by E. Nesbit
CHAPTER V
NO WINGS
Whether anyone cried or not, there was certainly an interval duringwhich none of the party was quite itself. When they grew calmer, Antheaput her handkerchief in her pocket and her arm round Jane, and said--
"It can't be for more than one night. We can signal with ourhandkerchiefs in the morning. They'll be dry then. And someone will comeup and let us out"--
"And find the syphon," said Cyril gloomily; "and we shall be sent toprison for stealing"--
"You said it wasn't stealing. You said you were sure it wasn't."
"I'm not sure _now_" said Cyril shortly.
"Let's throw the thing away among the trees," said Robert, "then no onecan do anything to us."
"Oh yes,"--Cyril's laugh was not a light-hearted one,--"and hit somechap on the head, and be murderers as well as--as the other thing."
"But we can't stay up here all night," said Jane; "and I want my tea."
"You _can't_ want your tea," said Robert; "you've only just had yourdinner."
"But I _do_ want it," she said; "especially when you begin talking aboutstopping up here all night. Oh, Panther--I want to go home! I want to gohome!"
"Hush, hush," Anthea said. "Don't, dear. It'll be all right, somehow.Don't, don't"--
"Let her cry," said Robert desperately; "if she howls loud enough,someone may hear and come and let us out."
"And see the soda-water thing," said Anthea swiftly. "Robert, don't be abrute. Oh, Jane, do try to be a man! It's just the same for all of us."
Jane did try to "be a man"--and reduced her howls to sniffs.
There was a pause. Then Cyril said slowly, "Look here. We must risk thatsyphon. I'll button it up inside my jacket--perhaps no one will noticeit. You others keep well in front of me. There are lights in theclergyman's house. They've not gone to bed yet. We must just yell asloud as ever we can. Now all scream when I say three. Robert, you do theyell like a railway engine, and I'll do the coo-ee like father's. Thegirls can do as they please. One, two, three!"
A four-fold yell rent the silent peace of the evening, and a maid at oneof the Vicarage windows paused with her hand on the blind-cord.
"One, two, three!" Another yell, piercing and complex, startled the owlsand starlings to a flutter of feathers in the belfry below. The maidflew from the Vicarage window and ran down the Vicarage stairs and intothe Vicarage kitchen, and fainted as soon as she had explained to theman-servant and the cook and the cook's cousin that she had seen aghost. It was quite untrue, of course, but I suppose the girl's nerveswere a little upset by the yelling.
"One, two, three!" The Vicar was on his doorstep by this time, and therewas no mistaking the yell that greeted him.
"Goodness me," he said to his wife, "my dear, someone's being murderedin the church! Give me my hat and a thick stick, and tell Andrew to comeafter me. I expect it's the lunatic who stole the tongue."
The children had seen the flash of light when the Vicar opened his frontdoor. They had seen his dark form on his doorstep, and they had pausedfor breath, and also to see what he would do.
When he turned back for his hat, Cyril said hastily--
"He thinks he only fancied he heard something. You don't half yell! Now!One, two, three!"
It was certainly a whole yell this time, and the Vicar's wife flung herarms round her husband and screamed a feeble echo of it.
"You shan't go!" she said, "not alone. Jessie!"--the maid unfainted andcame out of the kitchen,--"send Andrew at once. There's a dangerouslunatic in the church, and he must go immediately and catch him."
"I expect he _will_ catch it too," said Jessie to herself as she wentthrough the kitchen door. "Here, Andrew," she said, "there's someonescreaming like mad in the church, and the missus says you're to go alongand catch it."
"Not alone, I don't," said Andrew in low firm tones. To his master hemerely said, "Yis sir."
"You heard those screams?"
"I did think I noticed a sort of something," said Andrew.
"Well, come on, then," said the Vicar. "My dear, I _must_ go!" He pushedher gently into the sitting-room, banged the door, and rushed out,dragging Andrew by the arm.
A volley of yells greeted them. Then as it died into silence Andrewshouted, "Hullo, you there! Did you call?"
"Yes," shouted four far-away voices.
"They seem to be in the air," said the Vicar. "Very remarkable."
"Where are you?" shouted Andrew; and Cyril replied in his deepestvoice, very slow and loud--
"CHURCH! TOWER! TOP!"
"Come down, then!" said Andrew; and the same voice replied--
"_Can't! Door locked!_"
"My goodness!" said the Vicar. "Andrew, fetch the stable lantern.Perhaps it would be as well to fetch another man from the village."
"With the rest of the gang about, very likely. No, sir; if this 'ereain't a trap--well, may I never! There's cook's cousin at the back doornow. He's a keeper, sir, and used to dealing with vicious characters.And he's got his gun, sir."
"Hullo there!" shouted Cyril from the church-tower; "come up and let usout."
