“Jolly
bad luck on old George, coming to stay with us for Christmas - and then us all
going down with those awful colds and coughs,” said Julian.
“Yes
- and being in bed on Christmas Day was horrible,” said George.  Fancy not being hungry on Christmas Day! I
never thought that would happen to me!”
“Timmy
was the only one of us who didn’t get ill,” said Anne, patting him. “You were a
pet, Tim, when we were in bed. You divided your time between us nicely.”
“Woof!”
said Timmy, rather solemnly. He hadn’t been at all happy this Christmas. To
have four of the five in bed, coughing and sneezing, was quite unheard of!
“Well,
anyhow, we’re all up again,” said Dick. “Though my legs don’t really feel as if
they belong to me yet!”
“Oh
- do yours feel like that too?” asked George. “I was quite worried about mine!”
“We
all feel the same,” said Julian, "but we shall be quite diferent in a day
or two - now we’re up. Anyway - we go back to school next week - so we’d better
feel all right!”
Everyone
groaned - and then coughed. “That’s the worst of this germ we’ve had, whatever
it is,” said George. “If we laugh - or speak loudly - or groan - we start
coughing. I shall go completely mad if I don’t get rid of my cough. It keeps me
awake for hours at night!”
Anne
went to the window. “It’s been snowing again,” she said. “Not much - but it
looks lovely. To think we might have been out in it all last week. I do think
it’s too bad to have holidays like this.”
George
joined her at the window.
“Here’s
the doctor,” said Anne. “I bet he’ll say we’re all quite all right to go back
to school next week!”
In
a minute or two the door opened and the doctor came into the room, with the
mother of Julian, Dick and Anne. She looked tired - and no wonder! Looking
after four ill children and a most miserable dog over Christmas had not been an
easy job!
“Well,
here they are - all up and about now!” said Mrs. Barnard. “They look pretty
down in the mouth, don’t they?”
“Oh
- they’ll soon perk up,” said Dr. Drew, sitting down and looking at each of the
four in turn. “George looks the worst - not so strong as the others, I
suppose.”
George
went red with annoyance, and Dick chuckled. “Poor George is the weakling of the
family,” he said. “She had the highest temperature, the worst cough, and the
loudest groans, and she...”
But
whatever else he was going to say was lost beneath the biggest cushion in the
room, which an angry George had flung at him with all her might.  That set all the four coughing,
of course, and the doctor put his hands to his ears.
“Will
they be well enough to go to school, Doctor?” asked Mrs. Barnard anxiously.
“Well,
yes - they would - but they ought to get rid of those coughs first,” said the
doctor. He looked out of the window at the snow. “I wonder now - no - I don’t
suppose it’s possible - but...”
“But
what?” said Dick, pricking up his ears at once. “Going to send us to
The
doctor laughed. “You’re going too fast! ” he said. “No - I wasn’t actually
thinking of
“Yes.
I suppose it is,” said Julian. “No - we can’t expect a holiday in
“Oh
yes!” said George, her eyes shining. “It would really make up for these
miserable holidays! Do you mean all by ourselves, Doctor? We’d love that.”
“Well,
no - someone ought to be there, surely,” said Dr. Drew. “But that’s up to your
parents.”
“I
think it’s a jolly good idea,” said Julian. “Mother - don’t you think so? I’m
sure you’re longing to be rid of us all for a while. You look worn out!”
His
mother smiled. “ Well - if it’s what you need - a short holiday somewhere to
get rid of your coughs - you must have it. And I won’t say that I shan’t enjoy
a little rest while you’re enjoying yourselves having a good time! I’ll talk it
over with your father.”
“Woof!”
said Timmy, looking enquiringly at the doctor, both ears pricked high.
“He
says - he needs a rest somewhere too,” explained George. “He wants to know if
he can come with us.”
“Let’s
have a look at your tongue, Timmy, and give me your paw to feel if it’s hot or
not,” said Dr. Drew, gravely. He held out his hand, and Timmy obediently put his
paw into it.
The
four children laughed - and immediately began to cough again. How they coughed!
The doctor shook his head at them. “What a din! I shouldn’t have made you
laugh. Now I shan’t be coming to see you again until just before you go back to
school. I expect your mother will let me know when that day comes. Goodbye till
then - and have a good time, wherever you go!”
“We
will!” said Julian. “And thanks for bothering about us so much. We’ll send you
a card when our coughs are gone!”
As
soon as Dr. Drew had driven off in his car, there was a conference. “We can go
off somewhere, can’t we, Mother?” said Dick, eagerly. “The sooner the better!
You must be tired to death of our coughs, night and day!”
“Yes.
I think you must go somewhere for a week or ten days,” said his mother. “But
the question is - where? You could go off to George’s home, I suppose - Kirrin
Cottage... but it’s not high up... and besides, George’s father would certainly
not welcome four coughs like yours!”
“No.
He’d go mad at once,” said George. “He’d fling open his study door - and stride
into our room - and shout ‘Who’s mak...’ ”
But
as George began to shout, she coughed - and that was the end of her little
piece of acting! “That’s enough, George,” said her aunt. “For goodness’ sake,
go and get a drink of water.”
There
was much debating about where they could go for a little while, and all the
time they were talking the snow fell steadily. Dick went to the window,
pleased.
“If
only we could find a place high up on a hill, just as the doctor said, a place
where we could use our toboggans, and our skis,” he said. “Gosh, it makes me
feel better already to think of it. I do hope this snow goes on and on.”
“I
think I’d better ring up a holiday agency and see if they can offer us something
sensible,” said his mother. “Maybe a summer camp set up on a hill would do - it
would be empty now, and you could have the choice of a hut or a chalet or
something.”
But
all her telephoning came to nothing! “No,” said the agencies. “Sorry - we haven’t
anything to suggest. Our camps are all closed down now. No - we know of no
winter ones in this country at all!”
And
then, as so often happens, the problem was suddenly solved by somebody no one
had thought of asking ... old Jenkins, the gardener! There was nothing for him
to do that day except sweep a path through the snow. He saw the children
watching him from the window, grinned and came up to them.
“How
are you?” he shouted. “Would you like some apples? They’ve ripened nicely now,
those late ones. Your mother said you weren’t feeling like apples - or pears
either. But maybe you’re ready for some now.”
“Yes!
 “Bring them
in, Jenkins. Come and talk to us!”
So
old Jenkins came in, carrying a basket of ripe, yellow apples, and some plump,
brown-yellow pears.
“And
how are you now?” he said, in his soft Welsh voice, for he came from the Welsh
mountains. “It’s pale you are, and thin too. Ah, it’s the mountain air of Wales
you want!”
He
smiled all over his wrinkled brown face, handing round his basket. The children
helped themselves to the fruit.
“Mountain
air - that’s what the doctor ordered!” said Julian, biting into a juicy pear.
 “And a good cook
she is, my Aunt Glenys. But the winter-time now - I’m not knowing if she’d do
it then, what with the snow and all. Her farm’s on the hillside, man - and the
slope runs right down to the sea. A fine place it is in the summer - but
there’ll be nothing but snow there now, sure as I’m telling you.”
“But
- it sounds exactly right,” said Anne, delighted. “Doesn’t it, Ju? Let’s call
Mother! Mother! Mother, where are you?”
Her
mother came running in, afraid that one of the children was feeling ill again.
She was most astonished to see old Jenkins there - and even more astonished to
hear the four children pouring out what he had just told them. Timmy added a
few excited barks, and Jenkins stood twirling his old hat, quite overcome.
The
excitement made Julian and Dick cough distressingly. “Now listen to me,” said
their mother, firmly. “Go straight upstairs, and take another dose of your
cough medicine. I’ll talk to Jenkins and find out what all this is about. No -
don’t interrupt, Dick. GO!”
They
went at once, and left their mother talking to the bewildered gardener. “Blow
this cough!” said Dick, pouring out his usual dose. “Gosh, I hope Mother fixes
up something with Jenkins’ aunt.  “That’s if she’ll take us. It’s the
kind of sudden idea that clicks - don’t you think so?”
Julian
was right. The idea did “click”. His mother had actually met Jenkins’ old aunt
that spring, when she had come to visit her relations, and Jenkins had brought
her proudly up to the house to introduce her to the cook. So when Dick and
Julian went downstairs again, they were met with good news.
“I’m
telephoning to Jenkins’ aunt, old Mrs. Jones,” said their mother. “And if
she’ll take you - well off you can go in a day or two - coughs and all!”
Chapter
Two
OFF
TO MAGGA GLEN
Everything
was soon settled. Old Mrs. Jones, whose voice came remarkably clearly over the
long-distance call, seemed delighted to take the four children.
“Yes,
Mam. I understand. Oh, their coughs won’t last a day here, don’t you be
fretting, Mam. And how’s my nephew, Ifor Jenkins, Mam? It’s hoping I am that
he’s still pleasing you. A wild boy he was, and...”
“Mother!
Tell her we’re bringing a dog, too,” said Julian, in his mother’s ear. George
had been making wild gestures to him, pointing first to Timmy, then to the
telephone, where her aunt stood patiently listening to old Mrs. Jones’ gossipy
talk.
“Oh
- er - Mrs. Jones - there’ll be a dog, too!” said her aunt. “What - you’ve
seven dogs already? Good gracious! Oh, for the sheep, of course...”
“Seven
dogs, Timmy!” said George, in a low voice to Tim, who wagged his tail at once.
“What do you think of that? Seven! You’ll have the time of your life!”
“Sh!”
said Julian, seeing his mother glance crossly at George. He felt thankful that
this unexpected holiday had been so quickly fixed up. Like the others, he was
beginning to feel very down and dull. It would he wonderful to go away. He
wondered where their skis were...
Everyone
looked brighter when things had been settled. No school for some time! No
lounging about the house wishing something would happen! Tirnmy would be able
to go for long walks at last. They would be on their own again, too, a thing
the Five loved.
Jenkins
was very helpful in looking out toboggans and skis. He brought them all into
the house to be examined and cleaned. Something exciting to do at last! Their
exertions made them all cough badly, but they didn’t mind so much now.
“Only
two days to wait - then we’re off!” said Dick. “Ought we to take our skates, do
you think?”
“No.
Jenkins says there’s no skating round about the farm,” said George. “I asked
him. I say - look at that mound of woollen clothes your mother’s just brought
in, Ju! We might be going to the North Pole!”
“Whew,
Mother! If we wear all those, we’ll never be able to ski!” said Julian. “Gosh,
look - six scarves! Even if Timmy wears one, that’s one too many.”
“One
or two may get wet,” said his mother. “It won’t matter how many clothes you
take - you’re going by car, and we can easily get everything in.”
“I’ll
take my field-glasses, too,” said Dick. “You never know when they might be
useful. George, old thing, I do hope Timmy will be friends with the farm dogs.
It would be awful if he quarrelled with them - and he does sometimes get fierce
with other dogs, you know - especially if we make a fuss of them!”
“He’ll
behave perfectly,” said George. “And there’s no need to make a fuss of other
dogs if we’ve got Timmy.”
“All
right, teacher! ” said Dick, and George stopped her polishing and threw her
duster at him. Yes - certainly things were getting normal again!
When
the time came for the children to set out on their journey they were feeling a
good deal better - though their coughs were still almost as bad! “I do hope you’ll
lose those awful coughs, Julian, before you come back,” said his mother. “It
worries me to hear you all cough, cough, cough, day and night!”
“Poor
old Mother - you have had a time!” said Julian, giving her a hug. “You’ve been
a brick. What a sigh of relief you’ll give when we’re all safely away in the
car!”
At
last the car came, driving up the snowy path to the house. It was a hired car,
a very big one, and that was fortunate, as the children’s luggage was truly
colossal! The driver was a cheerful little man, and he and Jenkins soon had the
suit-cases, toboggans, skis and all the rest either in the boot of the car, or
strapped on top.
“There
we are, Mam!” said the driver at last. “Everything made fast. We’re making a
nice early start, and we should be safe in Magga Glen before it’s dark.”
“We’re
all ready to start!” said Julian and the little man nodded and smiled, climbing
into the driving-seat.  Not that he would stay there long! He liked to
look out of the window just as much as the children did!
Everyone
heaved a sigh of relief as the car slid down the drive. They were off at last!
Jenkins was at the gate, and waved as they went past.

The
driver was very chatty. He soon heard all about their miserable holidays, and
how much they were looking forward to their unexpected break before going back
to school. In return he told them all about himself and his family - and as he
had eleven brothers and sisters, his tale lasted for a good part of the
journey!
They
stopped for a meal in the car after some time, and found that they were hungry
for the first time since they had been ill.
“Good
gracious - I can really taste these sandwiches!” said George, in a surprised
voice.
“Timmy - you’re not going to fare so well, now that we’re getting our appetites
back!”
“He
was a very good dustbin while we were ill, wasn’t he?” said Dick. “He simply
gobbled up all the bits and pieces we couldn’t eat. Ugh - that boiled fish! It
tasted like stewed knitting!”
They
laughed - and that set them off coughing again. The driver listened and shook
his head. “Nasty coughs you’ve got!” he said. “Reminds me of the time when me
and my family got whooping-cough - twelve of us together. My, when we all
whooped, it sounded like a lot of fire-sirens going off!”
That
made the children laugh again, and cough. But somehow nobody minded the
irritating coughs now - they would surely soon be gone, once they could get out
into the country and try their legs at running and racing and skiing once
again.
It
was a long drive. All the children fell asleep in the car after their meal, and
the driver smiled to see them lolling back against one another, looking very
peaceful. Only Timmy was awake, and he climbed cautiously up between George and
the window, wishing the window was open, so that he could put his big nose out
into the wind, as he loved to do.
They
stopped for a very early tea at a tea-shop in a village. “Better stretch your
legs a bit,” said the driver, getting out. “I know I want to stretch mine. Look
- I’m going into that place over there for my tea.  You go and tuck in at this tea-shop here, and ask
for their buttered crumpets. Best in the kingdom they are! Be back for you in a
quarter of an hour - not longer, or we shan’t be at the farmhouse before dark.
It’s still about an hour’s run, but there’ll be a moon later on.”
They
were all glad to stretch their legs. Timmy bounded out as if he were on
springs, barking madly. He was disappointed to find that they were only making
a short stop - he had hoped they were at the end of their journey. But he was
pleased to be given a buttery crumpet all to himself in the tea-shop. He licked
every scrap of butter off first, much to the children’s amusement.
“I’d
rather like to do that myself, Timmy,” said Anne. “But it’s not really good
manners, you know! Oh, don’t make my shoe buttery - take your crumpet a bit
farther away.”
They
had time for two crumpets each, and a cup of hot tea. Julian bought some
chocolate biscuits, as he felt unexpectedly hungry, even after two crumpets.
