said Dick. 'In fact, you're fiercer than any boy I know!'
'Come on,' said Julian, impatiently. Tm longing to get to the end of this passage.'
They all went on again, Anne following behind Julian, and Dick behind George. Timmy ran up and down the line, squeezing by them whenever he wanted to. He thought it was a very peculiar way to spend a morning!
Julian stopped suddenly, after they had gone a good way. 'What's up?' asked Dick, from the back. 'Not another roof-fall, I hope!'
'No - but I think we've come to the end of the passage!' said Julian, thrilled. The others crowded as close to him as they could. The passage certainly had come to an end. There was a rocky wall in front of them, and set firmly in it were iron staples intended for footholds. These went up the wall and when Julian turned his torch
upwards, the children saw that there was a square opening in the roof of the passage.
'We have to climb up this rocky wall now,' said Julian, 'go through that dark hole there, keep on climbing - and goodness knows where we come out! I'll go first. You wait here, everyone, and I'll come back and tell you what I've seen.'
The boy put his torch between his teeth, and then pulled himself up by the iron staples set in the wall. He set his feet on them, and then climbed up through the square dark hole, feeling for the staples as he went.
He went up for a good way. It was almost like going up a chimney shaft, he thought. It was cold and smelt musty.
Suddenly he came to a ledge, and he stepped on to it. He took his torch from his teeth and flashed it around him.
There was stone wall behind him, at the side of him and stone above him. The black hole up which he had come, yawned by his feet. Julian shone his torch in front of him, and a shock of surprise went through him.
There was no stone wall in front of him, but a big wooden, door, made of black oak. A handle was set about waist-high, Julian turned it with trembling fingers. What was he going to see?
The door opened outwards, over the ledge, and it was difficult to get round it without falling back into the hole. Julian managed to open it wide, squeezed round it without losing his footing, and stepped beyond it, expecting to find himself in a room.
But his hand felt more wood in front of him! He shone his torch round, and found that he was up against what looked like yet another door. Under his searching fingers it suddenly moved sideways, and slid silently away!
And then Julian knew where he was! 'I'm in the cupboard at Kirrin Farm-house - the one that has a false back!' he thought. 'The Secret Way comes up behind it! How clever! Little did we know when we played about in this cupboard that not only did it have a sliding back, but that it was the entrance to the Secret Way, hidden behind it!'
The cupboard was now full of clothes belonging to the artists. Julian stood and listened. There was no sound of anyone in the room. Should he just take a quick look round, and see if those lost papers were anywhere about?
Then he remembered the other four, waiting patiently below in the cold. He had better go and tell them what had happened. They could all come and help in the search.
He stepped into the space behind the sliding back. The sliding door slipped across again, and Julian was left standing on the narrow ledge, with the old oak door wide open to one side of him. He did not bother to shut it. He felt about with his feet, and found the iron staples in the hole below him. Down he went, clinging with his hands and feet, his torch in his teeth again.
'Julian! What a time you've been! Quick, tell us all about it!' cried George.
'It's most terribly thrilling,' said Julian. 'Absolutely super! Where do you suppose all this leads to? Into the
cupboard at Kirrin Farm-house - the one that's got a false back!'
'Golly! 'said D
ick.
'I say I' said George.
'Did you go into the room?' cried Anne.
'I climbed as far as I could and came to a big oak door,' said Julian. 'It has a handle this side, so I swung it wide open. Then I saw another wooden door in front of me - at least, I thought it was a door,' I didn't know it was just the false back of that cupboard. It was quite easy to slide back and I stepped through, and found my-self among a whole lot of clothes hanging in the cup-board ! Then I hurried back to tell you.'
'Julian! We can hunt for those papers now,' said George, eagerly. 'Was there anyone in the room?'
'I couldn't hear anyone,' said Julian. 'Now what I propose is this - we'll all go up, and have a hunt round those two rooms. The men have the room next to the cupboard one too.'
'Oh good ! ' said Dick, thrilled at the thought of such an adventure. 'Let's go now. You go first, Ju. Then Anne, then George and then me.'
'What about Tim?' asked George.
'He can't climb, silly,' said Julian. 'He's a simply marvellous dog, but he certainly can't climb, George. We'll have to leave him down here.'
'He won't like that,' said George.
'Well, we can't carry him up,' said Dick. 'You won't, mind staying here for a bit, will you, Tim, old fellow?’
Tim wagged his tail. But, as he saw the four children mysteriously disappearing up the wall, he put his big tail down at once. What! Going without him? How could they?
He jumped up at the wall, and fell back. He jumped again and whined. George called down to him in a low voice.
'Be quiet, Tim dear! We shan't be long.'
Tim stopped whining. He lay down at the bottom of the wall, his ears well-cocked. This adventure was becoming more and more peculiar!
Soon the children were on the narrow ledge. The old oak door was still wide open. Julian shone his torch and the others saw the false back of the cupboard. Julian put his hands on it and it slid silently sideways. Then the torch shone on coats and dressing-gowns!