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 wil 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 wil find my Morgan. You wil be staying the night, now, wil you not? You wil 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 read it and put it into his pocket. “I"d rather like it back,” said Julian, surprised. “Unless you want it to show the police. What do you think about it all? And is there anything we can do? I don"t like to think of...”
“I wil tell you what you are to do,” said Morgan. “You are to leave it to me, Morgan Jones. You are but children, you know nothing. This matter is not for children. I can tell you that. You must go back to the hut, and you must forget all you have heard and all you have seen. And if Aily comes again you must bring her down here to me, and I wil talk to her.”
His voice was so hard and determined that the two boys were startled and shocked.
“But, Mr. Morgan!” said Julian. “Aren"t you going to do anything about this... go to the police, or...”
“I have told you, this is not a matter for children,” said Morgan. “I wil say no more. You wil go back to the hut, and you wil say nothing to anyone. If you are not wil ing to do this, you wil go home tomorrow.”
With that the giant of a man put his rake over his shoulder, and left the two boys alone in the barn. “What do you make of that?” said Julian, very angry. “Come on - we"ll go back to the hut. I"m not going to the farm for supper. I don"t feel as though I want to meet that rude, dour Morgan again this evening!”
Feeling angry and disappointed the boys made their way out of the barn, towards the path that led up to the hil . It was almost dark now, and Julian felt in his pocket for his torch.
“Blow! I didn"t bring it with me!” he said. “Have you one, Dick?”
Dick hadn"t one either, and as neither of them felt like making
“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 wil 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 wil find my Morgan. You wil be staying the night, now, wil you not? You wil 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 read it and put it into his pocket. “I"d rather like it back,” said Julian, surprised. “Unless you want it to show the police. What do you think about it all? And is there anything we can do? I don"t like to think of...”
“I wil tell you what you are to do,” said Morgan. “You are to leave it to me, Morgan Jones. You are but children, you know nothing. This matter is not for children. I can tell you that. You must go back to the hut, and you must forget all you have heard and all you have seen. And if Aily comes again you must bring her down here to me, and I wil talk to her.”
His voice was so hard and determined that the two boys were startled and shocked.
“But, Mr. Morgan!” said Julian. “Aren"t you going to do anything about this... go to the police, or...”
“I have told you, this is not a matter for children,” said Morgan. “I wil say no more. You wil go back to the hut, and you wil say nothing to anyone. If you are not wil ing to do this, you wil go home tomorrow.”
With that the giant of a man put his rake over his shoulder, and left the two boys alone in the barn. “What do you make of that?” said Julian, very angry. “Come on - we"ll go back to the hut. I"m not going to the farm for supper. I don"t feel as though I want to meet that rude, dour Morgan again this evening!”
Feeling angry and disappointed the boys made their way out of the barn, towards the path that led up to the hil . It was almost dark now, and Julian felt in his pocket for his torch.
“Blow! I didn"t bring it with me!” he said. “Have you one, Dick?”
Dick hadn"t one either, and as neither of them felt like making
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