“Marvellous
to feel even a bit hungry, after not being able to look even bread and butter
in the face!” he said. “I knew we must be jolly ill that day we couldn’t eat
even ice-cream though Mother tried to tempt us with some!”
“My
legs are still a bit funny,” said Anne, walking back to the car. “But they’re
beginning to feel as if they belong to me, thank goodness!”
They
set off again. They were in Wales now, and mountains were beginning to loom up
in the distance. It was a very clear evening, and although the mountains were
white with snow, the countryside they passed was not nearly as snowy as their
own home had been when they left.
“I
hope to goodness the snow doesn’t begin to melt, just as we’ve arrived,” said
Dick. “It seems all right up on the mountains at present - but down here in the
valleys there’s hardly any.”
They
passed a sign-post, and Julian looked to see what it said. He made out a word
that looked like Cymryhlli, and called to the driver.
“Did
you see that sign-post? Should we look out for Magga Glen now?”
“Yes.
We must be getting on that way,” said the driver. “I’ve been looking out for it
myself. I wonder I haven’t seen it yet.”
“Goodness!
I hope we haven’t lost our way,” said Anne. “It will soon be dark.”
The
car went on and on. “Better look out for a village,” said Julian. But they
didn’t come to one - nor did they see any other sign-posts. The night was now
coming on, but there was already a small moon, which gave a little light.
“Are
you sure we’re right?” Dick asked the driver. “The road seems to be getting a
bit rough - and we haven’t passed even a farmhouse for ages.”
“Well
- maybe we are on the wrong road,” admitted the driver, slowing down. “Though
where we took the wrong turning I simply don’t know! I reckon we’re near the
sea now.”
“Look
- there’s a turning up to the right!” shouted George, as they went slowly on.
“It’s got a sign-post, too!”
They
stopped by the sign-post, which was only a small one. “It doesn’t say Magga
Glen,” said Dick, disappointed. “It says Old Towers - just that. Would it be
the name of a place, do you think - or a building? Where’s a map?”
The
driver hadn’t one. “I don’t usually need a map,” he said. “But this here
countryside isn’t sign-posted as it should be, and I wish I’d brought my route
with me. I guess we’d better turn right and go up to see this Old Towers. Maybe
they can put us on our road!”
So
they swung up to the right, and the car went slowly, crawling up a long, steep,
winding road.
“It’s
quite a mountain,” said Anne, peering out of the window. “Oh - I can see
something - a building on the side of the hill, look - with towers. This must
be it.”
They
came to stout wooden gates.  “Keep out! Why should we?
Wait a bit - there’s a little lodge here. I’ll go and ask our way.”
But
the lodge was no more helpful than the big gate. It was in complete darkness,
and when the driver banged on the door, there was no answer at all. Now what
could they do?
Chapter
Three
THE
END OF THE JOURNEY
“Well
- we’d better turn round and go back down the hill,” said Dick, as the driver
came back to the car.
“No,
wait, I’ll just hop out and see if there are any lights anywhere,” said Julian,
and jumped out of the car. “I could go up the drive a little way and see if I
can spot the house itself. It can’t be very far. After all, we spotted it just
now as we came up the winding road.”
He
went to the gates, and looked at them in the light from the car’s headlamps.
“They’re padlocked,” he called. “But I think I can climb over. There’s
certainly a light somewhere beyond - though how far, I don’t know.”
But
before he could climb over the gate there came the sound of running footsteps
behind it - and then a loud and savage howl came on the night air, and some
animal hurled itself against the other side of the gate.
The
driver got back hurriedly into the car and slammed the door. Julian also ran to
the car, finding his legs could go quickly if he wanted them to, for all their
feebleness!
Timmy
began to bark fiercely, and tried to leap through the closed car-window. The
howling and barking behind the gates went on and on, and the dog there, which
must have been a very big one, continually hurled itself against the gates,
shaking them from top to bottom.
“Better
turn round and go,” said the driver, scared.
“Whew!
I’m glad I’m this side of those gates. What a din!
Timmy
was certainly furious. Why wasn’t he allowed to get out and tell the other dog
what he thought of him? George tried to pacify him, but he wouldn’t stop
barking. The driver began to turn the car round, cautiously backing a little
and then going forward, and backing again. The road was fairly wide, but there
was a very steep slope to the right of the car. Old Towers was certainly built
on a mountainside!
 “Yet it’s such a lonely place you wouldn’t think many people would come
near it. What’s up, driver?”
“There’s
something wrong,” said the driver, who now had the car facing back down the
road again. “The car seems very heavy to drive, all of a sudden. As if I’d got
my brakes on.”
“Perhaps
you have,” said Julian.
“Well,
I haven’t,” said the driver, shortly. “That is, only just a little, to make
sure the car doesn’t shoot off down the hill - you can see it’s pretty steep
here, and there’s almost a cliff, your side. Don’t want to drive down there in
the dark! What can be the matter with the car? It will only crawl.”
“I
thought it came up the hill terribly slowly, too,” said Dick. “I know the road
was steep and winding - but didn’t it seem to you as if the car was making
heavy work of it?”
“Well,
yes, it did,” admitted the driver. “But I just thought the hill must be steeper
than I imagined. What is the matter with the car? I’ve got no brake on at all,
and I’m pushing the accelerator down hard - and still she crawls! As if she’d
got a ton weight to pull!”
It
really was a puzzle. Julian felt worried. He didn’t want them to have to spend
the night in the car, lost in a cold countryside - especially as now it was
beginning to snow lightly! The moon had disappeared behind heavy clouds, and
everything looked very dark indeed.
They
reached the bottom of the hill at last, and came on to the level road again.
The driver heaved a sigh of relief - and then gave a sudden exclamation.
“What’s
happened? The car’s all right again! She’s going like a bird!  I thought she was going to pack up, and leave us to spend the
night here.”
The
car sped along well now, and everyone was most relieved. “Must have been
something wrong with her works somewhere,” said the driver. “But I’m blessed if
I know what it was! Now - look out for a house or a signpost.”
They
actually came to a sign-post not long after that, and George yelled out at
once. “Stop! Here’s a signpost. STOP!”
The
car slid to a stop beside it, and everyone looked at it and gave a shout of
delight. “Magga Glen! Hurrah!”
“Up
to the left,” said the driver, and swung his car into the lane. It was rather
rough, and obviously only a farm-road - but there, right up the hill they were
now climbing, was a house, with lights shining in the windows. That must be old
Mrs. Jones’ farmhouse.
“Thank
goodness!” said Julian. “This must be it. I’m glad we got here before the snow
set in properly. It’s quite difficult to see through the windscreen now.”
Yes
- it was the farmhouse. Dogs set up a terrific barking as the car drew near,
and Timmy at once answered, almost deafening everyone in the car!
The
driver drew up at the farmhouse door, and looked out cautiously to make sure
that none of the barking dogs was leaping about round the car. The front door
opened, and framed in the light stood a little old woman, as upright as any of
the children!
“Come
you in, come you in!” she called. “Out of this cold and snow! Our Morgan will
help with the luggage. Come you in, now! ”
The
four children, suddenly feeling very tired, got out of the car. Anne almost
stumbled, because once again her legs felt as if they didn’t belong to her,
ancl Julian caught her arm. They went in wearily, only Timmy seeming to have
any energy! A tall man hurried out to help the driver with the luggage,
saluting them as he passed.
The
old lady took them into a big warm living-room and made them sit down. “What a
journey for you!” she said. “You look worn out and poorly. It’s late you are,
too, and I’d a good tea laid for you. But now it’s supper you’ll be wanting,
poor children!”
Julian
caught sight of a loaded table not far from the fire, set to one side. Although
he was tired, the sight of the good food there made him suddenly feel hungry.
He smiled at the kind old woman. Her hair gleamed like silver, and her fine old
face was wrinkled all over - but her eyes were as sharp and bright as a
blackbird’s.
“I’m
sorry we’re so late,” he said. “We lost our way. This is my sister Anne - this
is our cousin George - and this is my brother Dick.”
“And
this is Timmy,” said George, and Timmy at once offered his paw to the old
woman.
“Well,
now, it’s a wonder to see a dog with such good manners,” she said. “We’ve seven
- but not one of them would shake hands - no, not if the Queen herself came
here, God bless her!”
The
barking of the dogs had now died down. Not one of them was to be seen in the
house, and the children thought they must be outside in kennels somewhere.
Timmy
trotted about round the room, sniffing into every corner with much interest.
Finally he went to the table, put his paws up and had a good look at the food
there. Then he went to George and whined.
“He
says he likes the look of the food there,” George said to the old woman. “I
must say I agree with him! It looks good!”
“You
go and wash and get yourselves a bit tidy, while I make some hot tea,” said
Mrs. Jones. “You look cold and hungry. Go through that door, look - and up the
little flight of stairs. The rooms up there are all yours - no one will disturb
you.”
The
Five went out of the door and found themselves in a little stone passage,
lighted by a candle. A narrow flight of stone steps led upwards to a small
landing on which another candle burned. The steps were very steep, and the
children stumbled up them, their legs stiff after their long drive.
Two
bedrooms opened off the little landing, opposite to one another. They seemed
exactly alike, and were furnished in the same way too. There were wash-stances
with basins, and in each basin was a jug of hot water, wrapped around with a
towel. Wood-fires burned in the little stone fireplaces, their flames lighting
the rooms almost more than the single candles there.
“You’ll
have this room, girls, and Dick and I will have the other,” said Julian. “Gosh
- wood-fires in our bedrooms! What a treat!”
“I
shall go to bed early, and lie and watch the flames,” said Anne. “I’m glad the
rooms aren’t cold. I know I should cough if they were.”
“We
haven’t coughed quite so much today,” said Dick, and immediately, of course,
had a very bad fit of coughing! The old woman downstairs heard him, and called
up at once.
“You
hurry up, now, and come down into the warm!”
They
were soon downstairs, sitting in the warm living-room. Nobody was there except
old Mrs. Jones, pouring out tea.
“Isn’t
anyone else coming in to tea?” asked George, looking all round. “Surely all
this food isn’t just for us?”
“Oh
yes it is,” said the old woman, cutting some ham in long thin slices. “This is
your own room - the room I let out to families for themselves. We’ve got our
big kitchen yonder for ourselves. You can do what you like here - make as much
noise as it pleases you - no one will hear you - our stone walls are so thick!”
After
she had served them, she went out of the room, nodding and smiling. The
children looked at one another.
“I
like her very much,” said Anne. “How old she must be, if she is Jenkins’ aunt!
But her eyes are so bright and young!”
“I
feel better already,” said Dick, tucking into the ham. “George, give Timmy
something, He keeps poking me with his paw, and I really can’t spare him any of
my ham.”
“He
can have some of mine,” said George. “I thought I was hungry - but I’m not,
after all. I suddenly feel tired.”
Julian
looked at her.
“Finish your meal, old thing,” said Julian, “and go up to bed. You can unpack
tomorrow. You’re tired out with the long drive! Anne doesn’t look nearly so
tired as you do!”
Old
Mrs. Jones came in again, and approved highly of Julian’s idea that they should
all go up to bed when they had finished. “Get up tomorrow when you like,” she
said. “And just come into my kitchen and tell me when you’re down. You can do
just what you like here!”
But
all they wanted to do at that moment was to get into bed and go to sleep by the
light of the crackling wood-fires!  All except Timmy. He kept guard by the
door for a long long time before he crept on to George’s bed. Good old Timmy!
Chapter
Four
IN
THE OLD FARMHOUSE
The
four children slept like logs all night long. If they coughed they didn’t know
it! They lay in their beds, hardly moving - and only Timmy opened an eye occasionally,
as he always did on the first night in a strange place.
He
jumped when a burning log fell to one side in the fireplace.  He
cocked up an ear when an owl hooted outside the window.
But
at last he too fell asleep, lying as usual on George’s feet - though old Mrs.
Jones would not have approved of that at all!
Julian
awoke first in the morning. He heard the sounds of the farm coming through the
closed window. Shouts of one man to another - the lowing of cows - the barking
of one dog after another, and then all together - and the peaceful sound of
hens clucking and ducks quacking. It was nice to lie and hear it all, feeling
warm and lazy.
He
looked at his watch. Good gracious, it was almost nine o’clock! Whatever would
Mrs. Jones think of them? He leapt out of bed, and awoke Dick with the quick
movement.
“It’s
almost nine!” said Julian, and went to the washstand. This time there was only
cold water in the big china jug, but he didn’t mind. The bedroom was still warm
with the burnt-out wood-fires. The sun shone outside, but in the night the snow
must have fallen heavily, for everywhere was white.
“Good,”
said Julian, looking out. “We shall be able to use our toboggans soon. Wake the
girls, Dick.”
But
the girls were already awake, for Timmy had heard the boys stirring, and had
gone whining to the door. George stretched herself, feeling quite different
from the night before.
“Anne
- how do you feel? I feel really fine!” said George, pleased. “Do you know it’s
nine o’clock? We’ve slept for more than twelve hours. No wonder we feel
better!”
“Yes.
I certainly do too,” said Anne, with an enormous yawn. “Oh look, I’ve made
Timmy yawn too! Timmy, did you sleep well?”
“Woof!”
said Timmy, and pawed impatiently at the door. “He wants his breakfast,” said
George. “I wonder what there is. I feel rather like bacon and egg - goodness, I
thought I’d never feel like eating that again. Brrrr - this water’s cold to
wash in.”
They
all went downstairs together and found their living-room warm with a great
wood-fire. Breakfast was laid, but only a big crusty loaf, butter and home-made
marmalade were there, with an enormous jug of cold, creamy milk.
Mrs.
Jones came in almost at once, beaming at them. “Well, good morning to you now,”
she said, “and a nice morning it is too, for all the snow we had in the night.
What would you be wanting for breakfast now? Ham and eggs - or home-made pork
sausages - or meat patties - or...”
“I’d
like ham and eggs,” said Julian, at once, and the others said the same. Mrs.
Jones went out of the room, and the children rubbed their hands.
“I
feared we were only going to have bread and butter and marmalade,” said Dick.
“I say, look at the cream on the top of this milk! Me for a farm life when I
grow up!”
“Woof!”
said Timmy, approvingly. He kept hearing the other dogs barking, and going to
the window to look out. George laughed at him. “You’ll have to remember you’re
just a visitor, when you meet those dogs,” she said. “No throwing your weight
about, and barking your head off!”
“They
look pretty big dogs,” said Dick, joining Timmy at the window. “Welsh collies,
I should think - they’re so good with the sheep. I say - I wonder what that dog
was that barked at us so fiercely last night, behind that gate at Old Towers?
Do you remember?”
“Yes.