"We're a-coming," said Andrew. "I'm a-going to get a policeman and agun."
"Andrew, Andrew," said the Vicar, "that's not the truth."
"It's near enough, sir, for the likes of them."
So Andrew fetched the lantern and the cook's cousin; and the Vicar'swife begged them all to be very careful.
They went across the churchyard--it was quite dark now--and as they wentthey talked. The Vicar was certain a lunatic was on thechurch-tower--the one who had written the mad letter, and taken the coldtongue and things. Andrew thought it was a "trap"; the cook's cousinalone was calm. "Great cry, little wool," said he; "dangerous chaps isquieter." He was not at all afraid. But then he had a gun. That was whyhe was asked to lead the way up the worn, steep, dark steps of thechurch-tower. He did lead the way, with the lantern in one hand and thegun in the other. Andrew went next. He pretended afterwards that thiswas because he was braver than his master, but really it was because hethought of traps and he did not like the idea of being behind the othersfor fear someone should come softly up behind him and catch hold of hislegs in the dark. They went on and on, and round and round the littlecorkscrew staircase--then through the bell-ringers' loft, where thebell-ropes hung with soft furry ends like giant caterpillars--then upanother stair into the belfry, where the big quiet bells are--and thenon up a ladder with broad steps--and then up a little stone stair. Andat the top of that there was a little door. And the door was bolted onthe stair side.
The cook's cousin, who was a gamekeeper, kicked at the door, and said--
"Hullo, you there!"
The children were holding on to each other on the other side of thedoor, and trembling with anxiousness--and very hoarse with their howls.They could hardly speak, but Cyril managed to reply huskily--
"Hullo, you there!"
"How did you get up there?"
It was no use saying "We flew up," so Cyril said--
"We got up--and then we found the door was locked and we couldn't getdown. Let us out--do."
"How many of you are there?" asked the keeper.
"Only four," said Cyril.
"Are you armed?"
"Are we what?"
"I've got my gun handy--so you'd best not try any tricks," said thekeeper. "If we open the door, will you promise to come quietly down, andno nonsense?"
"Yes--oh YES!" said all the children together.
"Bless me," said the Vicar, "surely that was a female voice?"
"Shall I open the door, sir?" said the keeper. Andrew went down a fewsteps, "to leave room for the others" he said afterwards.
"Yes," said the Vicar, "open the door. Remember," he said through thekeyhole, "we have come to release you. You will keep your promise torefrain from violence?"
"How this bolt do stick," said the keeper; "anyone 'ud think it hadn'tbeen drawed for half a year." As a matter of fact it hadn't.
When
all the bolts were drawn, the keeper spoke deep-chested wordsthrough the keyhole.
The keeper spoke deep-chested words through the keyhole]
"I don't open," said he, "till you've gone over to the other side of thetower. And if one of you comes at me I fire. Now!"
"We're all over on the other side," said the voices.
The keeper felt pleased with himself, and owned himself a bold man whenhe threw open that door, and, stepping out into the leads, flashed thefull light of the stable lantern on the group of desperadoes standingagainst the parapet on the other side of the tower.
He lowered his gun, and he nearly dropped the lantern.
"So help me," he cried, "if they ain't a pack of kiddies!"
The Vicar now advanced.
"How did you come here?" he asked severely. "Tell me at once."
"Oh, take us down," said Jane, catching at his coat, "and we'll tell youanything you like. You won't believe us, but it doesn't matter. Oh, takeus down!"
The others crowded round him, with the same entreaty. All but Cyril.He had enough to do with the soda-water syphon, which would keepslipping down under his jacket. It needed both hands to keep it steadyin its place.
But he said, standing as far out of the lantern light as possible--
"Please do take us down."
So they were taken down. It is no joke to go down a strange church-towerin the dark, but the keeper helped them--only, Cyril had to beindependent because of the soda-water syphon. It would keep trying toget away. Half-way down the ladder it all but escaped. Cyril just caughtit by its spout, and as nearly as possible lost his footing. He wastrembling and pale when at last they reached the bottom of the windingstair and stepped out on to the stones of the church-porch.
Then suddenly the keeper caught Cyril and Robert each by an arm.
"You bring along the gells, sir," said he; "you and Andrew can managethem."
"Let go!" said Cyril; "we aren't running away. We haven't hurt your oldchurch. Leave go!"
"You just come along," said the keeper; and Cyril dared not oppose himwith violence, because just then the syphon began to slip again.
So they were marched into the Vicarage study, and the Vicar's wife camerushing in.
"Oh, William, _are_ you safe?" she cried.
Robert hastened to allay her anxiety.
"Yes," he said, "he's quite safe. We haven't hurt them at all. Andplease, we're very late, and they'll be anxious at home. Could you sendus home in your carriage?"
"Or perhaps there's a hotel near where we could get a carriage," saidAnthea. "Martha will be very anxious as it is."