I didn’t much like it,” said Anne. “It was rather like a nasty dream - losing
our way - going up that steep hill - only to find that horrid notice on the
gates - and nobody to ask the way - and then that hidden dog barking
ferociously just the other side of the gates! And then the car crawling down
the hill in that strange way.”
“Yes.
It was a bit queer,” said Dick. “Ah - here comes our breakfast. Mrs. Jones,
you’ve brought in enough for eight people, not four!”

“This
is my son Morgan,” she said. The four children looked at the giantlike man in
awe.
“Good
morning,” said Julian and Dick together, and Morgan nodded his head, after
giving them one quick look. The girls gave him polite smiles, and he nodded at
them too, but didn’t speak a word. He went out at once.
“He’s
not much of a one for talking,” said the old woman. “Not my Morgan. But the
voice he’s got when he’s angry! I’m telling the truth when I say you could hear
him a mile away! Sends the sheep skittering off for miles when he shouts!”
Julian
felt that he could quite believe it. “Those are his dogs you can hear barking,”
said the old woman. “Three of them. They go about with my Morgan everywhere.
He’s all for dogs, he is. Doesn’t care much about people! He’s got four more
dogs on the hills with the sheep - and, believe you me, if Morgan went out in
the yard there, and shouted, those four dogs away with the sheep on the hills
far yonder would hear him and come tearing down here like a flash of
lightning!”
The
children felt as if they could well believe this of the giantlike Morgan. They
rather wished he would call his dogs. His voice would certainly be worth
hearing!
They
set to work on their breakfast, and although they couldn’t eat quite all that
Mrs. Jones had brought, they managed to do very well indeed! So did Timmy. They
especially liked the bread, which was home-made and very good.
“I
could really make a meal just of this home-made bread and fresh butter,” said
Anne. “Our bread at home doesn’t taste a bit the same. I say - wouldn’t Mother
be amazed to see the breakfast we’ve eaten today?”
“She
certainly would - considering that we haven’t felt like eating even a boiled
egg for days,” said Dick. “I say - oughtn’t we to telephone home, Julian, and
say we’re safely here?”
“Gosh,
yes,” said Julian. “I meant to last night. I’ll do that now, if Mrs. Jones will
let me. Hallo, look - isn’t that our last night’s driver going off? He must
have spent the night here.”
The
driver was about to get into his car when he heard Julian knocking at the
window. He came over to the farmhouse, and walked in at the front door, and
soon found the children’s living-room.
“I’m
just off,” he announced. “The old lady gave me a bed in the barn last night -
never been so cosy in my life! And I say - I’ve found out why the car crawled
so slowly up and down that hill to Old Towers last night!”
“Oh,
have you? Why was it then?” asked Julian, with interest.
“Well,
it wasn’t anything to do with the car,” said the driver, “and wasn’t I thankful
to know that! It was to do with the hill itself.”
“Whatever
do you mean?” said Dick, puzzled.
“Well,
the shepherd’s wife told me they think there must be something magnetic down
under that hill,” said the driver. “Because when the postman goes up on his
bicycle, the same thing happens. His bicycle feels like lead, so heavy that he
can’t even cycle up - and if he pushes his bike, it feels just as heavy too. So
now he leaves his bike at the bottom and just walks up!”
“I
see - so the magnetic whatever-it-is got hold of the car last night, and pulled
so much that it made it go slow too,” said Julian. “Queer! There must be some
deposit of powerful metal in that hill. Does it affect all cars like that?”
“Oh
yes - no one goes up there in a car if they can help it,” said the driver.
“Funny thing, isn’t it? Queer hill altogether, if you ask me - that notice on
the gate and all!”
“I
wonder who lives there?” said Dick.
“Only
an old dame,” said the driver. “She’s off her head, so they say - won’t let
anyone in! Well - we know that all right. Sorry I lost my way last night - but
you’re all right now. You’re in clover here!”
He
moved to the door, raised his hand in salute, and went out. They saw him
through the window getting into his car and driving away, waving a
leather-gloved hand out of the window.
“Is
the snow thick enough to toboggan on?” wondered George. “It doesn’t look like
it. Let’s go out and see. Better wrap up well, though - I bet the wind’s cold
out on this hill, and I don’t want to start sniffing again. I’ve had enough of
that.”
Soon
they were all clad in heavy coats, scarves and woollen hats. Mrs. Jones nodded
her head when she saw them, and smiled. “Sensible children you are,” she said.
“Cold it is today, with a biting wind, but healthy weather! Be careful of that
dog of yours, my boy - don’t you let him loose till you’re well away from the farm,
in case he goes for one of my Morgan’s dogs.”
George
smiled, pleased to be addressed as a boy. They began to wander round the farm,
Timmy cross because he was on the lead. He pulled at it, wanting to run round
and explore on his own. But George wouldn’t let him. “Not till you’ve made
friends with all the other dogs,” she said. “I wonder where they are?”
“Must
have gone out with Morgan,” said Dick. “Come on - let’s go and look at the cows
in the sheds. I do love the smell of cows.”
They
wandered round the farm, enjoying the pale sun, the keen wind, and the feeling
that their legs belonged to them at last, and were not likely to give way at
any moment. They hardly coughed at all, and felt quite aggrieved when one or
other suddenly began.
“I
shall let old Timmy off the lead a bit now,” said George. “I can’t see a dog
about anywhere.” So she slipped the lead off his collar and he ran off joyfully
at once, sniffing here, there and everywhere. He disappeared round a corner,
his tongue hanging out happily.
And
then the most appalling barking began! The children stopped as if they had been
shot. It wasn’t one dog, or even two - it sounded like a dozen! The four rushed
round the corner of a barn at once - and there was poor Timmy, standing with
his back to the barn, growling and barking and snarling at three fierce dogs!
“No,
George, no, don’t go to Timmy,” shouted Julian, seeing that George was going to
rescue Tim, whatever happened. “Those dogs are savage!”
But
what did George care for that? She raced to Timmy, stood in front of him, and
yelled at the three surprised dogs snarling there. “HOW DARE YOU! GET AWAY! GO
HOME!
Chapter
Five
THINGS
MIGHT BE WORSE!
The
three snarling dogs took no notice of George. It was Timmy they wanted. Who was
this strange dog who dared to come wandering round their home? They tried to
get at him, but George stood there, swinging the leather lead, and giving first
one dog and then another a sharp flick. Julian rushed to help her - and then
Timmy gave a sharp yelp. He had been bitten!
Someone
came rushing round the corner. It was Mrs. Jones, running as if she were a
twelve-year-old!
“Tang!
Bob! Dai!” she called, but the three dogs took no notice of her. And then, from
somewhere, came a voice. What a voice! It echoed all round the farmyard as if
it had come through a megaphone.
“DAI!
BOB! TANG!”
And
at the sound of that stentorian voice the three dogs stopped as if shot. Then
they turned about and tore off at top speed.
“Thank
God! That was Morgan,” panted the old woman, clutching her shawl round her. “He
must have heard the barking.  She took hold
of George’s arm, and looked at her anxiously.
“I
don’t know. I don’t think so,” said George, looking rather white. “It’s Timmy
that’s hurt. Oh, Tim, darling Tim, where did they bite you?”
“Woof!”
said Timmy, who, though extremely startled, didn’t seem at all frightened. It
had all happened so suddenly. George dropped down on her knees in the snow, and
gave a little scream. “He’s been bitten on the neck - oh look! Poor, poor,
Timmy. Why did I let you off the lead?”
“It’s
not much, George,” said Julian, looking at the bleeding place. “The other dog
bit just where his collar is, look - and his teeth went through the collar, not
really into Tim’s neck. It’s really not much more than a graze.”
Anne
was leaning against the wall, looking sick, and Dick suddenly felt as if his
legs were wobbly again. He couldn’t help thinking what would have happened if
the three savage dogs had bitten George instead of Timmy. Good old George! She
was as brave as a lion!
“What
a thing to happen!” said old Mrs. Jones, upset. “Why for did you let him loose,
my boy? You should have waited for my Morgan to come along with his dogs, and
tell them your Timmy was a friend.”
“I
know,” said George, still on her knees beside Timmy. “It was all my fault. Oh,
Timmy, I’m so thankful you’ve only got that one small bite. Mrs. Jones, have
you any iodine? I must put some on at once.”
But
before Mrs. Jones could answer, the giantlike figure of Morgan came round the
corner of the barn, his three dogs, extremely subdued now, at his heels.
“Hey?”
he said, enquiringly, looking at the four children and his mother.
“The
dogs attacked this one,” explained his mother. “You shouted just in time,
Morgan. But he’s not much hurt. You should have seen this boy here - the one
the dog belongs to - he stood in front of his dog, and fought off Tang, Bob and
Dai!”
Julian
couldn’t help smiling to hear George continually called a boy - but, standing
there in snow-trousers and coat, a woollen cap on her short hair, she looked
very like a sturdy boy.
“Please
come and get the iodine,” said George, anxiously, seeing a drop of blood drip
from Timmy’s neck on to the white snow. Morgan took a step forward and bent
down to look at Timmy.
He
made a small scornful sound and stood up again. “He’s all right,” he said, and
walked off.
George
stared after him angrily. It was his dogs that had attacked and hurt Timmy -
and he hadn’t even been sorry about it! She felt so angry that tears came
suddenly into her eyes. She blinked them away, ashamed.
“I
don’t think I want to stay here,” she said, loudly and clearly. “Those dogs
will be sure to attack Timmy again. They might kill him. I shall go home.”
“Now,
now, you’re just upset,” said kind old Mrs. Jones, taking George’s arm. George
shook off her hand, scowling. “I’m not upset. I’m just angry to think my dog
should have been attacked for nothing - and I’m sure he’ll be attacked again.
And I want to see to his neck. I’m going indoors.”
She
stalked off with Timmy at her heels, her head well up, bitterly ashamed of two
more tears that suddenly ran down her cheeks. It wasn’t like old George to cry!
But she was still not quite herself after being ill. The other three looked at
one another.
“Go
with her, Anne,” said Julian, and Anne obediently ran after George. Julian
turned to the worried old woman.
“You
shouldn’t stand out here in the cold,” he said, seeing that she was shivering,
and pulling her shawl more closely round her. “George will soon be all right.
Don’t take any notice of what she says.”
“She!
What, isn’t she a boy, then?” said Mrs. Jones, in surprise. “Is it a girl she
is - as brave as that? Now there’s a fine thing, to be sure! What’ll Morgan say
to that? But now, surely she won’t go home, will she?”
“No,”
said Julian, hoping he was right. You never could tell with George! “She’ll
soon get over it. If we could get some iodine it would help, though! She’s
always terrified of wounds going bad, where Timmy is concerned.”
“Come
away in, then,” said Mrs. Jones, and hurried back to the farmhouse, refusing
Julian’s hand over the snow. What an independent little old woman!
George
was in the living-room with Timmy. She had got some water and was bathing the
wound with her handkerchief, having first taken off Tim’s collar.
“I’ll
fetch you the iodine, boy,” said Mrs. Jones, forgetting again that George was a
girl. She ran to her kitchen, and came back with a big bottle of brown liquid.
George took it gratefully, and dabbed some on Timmy, who stood still, quite
enjoying all the fuss. He jumped a little when the iodine stung him, and George
patted him and praised him.
“He
wouldn’t mind having iodine dabbed on him all day long, George, if you would
only make a fuss of him,” said Dick, with a laugh.
George
looked up. “He might have been killed,” she said. “And if those dogs get him
again, he certainly will be!  “Anyone would think Timmy had
been injured for life or something. He’s only got a skin wound! Why spoil what
may be a jolly good holiday just for that?”
“I
don’t trust those three dogs,” said George, stubbornly. “They’ll be out to get
Tim now - I know they will.  I’m not spoiling your
holiday - only my own.”
“Well,
listen - stay one more day,” said Julian, hoping that if she did, George would
see how stupidly she was behaving. “Just one more day. That’s not much to ask.
It will upset old Mrs. Jones dreadfully if you rush off like this - and it will
be difficult to make arrangements for you to go back today, now that everywhere
is under snow again.”
“All
right,” said George, ungraciously. “I’ll stay till tomorrow. It will give Timmy
a bit of time to get over his fright. But ONLY till tomorrow.”
“Tim’s
not frightened,” said Anne. “George, he would have taken on all three dogs by
himself if you hadn’t gone to his help. Wouldn’t you, Timmy?”
“Woof,
woof!” said Timmy, agreeing at once. He wagged his tail vigorously. Dick
laughed. “Good old Tim!” he said. “You don’t want to go home, do you?”
“Woof!”
said Timmy, obligingly, and wagged his tail again. George put on one of her
scowls, and Julian nudged the others to warn them to stop teasing her. He
didn’t want George suddenly to change her mind and rush off home straightaway!
“I
vote we go for a walk,” said Dick. “It’s a shame to stick indoors like this on
this sunny, snowy day. Anne, are you coming?”
“I
will if George does,” said Anne. But George shook her head.
“No,”
she said. “I’ll stay in with Tim this morning.
Anne
wouldn’t come, so the boys left the two girls and went out into the keen,
invigorating mountain air once more. Already they felt better, and were not
coughing at all.  It spoilt things for everyone -
even for old Mrs. Jones, who now appeared at her front door, looking anxious.
“Don’t
you worry now, Mrs. Jones,” said Julian. “I expect our cousin will be all right
soon. She’s given up the idea of rushing home today at any rate! My brother and
I are going for a walk up the mountain. Which way is best?”
“Well
now, take that path,” said the old woman, pointing.  You can rest there before coming back - and if you don’t
want to come back for dinner, well, you’ll find food in the cupboard there.
Here is the key to get into the little place!”
“Oh
thanks,” said Julian, surprised. “That sounds good. We’d love to have our lunch
up there, Mrs. Jones - we’ll be back before dark. Tell the girls for us, will
you?”
And
away they went, whistling. It was fun to have a day all to themselves, just the
two of them, together!
They
took the snowy path and began to climb up the slope of the mountain. The sun
was now melting the snow a little, so they could make out the path fairly
easily. Then they discovered that big black stones marked the way here and
there - a guide to the farmer and his men, when the snow covered path and
everything!
The
view was magnificent. As they climbed higher, they could see the tops of more
and more hills, all of which sparkled snowy-white in the pale January sun. “I
say - if only we had a bit more snow, what tobogganing we could have down these
slopes,” said Dick, longingly. “I wish I’d brought my skis this morning - the
snow is deep enough for them down that hill - we’d whizz along like lightning!”
They
were glad when they at last came to the little hut or chalet that old Mrs.
Jones had spoken about. After two hours’ climbing it was nice to think of
having something to eat, and a good rest!
“It’s
quite a place,” said Julian, slipping the key into the lock. “A little wooden
house, with windows and all!”
He
opened the door and went inside. Yes - it was a very fine little place indeed,
with bunk-beds let into the wooden walls, a stove for heating - and cupboards
full of crockery - and tins of food! The two boys had the same idea at once,
and swung round to one another.
“Couldn’t
we stay here - on our own? George would love it too,” said Julian, putting into
words what Dick was already thinking. Oh - if only they could!
Chapter
Six
A
FUNNY LITTLE CREATURE
The
boys were tired, but not too tired to examine the little hut thoroughly -
though it really was more like a one-roomed house. It faced across the deep
valley, and the sun shone straight into it. Julian opened cupboard after
cupboard, exclaiming in delight.
“Bedding!
Towels! Crockery - and cutlery! And look at these tins of food - and bottles of
orangeade and the rest! My word, people who come to stay at Magga Glen in the
summer must have a fine time!”
“We
could light the stove to heat the room,” suggested Dick, pulling the oil-stove
into the middle of the room.
“No.
We don’t need to,” said Julian. “The sun is pouring in, and it really isn’t
cold in here. We could wrap ourselves round in the rugs from that cupboard if
we want to.”
“Do
you think we’d be allowed to come up here, instead of living down at the farm?”
said Dick, opening a tin of ham with a tin-opener that hung on a nail by the
cupboard. “It’s so much nicer to be quite on our own and independent! George
would simply love it!”
“Well,
we can ask,” said Julian, taking the cap off a bottle of orangeade. “Can we
find some biscuits to eat with this ham? Oh yes - here are some cream-cracker
biscuits. I say - I’m really ravenous!”
“So
am I,” said Dick, his mouth full.  “I think
Anne would have been too tired to come all this way on her first day - and
George certainly had a worse cold and cough than anyone. A day at the farm will
probably do her good. Gosh - she’s absolutely fearless, isn’t she? I’ll never
forget her standing up to those three savage dogs! I was jolly scared myself.”
“I’m
going to get a rug and wrap it round me and sit out on the doorstep in the
sun,” said Dick. “That view is too marvellous for words!”
He
and Julian took a rug each, and then sat out on the wooden door-step, munching
their ham and biscuits. They stared across at the great hill opposite.
“Is
that a house on the slope over there - near the top, look,” said Dick,
suddenly.
Julian
stared across at the opposite hill, but could make out nothing.
“It
can’t be,” he said. “The roof would be covered with snow, and we’d never see
it. Besides, who would build a house so high up?”
“Plenty
of people,” said Dick. “It’s not everyone who likes towns and shops and cinemas
and traffic and the rest. I can imagine an artist building a house on one of
these mountains, just for the view! He’d be quite happy looking at it and
painting it all day long.”
“Well
- I like a bit of company, I must say,” said Julian, “This is all right for a
week or two - but you’d need to be an artist or a poet - or a shepherd or
something, to stand it all the time!”
He
yawned. Both boys had finished their meal, and felt comfortably full and at
peace. Dick yawned too, and lay back on his rug. But Julian pulled him upright.
“Oh
no! We’re not going to take naps up here! We’d sleep like logs again, and wake
up in the dark. The sun’s going down already, and we’ve got all that long walk
back to the farm - and no torch to light our way if we go wrong!”
“There
are those black stones,” said Dick, with another yawn. “All right, all right -
I agree with you! I certainly don’t want to stumble down this mountain in the
pitch dark!”
Julian
suddenly clutched Dick’s arm, and pointed upwards, where the path still wound
on and on. Dick turned - and stared. Someone was up there, skipping down the
path towards them, with a lamb gambolling around, and a small dog scampering
after.
“Is
it a boy or a girl?” said Julian, in wonder. “My word - it must be cold,
whichever it is!”
  Her legs were bare, and she had old shoes on her feet. She was singing
as she came, in a high sweet voice like a bird’s.
The
dog with her began to bark, and she stopped her song at once. She spoke to the
dog, and he barked again, facing towards the hut. The lamb gambolled round
without stopping.
The
little girl looked towards the hut, and saw Julian and Dick. She turned at once
and ran back the way she had come. Julian got up and shouted to her.
“It’s
all right! We shan’t hurt you! Look - here’s a bit of meat for your dog!”
The
girl stopped and looked round, poised ready to run again at once. Julian waved
the bit of ham left over from their meal. The little dog smelt it on the wind,
and came running up eagerly. He snapped at it, got it into his mouth and ran
back to the girl. Hc didn’t attempt to eat it, but just stood there by her,
looking up.
She
bent down eagerly, and took it. She tore it in half and gave one piece to the
eager dog, who swallowed it at once - and the other piece she ate herself,
keeping a sharp eye on the two boys as she did so. The lamb came nosing round
her, and she put one thin arm round its neck.
 “Where can she have come from? She
must be absolutely frozen!”
Dick
called to the child.
“Hallo!
Come and talk to us!”
She
shot off at once as soon as he shouted. But she didn’t go very far. She half
hid behind a bush, peeping out now and again.
“Get
some of those biscuits,” said Julian to Dick. “We’ll hold some out to her.
She’s like a wild thing.”
So
Dick held out a handful of biscuits, and called: “Biscuits! For you! And your
dog!”
But
only the lamb came gambolling up, a toy-like creature, with a tail that frisked
and whisked all the time. It tried to get on to Dick’s knee, and bumped its
little black nose against his face.
“Fany,
Fany!” called the small girl, in a high, clear voice. The lamb tried to get
away but Dick held on to it. It seemed to be all legs!
“Come
and get it!” shouted Dick. “We shan’t hurt you!”
The
little girl couldn’t bear to leave her lamb. She came out from the bush, and
took a few hesitating steps towards the boys. The dog ran right up to them,
snuffling at their hands for more ham. Julian gave him a biscuit and he
crunched it up at once, giving sidelong glances at his watching mistress as if
to apologise for eating it all himself! Julian patted the little thing and it
licked him joyfully.
The
little girl came nearer. Her legs looked blue with cold, but although she had
so little on, she didn’t seem to be shivering. Julian held out another biscuit.
The dog jumped up and took it neatly in his mouth, running up to the little
girl with it.
“Come
here!” called Julian. “Come and get your pretty lamb. We’ve got some more
biscuits for you and your dog.”
At
last the child came near to them, as watchful as a hare, ready to run at a
moment’s notice. The boys sat still and patient, and soon the girl was near
enough to snatch a biscuit and retreat again.
“What’s
your name?” asked Dick, not moving from his place, afraid that the child would
leap off like a frightened goat.
The
girl didn’t seem to understand. Dick repeated his question, speaking slowly.
“What
- is - your - name? What - are - you - called?”
The
child nodded her head and then pointed to herself.
“Me
- Aily,” she said.
She
pointed at the dog.
“Dave,”
she said, and he leapt up at his name and covered her with licks. Then she
pointed to the lamb, which was now gambolling round the boys like a mad thing.
“Fany,” she said.
“Ah
- Aily - Dave - Fany,” said Julian, solemnly, and he too pointed at first one
then the other. Then he pointed to himself. “Julian!” he said, and then pointed
to Dick. “Dick!”
The
little girl gave a high, clear laugh, and suddenly poured out quite a long
speech. The boys couldn’t understand a word of it.
“She’s
speaking in Welsh, I suppose,” said Dick, disappointed. “What a pity - it
sounds lovely, but I can’t make head or tail of it.”
The
child saw that they had not understood. She frowned, as if thinking hard.
“My
Dadda - he up high - sheep!” she said.
“Oh
- your father’s a shepherd up there!” said Dick. “But you don’t live with him,
do you?”
Aily
considered this, then shook her head.
“Down!”
she said, pointing. “Aily down!” Then she turned to the dog and the lamb, and
cuddled them both. “Dave mine,” she said, proudly. “Fany mine!”
“Nice
dog. Nice lamb,” said Julian, solemnly, and the little girl nodded in delight.
Then, for no reason that the boys could see, she stood up, leapt down the hill,
followed by the lamb and the dog, and disappeared.
“What
a funny little creature!” said Dick. “Like a pixie of the hills, or an elf of
the woods. I quite expected her to disappear in smoke, or something. I should
think she runs completely wild, wouldn’t you? We’ll ask Mrs. Jones about her when
we get back!”
“My
goodness - come on, the sun’s getting quite low,” said Julian, getting up in a
hurry. “We’ve got to put the things away, and fold up the rugs, and lock up.
Buck up - once the sun goes it will be dark almost at once, and we’ve quite a
long way to go.”
It
didn’t take them long to tidy up and lock the little house carefully. Then down
the path they went at top speed. The sun had melted most of the snow farther
down, and the going was easy. The boys felt exhilarated by their day on the mountainside
and sang as they went, until they were quite out of breath.
“There’s
the farmhouse,” said Dick, and both boys were glad to see it. Their legs were
tired now, and they longed for a good meal and a rest in a warm room.
“I
hope George has recovered a bit by now - and is still at the farm!” said
Julian, with a laugh. “You never know with old George! I hope she’ll like the
sound of that hut. We’ll ask Mrs. Jones about it tonight, when we’ve talked it
over with Anne and George.”
“Here
we are,” said Dick, thankfully, as they went up to the house. “Anne! George!
We’re back - where are you?”
Chapter
Seven
BACK
AT THE FARM AGAIN
Anne
came running to meet Dick and Julian. “Oh, I’m glad you’re back!” she said.
“It’s beginning to get dark, and I was afraid you’d lose your way!”
“Hallo,
George!” said Julian, seeing her behind Anne, in the darkness of the passage.
“How’s Timmy?”
“All
right, thank you,” said George, sounding quite cheerful. “Here he is!”
Timmy
barked loudly and jumped up at the boys in welcome. He was very glad to see
them, for he had been afraid that they had gone back home. They all went into
the living-room, where there was an enormous wood-fire, looking very cheerful
indeed. Julian and Dick fell into the two most comfortable chairs and spread
their legs out to the fire.
“Ha!
This is good!” said Dick. “I couldn’t have walked another step. I don’t believe
I can even go up the stairs to wash. We’ve walked MILES!”
They
told the girls about their day, and when they described the little summer
chalet, the two girls listened eagerly.
“Oh
- I wish we’d gone with you,” said Anne, longingly. “Timmy would have been
quite all right, wouldn’t he, George? We’ve decided it’s only a skin-wound.
Actually, you can hardly see it now.”
“But
all the same, I’m going back home tomorrow,” said George, determinedly. “I’m
sorry I made such a fuss this morning - but honestly I thought Timmy had been
badly bitten. Thank goodness he wasn’t. Still, I’m not risking such a thing
again. If I stay on here with him, he’s sure to have those three dogs attacking
him sometime or other, and he might be killed. I don’t want to upset your
holiday - but I can NOT stay on here with Tim.”
“All
right, old thing,” said Julian, soothingly. “Don’t get so up-in-the-air about
it. There - you’ve gone and started your cough again! Do you know, Dick and I
haven’t coughed once today!”
“Nor
have I,” said Anne. “The air is marvellous here. I think I ought to go back
with George, though, Ju. She’d be miserable all by herself at home.”
“Listen,”
said Julian. “We’ve got an idea, Dick and I - one that means old George won’t
have to go home, and...”
“Nothing
will make me stop here,” interrupted George at once. “NOTHING!”
“Give
me a chance to tell you what I’ve got up my sleeve,” protested Julian. “It’s
about that mountain-hut we’ve been to - Dick and I thought it would be a
marvellous idea if we could all five of us go and spend our time there -
instead of here. We’d be ABSOLUTELY on our own then - the way we like to be!”
“Oh
yes!” said Anne at once, delighted. They all three looked at George. She smiled
suddenly.
“Yes
- that would be fun. I’d like that. I don’t suppose those dogs would come near
there. And how heavenly to be on our own! ”
“Mrs.
Jones said that her son Morgan told her we’re going to have heavy falls of
snow!” said Anne. “We could spend all day long on those slopes with our
toboggans and skis.
“I
don’t think so,” said Anne. “She was telling us today that parties of children
go there alone in the summer, while their parents stay and have a peaceful time
down here. I don’t see why she shouldn’t let us go. We’ll ask her when she
comes in with our high tea. I said we wouldn’t have tea and supper - we’d just
have one big meal. We didn’t know what time you’d be back - and George and I
had such an enormous dinner in the middle of the day that we knew we wouldn’t
want tea.”
“Yes.
I’d rather have a big meal now, too,” said Julian, yawning widely. “I’m afraid
all I shall want to do afterwards is to go up to bed and fall asleep. I’m
marvellouslp tired. In fact, I could go to sleep this very minute! I suppose
you girls have been indoors all day long because of Timmy?”
“No.
We took it in turns to go for a walk without him” said Anne. “George hasn’t let
him put his nose outside the door. Poor Timmy - he just couldn’t understand it,
and he whined and whined!”
“Never
mind - he’ll enjoy himself if we can go up to that hut,” said George, who was
very cheerful indeed now. “I do hope we can. It would be glorious fun.”
“Ju
- come and wash,” said Dick, seeing that Julian had his eyes closed already.
“Julian!
Julian
groaned and dragged himself up the stone stairway. But once he had sluiced
himself in cold water he felt much better, and very hungry indeed. So did Dick.
“We
didn’t tell the girls about that funny little creature - what was her name now
- Aily! And Dave her dog and Fany the lamb. We mustn’t forget to ask Mrs. Jones
about them,” said Julian.
They
went downstairs, feeling much fresher and were delighted to see that Mrs. Jones
had been in and laid the table. They went up to see what there was for their
high tea.
“Pork
pie - home made, of course,” said Dick. “And what’s this - golly, it’s a
cheese! How enormous! Smell it, Julian - it’s enough to make you start eating
straightaway! And more of that home-made bread! Can’t we start?”
“No
- there are new-laid boiled eggs to begin with,” said Anne, with a laugh. “And
an apple pie and cream to end with. So I hope you really are hungry, you two!”
Mrs.
Jones came in with a pot of hot tea. She smiled at the boys as she set the big
brown teapot down on the table.
"Is
it a nice day you’ve had, away up on the mountain?” she said. “You look fine,
both of you. Did you find the hut all right?”
“Yes,
thank you,” said Julian. “Mrs. Jones, it’s a marvellous hut. We...”
“Yes,
yes - it’s a good hut,” said Mrs. Jones, “and it’s sorry I was the two girls
didn’t go with you, such a fine day as it was, and the dog not really hurt! And
to think that the girls want to go back home! It’s sad I’ve been this day in my
thoughts!”
She
really did seem hurt and grieved, and George looked very guilty. Julian patted
Mrs. Jones on the arm, and spoke comfortingly.
“Don’t
you worry about us, Mrs. Jones. I’ve got a fine idea to tell you. What we’d
really like is to go and live up at that hut, the five of us - then we’d be out
of your way and Timmy would be out of the way of the farm dogs too! Do you
think we might do that? Then George wouldn’t have to go home, as she had
planned to do.”