The Vicar had sunk into a chair, overcome by emotion and amazement.
Cyril had also sat down, and was leaning forward with his elbows on hisknees because of the soda-water syphon.
"But how did you come to be locked up in the church-tower?" asked theVicar.
"We went up," said Robert slowly, "and we were tired, and we all went tosleep, and when we woke up we found the door was locked, so we yelled."
"I should think you did!" said the Vicar's wife. "Frightening everybodyout of their wits like this! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves."
"We _are_," said Jane gently.
"But who locked the door?" asked the Vicar.
"I don't know at all," said Robert, with perfect truth. "Do please sendus home."
"Well, really," said the Vicar, "I suppose we'd better. Andrew, put thehorse to, and you can take them home."
"Not alone, I don't," said Andrew to himself.
And the Vicar went on, "let this be a lesson to you"---- He went ontalking, and the children listened miserably. But the keeper was notlistening. He was looking at the unfortunate Cyril. He knew all aboutpoachers, of course, so he knew how people look when they're hidingsomething. The Vicar had just got to the part about trying to grow upto be a blessing to your parents, and not a trouble and disgrace, whenthe keeper suddenly said--
"Arst him what he's got there under his jacket;" and Cyril knew thatconcealment was at an end. So he stood up, and squared his shoulders andtried to look noble, like the boys in books that no one can look in theface of and doubt that they come of brave and noble families, and willbe faithful to the death, and he pulled out the syphon and said--
"Well, there you are, then."
There was silence. Cyril went on--there was nothing else for it--
"Yes, we took this out of your larder, and some chicken and tongue andbread. We were very hungry, and we didn't take the custard or jam. Weonly took bread and meat and water,--and we couldn't help its being sodakind,--just the necessaries of life; and we left half-a-crown to pay forit, and we left a letter. And we're very sorry. And my father will pay afine and anything you like, but don't send us to prison. Mother wouldbe so vexed. You know what you said about not being a disgrace. Well,don't you go and do it to us--that's all! We're as sorry as we can be.There!"
"However did you get up to the larder window?" said Mrs. Vicar.
"I can't tell you that," said Cyril firmly.
"Is this the whole truth you've been telling me?" asked the clergyman.
"No," answered Jane suddenly; "it's all true, but it's not the wholetruth. We can't tell you that. It's no good asking. Oh, do forgive usand take us home!" She ran to the Vicar's wife and threw her arms roundher. The Vicar's wife put her arms round Jane, and the keeper whisperedbehind his hand to the Vicar--
"They're all right, sir--I expect it's a pal they're standing by.Someone put 'em up to it, and they won't peach. Game little kids."
"Tell me," said the Vicar kindly, "are you screening someone else? Hadanyone else anything to do with this?"
"Yes," said Anthea, thinking of the Psammead; "but it wasn't theirfault."
"Very well, my dears," said the Vicar, "then let's say no more about it.Only just tell us why you wrote such an odd letter."
"I don't know," said Cyril. "You see, Anthea wrote it in such a hurry,and it really didn't seem like stealing then. But afterwards, when wefound we couldn't get down off the church-tower, it seemed just exactlylike it. We are all very sorry"--
"Say no more about it," said the Vicar's wife; "but another time justthink before you take other people's tongues. Now--some cake and milkbefore you go home?"
When Andrew came to say that the horse was put to, and was he expectedto be led alone into the trap that he had plainly seen from the first,he found the children eating cake and drinking milk and laughing at theVicar's jokes. Jane was sitting on the Vicar's wife's lap.
So you see they got off better than they deserved.
The gamekeeper, who was the cook's cousin, asked leave to drive homewith them, and Andrew was only too glad to have someone to protect himfrom that trap he was so certain of.
When the wagonette reached their own house, between the chalk-quarry andthe gravel-pit, the children were very sleepy, but they felt that theyand the keeper were friends for life.
Andrew dumped the children down at the iron gate without a word.
"You get along home," said the Vicarage cook's cousin, who was agamekeeper. "I'll get me home on shanks' mare."
So Andrew had to drive off alone, which he did not like at all, and itwas the keeper that was cousin to the Vicarage cook who went with thechildren to the door, and, when they had been swept to bed in awhirlwind of reproaches, remained to explain to Martha and the cook andthe housemaid exactly what had happened. He explained so well thatMartha was quite amicable the next morning.
After that he often used to come over and see Martha, and in theend--but that is another story, as dear Mr. Kipling says.
Martha was obliged to stick to what she had said the night before aboutkeeping the children indoors the next day for a punishment. But shewasn't at all ugly about it, and agreed to let Robert go out for half anhour to get something he particularly wanted.
This, of course, was the day's wish.
Robert rushed to the gravel-pit, found the Psammead, and presentlywished for--
> But that, too, is another story.