“Well
now! To go to that hut in this weather! What an idea!” said Mrs. Jones. “Most
uncomfortable you would be, with no one to look after you, and see to your
wants, and cook for you this cold weather. No, no...”
“We’re
used to looking after ourselves,” said Dick. “We’re awfully good at it, Mrs.
Jones. And, my word, the food you’ve got up there is enough to feed an army!
And there are cups and plates and dishes - and knives and forks - and all kinds
of bedding...”
“We’d
have a smashing time,” said George, joining in eagerly. “I don’t really want to
go home, Mrs. Jones. It’s so lovely in these mountains - and if the snow comes
down, as your Morgan says, we’d be able to have winter sports all on our own!”
“Oh,
do say it’s all right,” begged Anne. “We shall be quite safe and happy there -
and we do promise to come down here again if we can’t manage, or if anything
goes wrong.”
“I’ll
see that things go all right,” said Julian, speaking in his most grown-up
voice.
 “I’ll
have to talk to my Morgan about it first.
I’ll get my Morgan to decide.”
She
went out of the room, shaking her head, her mouth pursed up in disapproval. No
fire! No hot meals! No one to “manage” for them. What a dreadful time those
children would have up in that hut in this weather!
The
five set to work to demolish the good food on the table. George allowed Timmy
to sit up on a chair too, and fed him with titbits for a treat. He was
perfectly good and very well-mannered indeed.
“I
almost expect him to hand me a plate of something!” said Anne, with a giggle.
“Tim, dear - do pass me the salt!”
Timmy
put a paw on the table exactly as if he meant to obey Anne, and George hastily
made him put it down again! What a meal that was! The pork pie was so good that
everyone had two slices, as well as their boiled eggs. Then they started on the
cheese, which even Timmy liked. There was very little room indeed for the apple
pie that Mrs. Jones brought in at the end!
“My
goodness - I forgot that an apple pie was coming,” said Anne, in dismay, as the
old woman walked in with a tray on which was a big apple pie and a jug of
cream.
“Mrs.
Jones - when we were up at the hut, we saw such a funny little creature,” said
Dick. “She said her name was Aily and she had a lamb and a...”
“Oh,
Aily!
“She’s the shepherd’s daughter - a little truant she is, runs off from school,
and hides away in the hills with her dog and her lamb. She always has a lamb
each year - it follows her about everywhere. They say there isn’t a rabbit hole
or a blackberry bush or a bird’s nest that child doesn’t know!”
“She
was singing when we first saw her,” said Julian. “Singing like a bird.”
“Ah,
yes - it’s a lovely voice she has,” said Mrs. Jones. “She’s wild as a bird -
there’s nothing to be done with her. If she’s scolded she goes off for weeks,
no one knows where. Don’t you let her come round that hut now, when you’re
there - she’ll maybe steal from you!”
“Oh,
yes - the hut! Have you spoken to Morgan about it?” said Dick, eagerly.
“Yes,
I have indeed,” said Mrs. Jones. “And he says yes, to let you go. He doesn’t
want trouble with the dogs either. He says snow is coming for sure, but you’ll
be safe up there and you can take all your toboggans for there’ll be a chance
to use them! He’ll help you up with your things.”
“Oh
good! Thanks!” said Julian, and the others smiled and looked at one another
joyfully. “Thanks most awfully, Mrs. Jones. We’ll go tomorrow after breakfast!”
Tomorrow!
After breakfast! Up to that lonely hut on the mountainside, just the Five of
them together. What could be better than that?
Chapter
Eight
OFF
TO THE LITTLE HUT
Julian
and Dick were so sleepy after their long day in the cold air, and their
enormous meal, that they could not keep their eyes open for long.
“Go
to bed, both of you!” said Anne, seeing them lying tired out in their chairs,
when Mrs. Jones had cleared away everything.
“Yes.
I think we’d better,” said Julian, staggering up. “Oh, my legs! They’re as
stiff as sticks! Good night, you two girls, and Timmy. See you tomorrow - if we
wake up!”
The
two boys stumbled up the stone stairs to bed. George and Anne stayed
downstairs, talking and reading. Timmy lay on the hearthrug, listening, his
ears twitching towards Anne when she spoke, and then towards George as she
answered. This little habit of his always made them laugh.
“It’s
exactly as if he was listening, but too lazy to join in our conversation!” said
Anne. “Oh, George - I really am glad you’re not going home tomorrow. It would
be the first time you’d ever done a thing like that! I’d just have had to come
with you!”
“Don’t
let’s talk about it,” said George. “I feel rather ashamed of making such a fuss
now. All the same I shall be terrified if I see any of those dogs again when
I’m with Timmy. What a bit of luck the boys went up to that hut today, Anne -
we’d never have known about it if they hadn’t.”
“Yes.
It sounds fun,” said Anne. “Don’t let’s be too late to bed, George. It will be
quite a pull up the mountainside tomorrow, with all our things!”
George
went to the window.
“It’s
snowing hard,” she said. “Just as Morgan said it would. I don’t like him, do
you?”
“Oh
- I think he’s all right,” said Anne. “And what a voice he’s got! He nearly
made me jump out of my skin when he called his three dogs. He must have the
loudest voice in the world!”
“Timmy
- you’re yawning!” said George, as Timmy opened his mouth widely and made a
yawning noise. “How’s your neck?”
Timmy
was getting rather tired of having his neck examined. He lay still while George
had another look at it.
“Healing
beautifully!” she said. “You’ll be quite all right tomorrow. Will you like
going off to that hut all by ourselves, Tim?”
Timmy
gave her a loving lick and yawned again. Then he got up and trotted over to the
door that led to the stone stairs, looking back enquiringly at George.
“Right.
We’re coming,” said George, laughing, and she and Anne blew out the lamp on the
table, and followed Timmy up the stairs. They peeped in at the boys’ room - and
saw Julian and Dick absolutely sound asleep, dead to the world!
“A
thunderstorm wouldn’t wake them tonight!” said Anne. “Come on - let’s buck up
and get into bed ourselves. We’ve a nice wood-fire again, and I shall undress
in front of it. Move over, Timmy, I want to stand on the rug.”
In
the morning the world was very white indeed! As Morgan had prophesied, the snow
had fallen thickly in the night, and everywhere was covered in a thick white
blanket, that gleamed and sparkled in the weak January sun.
“This
is something like!” said Dick, as he looked out of his bedroom window. “Get up,
Ju - it’s a marvellous morning! Remember, we’ve got to take all our things up
to that hut today! Do stir yourself!”
Mrs.
Jones gave them a fine breakfast - eggs, bacon and sausages.
“It’s
the last hot meal you’ll have, if you’re going up to that hut,” she said.
“Though you’ll be able to cook eggs in the little saucepan up there, if you set
it on top of the oil-stove. And mind you don’t get playing about round that
stove when it’s alight, or the whole place might go up in flames!”
“We’ll
be very careful,” promised Julian. “I’ll send anyone back if they upset the
stove - yes, I will, so just look out, Timmy!”
“Woof!”
said Tim, amiably. He was pleasantly excited with all the preparations for
going, and ran sniffing from one parcel to another.
The
children were not taking all their things, of course, but Mrs. Jones had made
them pack a complete change of clothes each, besides their warmest
night-clothes and dressing-gowns. They had torches too, and plenty of rope for
hauling things up and down the hills. And also they had six loaves of new-baked
bread, a large cheese, about three dozen eggs and a ham. So they were truly
well provided for.
“And
there’s plenty of butter packed in with the loaves,” said Mrs. Jones, “and a
large pot of cream. I’ll try and send up some milk if the shepherd comes down.
He’ll pass the hut when he goes up again. There’s only a quart in that bottle
there - but you’ll find plenty of orangeade and lemonade in the hut - and you
can boil snow if you want to make cocoa or tea!”
It
was quite clear that Mrs. Jones had no idea how many times the Five had gone
off on their own! They smiled and winked at one another, and took all her
advice in good part. She really was so kind, so very concerned about them all.
She even packed some bones and dog biscuits for Timmy!
“Here’s
my Morgan now,” said Mrs. Jones, when every single thing had been put in a pile
outside the front door, toboggans and skis as well. “He’s brought his
snow-slide with him, to take all your goods.”
The
snow-slide was like a long, flat cart with runners instead of wheels - an
elongated sleigh. The children piled on to it all the parcels, and two
suit-cases. They were all going to walk up as the snow was not yet too thick.
Timmy danced round in great excitement - though both he and George kept a wary
eye out for the other dogs, and Timmy did not venture very far from George.
The
giantlike Morgan arrived, his breath puffing before him like a smoke-cloud! He
nodded at the children.
“Morning,”
he said, and that was all. He took hold of the ropes at the front of the
snow-slide and ran them over his shoulders.
“I’ll
take one,” said Julian. “It’s much too heavy for one person to pull!”
“Ha!”
said Morgan, scornfully, and walked off with the two ropes over his shoulder.
The snow-slide followed easily.
“Strong
as a horse, my Morgan is,” said old Mrs. Jones, proudly.
“Strong
as ten horses!” said Julian, wishing he was as big and as strong as the
broad-shouldered farmer.
George
said nothing. She hadn’t yet forgiven the farmer for being scornful about
Timmy’s bite the day before. She followed the others, carrying her skis, and
waved to kind old Mrs. Jones as she stood anxiously watching them leave.
It
seemed a long trek up the mountainside, when things had to be pulled or
carried! Morgan went first, pulling the big snow-slide easily. Julian went
next, pulling a toboggan and carrying his skis. Dick was next with another
toboggan and skis, and the girls came last with their skis only. Timmy ran at
the front or the back as he liked, enjoying everything.
Morgan
said nothing at all. Julian addressed a few polite remarks to him, and received
a grunt in reply, but that was all. He looked curinusly at the great, strong
fellow, wondering about him and his silence. He looked intelligent and even
kindly - but he seemed so dour and rough in his manners and behaviour!
They
came at last to the little hut. The girls ran ahead to it, exclaiming in
delight. George looked through the windows.
“Oh
- it’s a proper little house inside! Oh, look at those bunks on the walls! And
there’s even a carpet on the floor! Quick, Julian, where’s the key?”
“Morgan’s
got it,” said Julian, and they all stood by and waited while Morgan unlocked
the door for them.
“Thanks
so much for helping to bring up our things,” said Julian, politely. “Awfully
good of you.”
Morgan
grunted, but looked pleased.
“Shepherd
comes by at times,” he said, in his great deep voice, and the Five felt quite
surprised to hear him saying even a short sentence to them! “He’ll take
messages for you if you so want.”

“He’s
queer,” said Anne, looking after him. “I don’t know if I like him or not.”
“What
does it matter?” said Dick.  There’s
plenty to do. What about you and George seeing what blankets and things are in
those cupboards, and making up some beds for tonight.”
Anne
loved that kind of thing, though George didn’t. She would much rather have
carried in the things as the boys were doing. But she went to the cupboards
with Anne, and examined all their contents with much interest.
“Plenty
of rugs and blankets and pillows,” said Anne. “And enough china and cutlery for
half a dozen families too! I suppose old Mrs. Jones has dozens of people here
in the summer! George, I’ll put the food away, if you’ll see to the beds.”
“Right,”
said George, and went to make up four of the bunk-beds. There were six of these
altogether, in rows of three - three on one wall, three on another, one above
the other. George was soon struggling with blankets and pillows, while Anne set
out the food they had brought with them, arranging it neatly on the cupboard
shelves. Then she went to look at the stove to see if it had oil in it, for it
would be very cold that night.
“Yes,
it’s full,” she said. “I’ll light it tonight, because I expect we’ll be out as
long as it’s daylight, won’t we, Dick?”
“Rather!”
said Dick, unpacking some of the things out of his suit-case. “By the way,
there’s a little wooden bunker outside, with a can of extra oil and an enamel
jug. I suppose the jug’s for fetching water from some spring or other in the
summer-time - but we can easily melt snow for water. Will you two girls be
long, Anne?”
“No.
We’ve almost finished,” said Anne. “Do you want something to eat before we go?
Or shall we take some bread and ham with us, and have a good meal when we come
back?”
“Oh,
take some sandwiches,” said Julian. “I don’t want to stop for a meal. Besides,
we can’t be hungry yet. Make sandwiches, Anne - and we’ll take some of those
apples with us too!”
The
sandwiches were quickly made, and the boys filled their pockets with apples.
Timmy danced round in delight.
“You
won’t be quite so pleased, Tim, when you find yourself in deep snow!” said
Dick. “I wonder if he’ll like travelling down the hill on a toboggan, George!”
“Oh,
he’ll love it!” said George. “Won’t you, Tim? Are we ready? Well, lock the
door, Ju, and off we’ll go!”
Chapter
Nine
A
STRANGE TALE
The
children did not bother about their skis that first day. For one thing the snow
was not quite thick or smooth enough for skiing, and for another thing they
longed for the swift excitement of tobogganing. Dick took George on his
toboggan and Julian took Anne on his. Timmy wouldn’t come on either of them.
“Race
you to the bottom!” Julian shouted. “One, two, three, go!” And away they went,
swishing over the clean white snow at top speed, shouting with laughter.
Julian
won easily, because Dick’s toboggan caught on a root or small bush under the
snow, which upset it very suddenly. Dick and George were flung headlong into
the snow, and sat up, blinking, and spitting out the cold snow from their
mouths.
Timmy
was terribly excited. He came plunging down the hillside after the toboggans,
annoyed at the way his legs went into the snow, barking madly. He was most
astonished to see Dick and George fly into the air when their toboggan upset,
and pranced round them, licking them and leaping on them in a most aggravating
way.
“Oh,
get away, Timmy!” said Dick, trying to get up, and being knocked down again by
the excited dog. “Go and knock George over, not me! Call him, George!”
Pulling
the toboggans back up the hill was a tiring job - but the swift flight down
over the snow was worth all the pullings-up!
“I
can’t pull up our toboggan one more time!” said Anne, at last. “I really can’t.
You’ll have to pull it up yourself, Julian, if you want to toboggan any more.”
“Well,
I do want to - but my legs will hardly walk up the hill now,” said Julian,
panting. “Hey, Dick - Anne and I have had enough. We’ll go up and eat our
sandwiches at the top of the slope, where we can watch you.”
The
other two soon joined them, and Timmy was glad to sit down too.  At first he had been puzzled by what he thought was “smoke” coming out of
his mouth so continually, but now, seeing that everyone was apparently puffing
it out too, he didn’t worry!
The
Five sat at the top of the slope, eating their sandwiches hungrily, very glad
of the rest. Julian grinned round at them all.
“Pity
Mother can’t see us now!” he said. “We look marvellous! And nobody’s coughed
once. I bet we’ll be stiff tomorrow though!”
Dick
was looking across the slope to the opposite hill, rising steeply up a mile or
so away.
“There’s
that building I thought I saw yesterday,” he said. “Isn’t that a chimney
sticking up?”
“You’ve
got sharp eyes! ” said George. “Nobody could surely see a building as far away
as that, when the snow is on it!”
“Did
we bring the field-glasses?” asked Julian. “Where are they? We could soon find
out if there’s a house there or not, if we look through those.”
“I
put them into a cupboard,” said Anne, getting up. “Ooooh, I’m stiff! I’ll just
go and get them.”
She
soon came back with the glasses and handed them to Dick. He put them to his
eyes and adjusted them, till they were properly focused on the far-away hill
opposite.
“Yes,”
he said. “I was right. It is a building - and I’m pretty sure it must be Old
Towers, too. You know - the place we went to by mistake two nights ago when we
lost our way.”
“Let’s
have a look,” said Anne. “I think I might recognise it. I caught a glimpse of
the towers when we swung round a corner on the way up Old Towers Hill.”
She
put the glasses to her eyes and gazed through them. “Yes. I’m sure that’s the
place,” she said. “Wasn’t it queer - that big rude notice on the gate - and
that fiercely barking dog - and nobody about! How lonely the old lady must be
living there all by herself!”
As
they sat there, nibbling their apples, Timmy suddenly began to bark. He stood
up, turning his head towards the path that ran higher up the hill.
“Perhaps
it’s Aily, that funny child, coming,” said Julian, hopefully. But it wasn’t. It
was a small, wiry-looking woman, a shawl over her head, neatly-dressed, walking
swiftly.
She
didn’t seem very surprised to see the children.  “Are you staying
in the Jones’ hut?”
“Yes,”
said Julian. “We were staying at the farm first - but our dog didn’t get on
with the others, so we’ve come up here. It’s fine.  “Her and her lamb! She’s as
mad as the old lady in the house yonder!” and she pointed in the direction of
Old Towers.
“Oh
- do you know anything about that old place?” asked Julian, at once. “We went
to it by mistake, and...”
“Well,
you didn’t get into it, I’ll be bound,” said Aily’s mother. “Notices on the
gate and all! And to think I used to go up there three times a week, and never
anything but kindness shown me! And now old Mrs. Thomas, she won’t see a soul
except those friends of her son’s. Poor old lady - she’s out of her mind, so
they say. Must be - or she’d see me, that waited on her for years!”
This
was all very interesting.
“Why
do they say ‘Keep Out’ on the gates?” asked Julian. “They’ve a fierce dog
there, too.”
“Ah
well, young sir, you see some of the old lady’s friends would like to know
what’s going on,” said Aily’s mother. “But nobody can do a thing. It’s a queer
place now - with noises at night - and mists - and shimmerings - and...”
Julian
began to think this was an old wives’ tale, made up because the villagers were
angry that they were now kept out of the big old house. He smiled.
“Oh,
you may smile, young man,” said the woman, sounding cross. “But ever since last
October, there’s queer doings there. And what’s more, vans have been there in
the dead of night. What for, I’d like to know? Well, if you ask me, I reckon
they’ve been taking away the poor old thing’s belongings - furniture and
pictures and such. My poor old Madam - she was sweet and kind, and now I don’t
know what’s happening to her!”
There
were tears in the woman’s eyes, and she hastily brushed them away.
“I
shouldn’t be telling you all this - you’ll be scared sleeping here alone at
night now.”
“No
- no, we shan’t,” Julian assured her, amused that she should think that a
village tale might frighten them. “Tell us about Aily. Isn’t she frozen, going
about with so few clothes on?”
“That
child! She’s fey, I tell you,” said Aily’s mother. “Runs about the hills like a
wild thing - plays truant from school - goes to see her father - he’s shepherd,
up yonder where the sheep are - and doesn’t come home at nights. You tell her
there’s a good whipping waiting for her at home if she doesn’t come back
tonight. She’s like her father, she is - likes to be alone all the time - talks
to the lambs and the dogs like they were human - but never a word to me!”
The
children began to feel uncomfortable, and wished they hadn’t spoken to the
grumbling gossipy woman. Julian got up.
“Well
- if we see Aily, we’ll certainly tell her to go home - but not about the
whipping, because I expect she wouldn’t go home then,” he said. “If you pass by
the farmhouse will you be kind enough to step in and tell Mrs. Jones we are
quite all right, and enjoying ourselves very much? Thank you!”
The
woman nodded her head, muttered something, and went off down the hill, walking
as swiftly as before.
“She
said some queer things,” said Dick, staring after her. “Was that a silly
village-tale she told us - or do you suppose there’s something in it, Ju?”
“Oh
- a village tale of course!” said Julian, sensing that Anne hadn’t liked it
much.  “I vote we go in and light the oil-lamp and get the
hut warm - and light the table-lamp too. It’ll be cosy in there. I’m feeling a
bit chilled now, sitting out here so long.”
“Well,
don’t begin to cough,” said Julian, “or you’ll set us all off! Indoors, Tim!
Come on!”
Soon
they were all in the hut, the oil-lamp giving out a lovely warmth and glow, and
the table-lamp shining brightly.
“We’ll
play a game, shall we?” said Dick. “And have a sort of high tea later. Let’s
have a silly game - snap, or something!”
So
they sat down to play - and soon Dick’s cards had all been “snapped” by the
others. He yawned and went to the window, looking out into the darkness that
hid all the snowy hills. Then he stood tense for a moment, staring in surprise.
He spoke to the others without turning.
“Quick!
Come here, all of you! Tell me what you make of this! Did you ever see such an
extraordinary thing! QUICK!”
Chapter
Ten
IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
“What
is it, Dick? What can you see?” cried George, putting down her cards as soon as
she heard Dick’s call. Julian rushed to stand beside him at once, imagining all
sorts of things. Anne went too, with Timmy leaping excitedly. They all stared
out of the window, Anne half fearfully.
“It’s
gone!” cried Dick, in disappointment.
“But
what was it?” asked George.
“I
don’t know. It was over there - on the opposite slope, where Old Towers is,”
said Dick. “I don’t know how to describe it - it was like a - like a rainbow -
no, not quite like that - how can I describe it?”
“Try,”
said Julian, excited.
“Well
- let me think - you know how, on a very hot day, all the air shimmers, don’t
you!” said Dick. “Well that’s what I saw on the hill over there - rising high
into the sky and then disappearing. A shimmering!”
“What
colour?” asked Anne, amazed.
“I
don’t know - all colours it seemed,” said Dick. “I don’t quite know how to
explain - it’s something I’ve never seen before. It just came suddenly - and
the shimmering rose all the way up into the sky, and then disappeared. That’s
all.”
“Well
- that’s what Aily’s mother said - mists - and shimmerings,” said Julian,
remembering. “Gosh - so that wasn’t just a tale she told us. There was some
truth in it. But what in the wide world can this shimmering be?”
“Had
we better go back to the farm and tell them there?” asked Anne, hopefully, not
at all wanting to spend the night in the hut now.
“No!
They’ve probably heard the tale already,” said Julian. “Besides - this is
exciting. We might be able to find out something more about it. We can easily
watch Old Towers from here - it’s one of the very few places where anyone can
look straight across at it. As the crow flies, it’s less than a mile away -
though it’s many miles by the road.”
They
all gazed towards the opposite hill again, though they couldn’t see it, of
course, hoping something would happen. But nothing did happen. The sky was
pitch black, for heavy clouds had come up - and the distant hill couldn’t be
seen.
“Well
- I’m tired of looking out into the darkness,” said Anne, turning away. “Let’s
go on with our game.”
“Right,”
said Julian, and they all sat down again, Dick watching the others play, but
occasionally glancing out of the window into the black darkness there.
Anne
was out of the game next, and she got up and went to the food cupboard.
“I
think I’ll start preparing a meal,” she said. “We’ll have boiled eggs, shall
we, to begin with - and I’ll boil a kettle too and make some cocoa - or would
you rather have tea?”
“Cocoa,”
said everyone, and Anne got out the tin.
“I’ll
want some snow, for the kettle,” she said.
“Well,
there’s some nice clean snow just behind the hut,” said Dick. “Oh wait, Anne -
you won’t like going out in the dark now, will you? I’ll get it! If you hear me
yell, you’ll know there’s something going on!”
Timmy
went out with him, much to Anne’s relief. She held the kettle, waiting for the
snow - and then suddenly there came a loud yell!
“Hey!
Who’s that?”
Anne
let go the kettle in fright, and it dropped on the floor with a crash, making
the other two jump violently. Julian rushed to the door.
“Dick!
What’s up?”
Dick
appeared at the doorway, grinning, with Timmy beside him.
“Nothing
much. Sorry if I frightened you. But I was just scraping up some snow in the
basin here, when something rushed at me, and butted me!”
“Whatever
was it?” said George, startled. “And why didn’t Timmy bark?”
“Because
he knew it was harmless, I suppose,” said Dick, grinning aggravatingly. “Here,
Anne - here’s the snow for the kettle.”
“Dick!
Don’t be so annoying!” said George. “Who was out there?”
“Well
- I couldn’t really see much, because I’d put my torch down to scrape up the
snow,” said Dick. “But I rather think it was Fany the lamb! It was gone before
I had time to call out. I got quite a shock!”
“Fany
the lamb!” said Julian. “Well - that must mean that little Aily is about. What
can she be doing out in the darkness at this time of night?”
He
went to the door and called:
“Aily!
Aily, if you’re there, come in here and we’ll give you something to eat.”
But
there was no answering call. Nobody appeared out of the darkness, no lamb came
frisking up.
Timmy
stood by Julian, looking out into the darkness, his ears pricked. He had been
surprised when the tiny lamb trotted up out of the darkness, and had had half a
mind to bark. But who would bark at a lamb? Not Timmy!

“If
that kid is out there in this frosty night, with only the few clothes she had
on yesterday, I should think she’ll catch her death of cold,” he said. “Cheer
up, Anne - and for goodness’ sake, don’t be scared if you hear a noise outside
or see a little face looking in at the window. It will only be that mad little
Aily!”
“I
don’t want to see any faces looking in at the window, whether it’s Aily or
not,” said Anne, putting snow into the kettle. “Honestly I think she must be
mad, wandering about these snowy hills alone at night. I don’t wonder her
mother was cross.”
It
wasn’t long before they were all sitting round the small table eating a very
nice meal. Boiled eggs, laid that morning, cheese and new bread and butter, and
a jar of home-made jam they found in the cupboard. They drank steaming hot cups
of cocoa, into each of which Anne had ladled a spoonful of cream.
“No
King or Queen in all the world could possibly have enjoyed their meal more than
I have,” said Dick. “Anne, shall I take the milk and cream out into the snow -
they’ll keep for ages out there.”
“All
right. But for goodness’ sake don’t put them where the lamb can get them - if
it was a lamb that butted you,” said Anne, giving them to Dick. “And don’t yell
again if you can help it!”
However,
Dick didn’t see anything this time, nor did anything come up and butt him. He
was quite disappointed!
“I’ll
wash the plates and cups out in the snow tomorrow,” said Anne. “How long are
you all going to stay up? It’s awfully early, I know - but I’m half asleep
already! The air up here is so very strong!”
“All
right. We’ll all pack up,” said Julian. “You take those two bunks over there,
girls, and we’ll have these. Shall we have the little oil-stove on, or not?”
“Yes,”
said Dick. “This place will be an ice-box if we don’t!”
“I’d
like it on too,” said Anne. “What with shimmerings and buttings and yellings I
feel I’d like a little light in the room, even if it only comes from an
oil-stove!”
“Well
- I know you don’t believe my ‘shimmerings’,” said Dick. “But I swear they’re
true! And what’s more, I bet we’ll all see them before we leave this hut! Well
- good night, girls - I’m for bed!”
In
a few minutes’ time the bunks were creaking as the four children settled into
them. They were not as comfortable as beds, but quite good. George’s bunk
creaked more than anyone’s.
 “Well, I’m glad I’m in the bunk above yours, George. I bet Tim falls
out in the night!”
One
by one they fell asleep. The oil-stove burned steadily. It was turned rather
low, and shadows quivered on the ceiling and walls.  First one ear pricked
up - and then the other - and suddenly Timmy sat up straight and growled in his
throat. Nobody awoke - they were all too sound asleep.
Timmy
growled again and again - and then he barked sharply. “WOOF!”
Everyone
awoke at once. Timmy barked again, and George put out a hand to him.
“Sh!
What’s the matter? Is there someone about, Tim?”
“What’s
up, do you think?” said Julian, from his bunk on the other side of the room.
Nobody could hear or see anything out of the ordinary. Why was Timmy barking then?
The
oil-stove was still burning, its light throwing a small round pattern of yellow
on the ceiling. It made a small cosy noise as it burned, a kind of bubbling.
There was nothing else to be heard at all.
“It
must be someone prowling outside,” said Dick at last. “Shall we let Timmy go
and see?”
“Well
- let’s lie down and see if he barks again,” said Julian. “For all we know a
mouse may have run across the floor. Tim would bark at that just as soon as he
would bark at an elephant!”
“Yes.
You’re right,” said George. “All right - we’ll lie down again. Timmy’s lying
down too. Now, for goodness’ sake, Tim, if it is a mouse somewhere, do use your
common sense, and let it play if it wants to - and don’t wake us up.”
Timmy
licked her face. He kept his ears well up for a while. The others all went to
sleep except Anne. She lay with her eyes open, wondering what had startled
Timmy. She didn’t believe it was a mouse!
So
it was the wakeful Anne who heard the noise when it came again. She thought at
first that it was just a noise in her ears, the kind she often heard when she
lay down to sleep, and the room was quiet. But then she felt certain that it
wasn’t in her ears - it was a real noise. But what a peculiar one!
“It’s
a kind of deep deep grumbling noise,” thought Anne, sitting up. Timmy gave a
little whine as if to say he was hearing something again too. “A sort of
thunder-rumble, but far far below me, not above!”
It
grew a little louder, and Timmy growled.
“It’s
all right, Tim,” whispered Anne. “It must be far-off thunder, I think!”
But
then the shuddering began! This was so astonishing that Anne didn’t know what
to make of it. At first she thought it was herself, beginning to shiver with
the cold. But no - even her bunk vibrated to her fingers when she touched the
wooden side!
Then
she really was frightened. She called out loudly.
“Julian!
Dick! Wake up - something queer is happening. Do wake up!”
And
Timmy began to bark again. Woof, woof, woof! WOOF, WOOF!
Chapter
Eleven
STRANGE
HAPPENINGS
Everyone
awoke at Anne’s call. Julian thought he was in bed, and leapt out, forgetting
that he was in the top bunk. He landed with a crash on the floor, shaken and
alarmed.
“Oh,
Ju! You forgot you were in the top bunk!” said George, half scared and half amused.
“Are you hurt? Anne, whatever is the matter? Why did you call out? Did you see
something?”
“No.
I heard something - and felt something!” said Anne, glad that the others were
awake. “So did Timmy. But it’s all gone now.”
“Yes,
but what was it?” asked Julian, sitting on the edge of Dick’s bunk, and rubbing
his knee, which had struck the floor when he fell.
“It
was a... a... well... a kind of very very deep rumbling,” said Anne. “A
deep-down rumbling - very far away. Not like thunder up in the sky.  And then there was a... a shuddering! I felt the edge
of my bunk and it seemed to be sort of - well - quivering. I can’t quite
explain it. I was awfully scared.”
“Sounds
like a small earthquake,” said Dick, wondering if Anne had dreamt all this.
“Anyway - you can’t hear or feel it now, can you? You’re sure you didn’t dream
all this, Anne?”
“Quite
sure!” said Anne, “I...” And just at that very moment it all began again! First
the curious grumbling, muffled, and “deep-down”, as Anne had described it -
then the equally strange “shuddering”. It crept through their bodies till they
were all shuddering a little too, and could not stop.
“It’s
as if we were shivering in every part of us,” said Dick, in wonder. “Sort of
vibrating as if we had tiny dynamo engines working inside us.”
“Yes!
You’ve described it exactly!” said George. “Goodness - when I put my hand on
Timmy I can feel him doing the ‘shudders’ - and it’s just like putting my hand
on something working by electricity! You know the sort of small vibrations you
feel then.”
“It’s
gone!” said Dick, just as George finished speaking. “I’m not ‘shuddering’ any
more. It suddenly stopped. And I can’t hear that grumbling, far-off noise now.
Can you?”
Everyone
agreed that both the noise and the shuddering had stopped. What in the wide
world could it be?
“It
must be something to do with that curious ‘shimmering’ I saw in the sky over
Old Towers Hill tonight,” said Dick, remembering. “I’ve a good mind to go and
look out of the window that faces the hill opposite, and see if it’s there
again.”
He
leapt out of his bunk and ran to the window. At once he gave a loud cry. “Come
and look! Whew! Just come and look!”
All
the others, Timmy as well, rushed to the window at once, Timmy standing on his
hind legs to see.
Over
the hill opposite hung a mist - a curious glowing mist, that stood out in the
pitch black darkness of the night! It swirled heavily, not lightly as a mist
usually does.
“Look
at that!” said Anne, in wonder. “What a strange colour - not red - not yellow -
not orange. What colour is it?”
“It’s
not a shade I’ve ever seen before,” said Julian, rather solemnly. “I call this
jolly strange. What’s happening here? No wonder Aily’s mother told us those
stories - there’s really something in them! We’d better make a few enquiries
tomorrow.”
“It’s
funny that both the shimmering I saw and that cloud too are over Old Towers
Hill,” said Dick. “You don’t think it’s something that’s happening in Old
Towers House, do you?”
“No.
Of course not,” said Julian. “What could happen there that would make us feel
the effects here, in this hut - that queer shuddering, for instance? And how in
the world could we hear a rumbling from a mile or so away, if it were not
thunder? And that certainly wasn’t.”
“The
mist is going,” said Anne. “Look - it’s changing colour - no, it’s just going
darker. It’s gone!”
They
stood looking out for a short while longer, and then Julian felt Anne shivering
violently beside him.
“You’re
frozen!” he said. “Come on, back to bed. You don’t want to get another awful
cold and cough. My word - this is all very queer. But I expect there’s a
sensible explanation - probably there are mines around here, and work is being
done at night as well as day.”
“We’ll
find out,” said Dick, and they all climbed thankfully back into their bunks,
feeling very cold. Julian turned up the stove a little more, to heat the room
better.
George
cuddled Timmy and was soon as warm as toast, but the others lay awake, trying
to get their cold hands and feet warm again. Julian felt very puzzled. So there
was a lot of truth in that woman’s peculiar tale, after all!
They
awoke late the next morning, for they had been tired out with their exertions
the day before, and with the excitements in the night. Julian leapt out of his
bunk when he found that it was actually ten to nine, and dressed quickly,
calling to the others. He went out to get some snow to put into the kettle.
Soon
breakfast was ready, for Anne was next to get up, and she began quickly to
prepare some food. Boiled eggs and ham, bread, butter and jam - and good hot
cocoa again. Soon they were all eating and chattering, talking over the
happenings of the night, which somehow didn’t seem nearly so remarkable now
that daylight was everywhere, brilliant with the snow, and the sun trying to
come out from behind the clouds.
As
they sat round the table, eating and talking, Timmy ran to the door and began
to bark. “Now what’s up?” said Dick. Then a face looked in at the window!
It
was a remarkable face, old, lined and wrinkled, yet curiously young-looking
too. The eyes were as blue as a summer sky. It was a man’s face, with a long,
raggedy beard and a moustache.
“Gracious
- he looks like one of the old prophets out of the Bible,” said Anne, really
startled. “Who is he?”
“The
shepherd, I expect,” said Julian, going to the door. “We’ll ask him in for a
cup of cocoa. Maybe he can answer a few questions for us!”
He
opened the door. “Are you the shepherd?” he said. “Come in. We’re having
breakfast and we can give you some too, if you like.”
The
shepherd came in, and smiled, making many more wrinkles appear on his
weather-beaten face. Julian wondered if he spoke English, or only Welsh. He was
a fine-looking fellow, tall and straight, and obviously much younger than he
looked.
“You
are kind, young sir,” he said, standing there with his crook, and Anne suddenly
felt that there must have been men just like this all through the history of
the world, ever since there had been sheep on the hills, and men to watch them.
The
shepherd spoke slowly, for English words were not easy to him. “You want to
send - to send - words - to the farm?” he said, in the lilting Welsh voice, so
pleasant to hear.
“Oh
yes - please take a message to the farm,” said Julian, handing him some bread
and butter, and a dish of cheese. “Just say we’re fine, and all is well.”
“All
is well, all is well,” repeated the shepherd, and refused the bread and cheese.
“No. I do not eat now.
The
shepherd listened intently, trying to follow the strange English words. He
understood that Julian was asking him something about the opposite hill.
He
took a sip of his cocoa, and looked over to the hill. “Always it has been a
strange hill,” he said slowly, pronouncing some of his words queerly, so that
they were hard to understand. “My grandad told me a big dog lay below, growling
for food, and my granny said witches lived there and made their spells, and -
and the smock rose up...”
“Smock?
What does he mean by that?” said George.
“He
means ‘smoke’ I should think,” said Julian. “Don’t interrupt. Let him talk.
This is very interesting.”
“The
smock rose up, and we saw it in the sky,” went on the shepherd, his forehead
wrinkled with the effort of using words he was not familiar with. “And it comes
still, young ones, it comes still! The big dog, he growls, the witches they
cook in their pots, and the smock, it rises.”
“We
heard the big dog growling last night, and saw the witches’ smoke,” said Anne,
quite under the spell of the lilting voice of the old shepherd.
The
man looked at her and smiled. “Yes,” he said. “Yes. But the dog is worse now
and the witches are more bad - more wickit, much more wickit...”
“More
wicked?” said Julian. “How?”
The
shepherd shook his head. “I am not clever,” he said. “I know few things - my
sheep, and the wind and the sky - and I know too that the hill is wickit - yes,
more wickit. Near it you must not go, young ones! For there the plough will not
plough the fields, the spade will not dig, and neither will the fork.”
This
somehow sounded so much like a piece out of the Old Testament that the children
felt quite solemn. What a strange and impressive old man - and yet he was only
a shepherd.
“Still,”
thought Julian, gazing at him, “he has absolutely nothing to do but think long
long thoughts all the hours he sits watching his sheep. No wonder he says
extraordinary things. But what does he mean about the plough not ploughing the
fields, I wonder?”
The
shepherd put his cup down on the table. “I go now,” he said. “And I take your
words to Mrs. Jones. And I thank you for your kindness. Good day!”
He
went out with great dignity, and the children saw him striding past the window,
his beard being blown backwards by the wind.
“Well!”
said Dick, “what a character! I almost felt that I was in church, listening to
a preacher. I liked him, didn’t you? But what did he mean about ploughs not
ploughing and spades not digging? That’s nonsense!”
“Well
- it may not be,” said Julian. “After all, we know that our car wouldn’t go
down that hill fast - and you remember that Aily’s mother - the shepherd’s wife
- said that the postman had to leave his bicycle at the bottom of the hill -
even that wouldn’t work! So it’s quite likely that in the old days ploughs went
too heavily and too slowly to plough properly, and that spades were the same.”
“But
why?” said Anne, puzzled. “Surely you don’t really believe these things? I know
our car went crawling down - but that might have been because something went
wrong in its works for a little while!”
“Anne
doesn’t want to believe in ploughs and spades and forks that won’t do their
jobs!” said Dick, teasingly.  I feel pretty stiff after yesterday - but a bit of
skiing down those slopes will do me good. What about it?”
“Yes!
Come on!” said Julian.  Hurry!”
Chapter
Twelve
OUT
ON THE HILLS
Timmy
didn’t find skiing any fun at all, because, not being fitted with skis, he
couldn’t keep up with the others, when they tore down the hill at top speed!
At
first he plunged after them, but when he jumped into a great soft heap of snow,
and buried himself completely, he decided that this kind of winter sport was
not for him! He clambered out of the snow-heap, shook the snow off his coat,
and stared forlornly after the shouting children.
They
had skied before, and were quite good at it. The hill down which they went was
very long, and had a fine slope. It ran smoothly into the upward slope of the
next hill, on which Old Towers house had been built.
Julian
did a marvellous run down, and went swinging on up the opposite hill. He called
to the others.
“I
say - what about going up to the top of this hill, because we’re already part
of the way up - and ski-ing down, and partly up our own slope again. It would
save time, and give us a jolly good second ski-run.”
All
but Anne thought this was a very good idea. She said nothing, and Dick looked
at her.
“She’s
scared of going up Old Towers Hill!” he said. “Are you afraid of the big, big
dog, Anne, who lies under it and growls at night, or of the lank-haired witches
that sit on the hill and make their smoky spells?”
“Don’t
be silly,” said Anne, cross with Dick for reading her thoughts. She didn’t
believe in either dog or witches, but somehow she did not like that hill! “I’m
coming too, of course!”

“Look
- you can see Old Towers quite clearly now,” said George to Julian. She was
right. There, not far off, was the great old house, set with towers, built
cosily into the side of the steep hill.
They
stood still and looked at it. “We can even see down into a few of the rooms,”
said Julian. “I wonder if the old lady is still there - Mrs. Thomas - the one
that Aily’s mother used to go and work for?”
“Poor
old thing - I’m sorry for her if she is,” said George. “Seeing nobody - keeping
out all her friends! I wish we could go and enquire at the house for something
- pretend we’ve lost our way, and snoop round a bit. But there’s that fierce
dog.”
“Yes
- we don’t want any more fights,” said Julian. “Now - we’re almost at the top.
We’ll wait for the others and then have a race. What a wonderful slope!”
“Julian
- look - is that someone at one of the tower windows - the one to the right?”
said George suddenly, as they stood waiting, looking down at the big old house
some way off below them. Julian looked at the tower at once, just in time to
see someone disappear.
“Yes.
It was someone! ” he said. “Someone staring at us, I think. I expect no one
ever comes near this hill, and it must have been a surprise to look out and see
us! Did you make out if it was a man or a woman?”
“A
woman, I think,” said George. “Could it have been old Mrs. Thomas, do you
think?  You know
we heard that vans went up to the house in the middle of the night.”
“Hallo,
you two!” said Dick, labouring up with Anne. “What a climb! Still, the run down
will be worth it. I simply must have a rest first, though!”
“Dick,
George and I thought we saw someone at the tower window there - the one on the
right,” said Julian. “When we get back we’ll get our field-glasses and train
them on to that window. We might possibly see some sign of anyone there!”
Dick
and Anne stared hard at the tower window - and as they looked, someone drew the
curtains swiftly across!
“There
- we’ve been seen - and we’re not going to be encouraged to look at the old
place!” said Julian. “No wonder there are queer stories about it! Come on, now
- let’s start our run down!”
They
set off together, each taking a different line. Whooooooosh! The wind blew in
their faces as they flew down the white slope, gasping in delight at their
speed. Julian and Anne slid swiftly all the way down the first slope and half-way
up the next - but Dick and George were not so fortunate. They both caught their
skis in something, and shot into the air and then down into the soft snow. They
lay there breathless, almost dazed with the sudden stoppage.
“Whew!”
said Dick, at last. “What a shock! Is that you, George? Are you all right?”
“I
think so,” said George. “One ankle feels a bit queer - no, I think it’s all
right! Hallo, here’s Tim! He must have seen us fall, and come rushing down to
help. It’s all right, Tim. We’re not hurt. It’s all part of the fun!”
As
they lay there, getting their breath, half-way down the first slope, a loud
voice shouted in the distance.
“Hey
there! You keep off this slope!”
Dick
sat up straight at once. He saw a tall fellow wading through the snow towards
them, from the direction of Old Towers, looking angry.
“We’re
only skiing!” shouted back Dick. “And we’re not doing any harm! Who are you?”
“I’m
the caretaker,” shouted the man, nodding his head towards Old Towers. “This
field belongs to the house. So keep off it! ”
“We’ll
come and ask permission of the owners,” yelled Dick, standing up, thinking this
might be a good way of having a look at the house.
“You
can’t. There’s no one else here but me!” shouted back the man. “I’m the
caretaker, I tell you.  “He says
he’s the only one in the house - and yet we saw someone in the right-hand tower
only a few minutes ago! The caretaker wouldn’t have had time to have got here
from the tower - so he isn’t the only one in the house. There is someone in the
tower as well. Queer, isn’t it?”
George
had held Timmy by the collar all the time the man was speaking. Timmy had
growled at the man’s angry voice, and George was afraid he might fly at him.
Then, if the other dog appeared, there might be a fight! That would be
dreadful! Timmy might get bitten again.
She
and Dick tried their skis to see if they were still properly fixed, after their
fall - and then went smoothly gliding off again. The others were waiting at the
top of the hill for them.
“Who
was that man? What was he shouting about?” demanded Julian. “Did he actually
come from Old Towers?”
“Yes
- and a surly fellow he was, too,” said Dick. “He ordered us to keep off that
slope - said it belonged to Old Towers and he was the caretaker - and when we
said we’d go and ask permission from the owners, he said he was the only one in
the house! But we know different.”
“Yes.
We do,” said Julian, puzzled. “Why should it matter to anyone if we ski down
that particular slope? Are they afraid we might see something in the house - as
we did! And why tell a lie and say there was no one else there? Did he sound
like a caretaker?”
“Well
- he didn’t sound Welsh!” said George. “And I should have thought that any
owners would have chosen someone trustworthy from the village, someone Welsh,
wouldn’t you? This is all rather mysterious!”
“And
if you add to it all the strange noises and things, it’s extremely curious,”
said Dick. “In fact, I feel it might be worth enquiring into!”
“No,”
said Anne. “Don’t let’s spoil our holiday. It’s such a short one.”
“Well
- I don’t see how we can enquire into the matter,” said George. “I’m certainly
not going to that house while the dog is there - and there’s no other way of
making enquiries - even if they would get us anywhere, which I’m pretty sure
they wouldn’t!”
“I
say - do you know that it’s almost one o’clock?” said Anne, pleased to change
the subject. “Isn’t anybody hungry?”
“Yes
- I’m ravenous!” said Julian. “But as I thought it was only about half-past
eleven, I didn’t like to mention it! Let’s go in and have dinner. I vote we
finish up that ham!”
They
went to the hut, and there, standing in the snow outside it, were two quart
bottles of milk, and a large parcel which Timmy at once went to, wagging his
tail eagerly. He gave a little bark.
“He
says it’s meat, so it must be for him,” said George with a laugh.
Julian
tore off the paper and laughed too. “Well, Timmy’s right,” he said.  No ham for me, then. I’ll have some of this!”
“Pity
we haven’t any apple sauce,” said Dick. “I love it with pork.”
“Well,
if you like to wait while I make some on the stove, with a few of the apples we
brought...” began Anne. But the others refused at once. No one was going to
wait one minute longer for their meal than they could help, apple sauce or not!
It
was a merry meal, and certainly the pork was good. Timmy had a piece and thought
that George was very mean not to give him the rest of the joint when they had
finished with it.
“Oh
no, Tim!” said George, as he put an enquiring paw on her knee. “Certainly not.
We’re going to finish it up tomorrow! You shall have the bone then.”
“There’s
more snow coming,” said Julian, looking out of the window. “I say - who brought
the meat and the milk here, do you think?”
“The
shepherd, I should imagine, on his way back,” said Dick. “Jolly nice of him. I
wonder where that kid Aily is? I’d be scared of her getting caught in the snow,
and having to sleep on the hills in it.”
“I
expect she’ll look after herself all right and her lamb and dog!” said Julian.
“I’d like to see her again - but unless she’s hungry, I don’t expect we shall!”
“Talk
of an angel and hear the rustle of her wings!” said Anne. “Here she is!” And
sure enough, there was Aily, looking in at the window, holding up her lamb for
him to take a peep too!
“Let’s
get her in and feed her - and ask her if she knows who lives in Old Towers,”
said George. “She might have seen someone in that right-hand tower too, as we
did!”
“Right.
I’ll call her in,” said Julian, going to the door. “She might know something -
always scouring round about the countryside!”
He
was right! Aily did know something - something that interested everyone very
much!
Chapter
Thirteen
AILY
IS SURPRISING
Aily
was not shy this time. She did not run away when Julian opened the door. She
was still dressed in the same few clothes, but her face glowed, and she certainly
didn’t look cold!
“Hallo,
Aily!” said Julian. “Come along in. We’re having dinner - and there is plenty
for you!”
The
dog ran right up to the door and into the room, when he smelt the dinner there.
Timmy looked most surprised, and gave a very small growl.
“No,
Tim, no - he’s your guest,” said George. “Remember your manners, please!”
The
small dog wagged his tail vigorously. “There, Timmy! He’s telling you not to be
afraid of him; he won’t hurt you!” said Anne, which made everyone laugh. Timmy
wagged his tail vigorously, too, and the pair were friends at once.
Aily
came in then, the lamb in her arms, in case Timmy might object to him. But
Timmy didn’t. He was very interested in the little creature, and when Aily set
him down and let him run about the room, Timmy ran sniffing after him, his tail
still wagging fast.
Anne
offered the untidy little girl some of the meat but she shook her head and
pointed at the cheese. “Aily like,” she said, and looked on in delight as Anne
cut her a generous piece. She sat down on the floor to eat it, and the lamb
came along and nibbled at it too. It really was a dear little thing.
“Fany
bach!” said the child, and kissed his little nose.
“‘Bach’
is Welsh for ‘dear’, isn’t it?” said Anne. She touched Aily on the arm. “Aily
bach!” she said, and the child smiled a sudden sweet smile at her.
“Where
did you sleep last night, Aily?” asked George. “Your mother was looking for
you.”
But
she had spoken too quickly, and Aily didn’t understand. George repeated her
words slowly.
Aily
nodded. “In the hay,” she said. “Down at Magga Farm.”
“Aily,
listen - who lives at Old Towers?” asked Julian, speaking as slowly and clearly
as he could.
“Many
peoples,” said Aily, pointing to the cheese, to show that she wanted another
piece. “Big mans, little mans. Big dog, too. More big than him!” and she
pointed at Timmy.
The
others looked at one another in surprise. Many men! Whatever were they doing at
Old Towers?
“And
yet that caretaker fellow said he was the only one there!” said George.
“Aily,
listen - is there - an - old - lady - there?” asked Julian, slowly. “An - old -
lady?”
Aily
nodded her head. “Yes - one old lady I see her high up in tower - sometime she
not see Aily. Aily hide.”
“Where
do you hide?” asked Dick, curiously.
“Aily
not tell, never not tell,” said the child, looking through half-closed eyes at
Dick, as if she kept her secrets behind them.
“Did
you see the old lady when you were in the fields?” asked Julian. Aily
considered this, and shook her head.
“Well,
where then?” asked Julian. “Look - you shall have some of this chocolate if you
can tell me.” He held the bar of chocolate just out of her reach. She looked at
it with bright eyes. Obviously chocolate was a rare treat for her. She reached
out suddenly for it, but Julian was too quick for her.
“No.
You tell me what I ask you,” he said. “Then you shall have the chocolate.”
Aily
suddenly hit out with her hands and gave him a good punch in the chest. He
laughed and took both her small hands in his big one.
“No,
Aily, no. I am your friend. You do not hit a friend.”
“I
know where you were, when you saw the old lady!” said Dick, slyly. “Aily - you
were in the grounds - in the garden!”
“How
you know?” cried Aily. She dragged her hands out of Julian’s hand, and leapt to
her feet, facing Dick, looking furious and frightened.
“Here
- don’t get so upset,” said Dick, astonished.
“How
you know?” demanded Aily again. “You not tell no one?”
“Of
course I’ve told no one,” said Dick, who had only just thought of the idea that
very moment. “Aha! So you get into the grounds of Old Towers, do you? How do
you get in?”
“Aily
not tell,” said the little girl, and suddenly burst into tears. Anne put her
arm round her to comfort her, but the child pushed it roughly away. “He - Dave
- went there, not me, not Aily. Poor Dave - big dog bark, wuff-wuff, like that
- and... and...”
“And
so you went in to get Dave, didn’t you?” said Dick. “Good little Aily, brave
Aily.”
 She smiled at Dick, and nodded. “Good Aily!” she repeated, and
took the little dog on her knee and hugged him. “Poor Dave bach!”
“So
she got into the grounds, did she?” said Julian, in a low voice to Dick. “I
wonder how? Through the hedge perhaps. Aily - we want to see this old lady. Can
we get through the hedge round the garden?”
“No,”
said Aily, shaking her head vigorously. “Fence there - big high fence that
bites.”
Everyone
laughed at the idea of a biting fence. But George guessed what she meant. “An
electric fence!” she said. “So that’s what they’ve put round. My word - the
place is like a fort! Locked gates, a fierce dog, an electric fence!”
“How
on earth did Aily get in, then?” said Dick. “Aily - have you seen this old woman
many times? Has she seen you?”
Aily
didn’t understand and he had to ask his questions again, more simply. The child
nodded her head. “Many times Aily see her - up high - and one time she see
Aily. She throw out papers - little bits - out of the window.”
“Aily
- did you pick them up?” said Julian, sitting up straight at once. “Was there
writing on them?”
Everyone
waited for Aily’s answers. She nodded her head. “Yes. Writings like they do at
school - pen writings.”
“Did
you read any of them?” asked Dick.
Aily
suddenly wore a hunted expression. She shook her head - then she nodded it.
“Yes, Aily read them,” she said. “They say ‘Good morning, Aily. How are you,
Aily?’”
“Does
the old woman know you then?” asked Dick, surprised.
“No,
she not know Aily - only Aily’s Mam,” said the child. “She say on her papers
‘Aily, you good girl. Aily, you very good!’”
“She’s
not telling the truth now,” said Dick, noticing that the child would not look
at them when she spoke. “I wonder why?”
“I
think I know,” said Anne. She took a piece of paper and wrote on it clearly.
“Good morning, Aily.” Then she showed it to the child. “Read that, Aily,” she
said.
But
Aily couldn’t! She had no idea what was written on the paper.
“She
can’t even read,” said Anne. “And she was ashamed, so she pretended she could.
Never mind, Aily! Listen - have you any of those bits of paper that the old
woman dropped?”
Aily
felt about in her few clothes, and at last produced a piece of paper that
looked as if it had been tom from the top of a page in a book. She gave it to
Dick.
All
the four bent over it, reading what was written there, in small, rather
illegible writing.
“I
want help. I am a prisoner here, in my own house, while terrible things go on.
They have killed my son. Help me, help me! Bronwen Thomas.”
“Good
gracious!” said Julian, very startled. “I say - this is extraordinary, isn’t
it! Do you think we ought to show it to the police?”
“Well
- there is probably only one policeman shared between three or four of these
little places,” said Dick. “And there’s another thing - the old lady might be
off her head, you know. What she says may not be true.”
“How
can we possibly find out if it is or not?” said George.
Dick
turned to Aily. “Aily - we want to see the old lady - we want to take her something
nice to eat - she is all by herself, she is sad. Will you show us the way into
the grounds?”
“No,”
said Aily, shaking her head vigorously.   The children laughed.
“Well
- we can’t make her tell us,” said Julian. “And anyway, even if we got into the
grounds, that dog would be there - and - I don’t fancy him, somehow.”
“Aily
show you way into house,” suddenly said the small girl, much to everyone’s
astonishment. They all stared at her.
“Into
the house!” said Dick. “But - you’d have to show us the way into the grounds
first if we are to get into the house, Aily!”
“No,”
said Aily, shaking her head. “Aily show you way to house. Aily do that. No big
dog there!”
Just
then Timmy began to bark, and someone came by the door, looking in as she
passed. It was Aily’s mother, who had again been to take some things to her
shepherd husband. She saw Aily sitting on the floor and gave an angry shout.
Then standing at the door she poured out a long string of Welsh words which the
children didn’t understand. In a great fright Aily ran straight to a cupboard,
her dog and lamb with her.
But
it was no good. Her mother stormed into the hut and dragged Aily out, shaking
her well. Timmy growled, but Aily’s little dog was as frightened as she was,
and the lamb bleated pitifully in the child’s arms.
“I
take Aily home!” said her angry mother, glaring at the four children as if she
thought they were responsible for the child’s keeping away from home. “I whip
her well!”
And
out she went, holding the protesting child firmly by one arm. The children
could do nothing. After all, she was Aily’s mother, and the child really was a
little monkey, the way she wandered round the country.
“You
know - I think we’d better go down to the farm and tell Morgan what we know,”
said Julian, making up his mind. “I really do. If this thing is serious - and
if the old lady is really a prisoner - I don’t see how we can do a thing - but
Morgan might be able to. He’d know the police for one thing. Come on - let’s go
down now. We can stay at the farm for the night if it gets dark. Buck up -
let’s go straightaway!”
Chapter
Fourteen
MORGAN
IS SURPRISING TOO
George
did not particularly want to go down to the farm, as she was afraid of Timmy
meeting the farm dogs again, and being attacked. Julian saw her doubtful face
and understood.
“Would
you like to stay here by yourself with Timmy, George, till we come back?” he
said. “You should be all right with Tim - he’ll look after you. The only thing
is - will you be scared if any more rumblings and shudderings and shimmerings
come again tonight?”
“I’ll
stay with George,” said Anne. “It would really be best if you two boys went
alone. I’m a bit tired and I don’t think I could go as fast as you’d want to.”
“Right.
 “Come on, Dick. If we hurry, we might get back before dark.”
They
set off together, and went swiftly down the winding mountain path, still white
with snow. They were glad when at last they saw the farmhouse. A light was
already in the kitchen, and looked very welcoming!
They
went in at the front door, and made their way to the big kitchen, where Mrs.
Jones was washing up at the sink. She turned in astonishment when they came in,
stamping the snow from their shoes.
“Well
now - this is a surprise!” she said, drying her hands on a towel. “Is there
something wrong? Where are the girls?”
“They’re
up at the hut - they’re fine,” said Julian.
“You
have come for something more to eat?” said Mrs. Jones, feeling certain this was
the reason for their sudden visit.
“No,
thank you - we’ve got plenty!” said Julian. “We just wondered if we could talk
to your son - Morgan. We - well, we’ve got something to tell him. Something
rather urgent.”
“Well
now - what could that be?” said Mrs. Jones, all curiosity at once. “Let me see
- yes, Morgan will be up at the big barn.” She pointed out of the window, where
a big and picturesque old barn stood, outlined against the evening sky. “It is
there you will find my Morgan. You will be staying the night, now, will you
not? You will like supper - a good supper”
“Well
- yes, we should,” said Julian, suddenly realising that they had missed out tea
altogether. “Thanks awfully. We’ll just go and find Morgan.”
They
made their way out to the big old barn. Morgan’s three dogs at once ran out
when they heard strange footsteps, and growled. But they recognised the boys
immediately and leapt round them, barking.
The
giantlike Morgan came out to see what the dogs were barking about. He was
surprised to find the two boys there, fondling the dogs.
“Hey?”
he said, questioningly. “Anything wrong?”
“We
think there is,” said Julian. “May we tell you about it?”
Morgan
took them into the almost dark barn. He had been raking it over and he went on
with his raking as Julian began his tale.
“It’s
about Old Towers,” said Julian, and Morgan stopped his raking at once. But he
went on again almost immediately, listening without a word.
Julian
told him his story. He told him about the noises of rumbling, the shimmering in
the sky that Dick had seen, the “shuddering” they had all felt - then about the
old woman they had seen in the tower - and how Aily had told of the pieces of
paper, and shown them one, which proved that old Mrs. Thomas was a prisoner in
her own house.
For
the first time Morgan spoke. “And where is this paper?” he asked in his deep
bass voice.
Julian
produced it and handed it over. Morgan lighted a lamp to look at it, for it was
now practically dark.
He