wrong!”
“Fatty - where do you think the boat has gone?” said Bets, really puzzled. “It doesn’t look as if it’s been washed out or painted over.”
“A big wave probably caught it and it sank to the bottom,” said Pip, solemnly. “That’s the simplest explanation, Bets.”
“Don’t be so silly !” said Bets, quite worried over the vanished boat. “Fatty, I’d like to look at some of the other pictures too.”
But before they could do that, dogs, who had been wandering happily about together, suddenly stood still and began to growl, their hackles rising on their necks. Fatty shushed everyone at once.
“Get back into the Armour Room, girls. Somebody’s coming!” he whispered. “Buck up. You’ll have to get down the trap-door quickly, and run for your lives! We shall be in real trouble if we’re found here. Larry and Pip, look after the girls!”
The two girls shot off into the Armour Room with Pip and Larry, and were soon down the steps. They wanted to wait for Ern and Fatty, but Larry wouldn’t let them. “You’re in my charge now,” he said. “Quickly now - get along underground!”
Fatty too went to the Armour Room with Ern, hoping there would be time for them both to slip down the hole. But there wasn’t! He just managed to push the cauldron quickly over the trap-door and step back on to the hearth-rug.
Footsteps came to the door of the room and a voice snapped out. “Stand where you are! What’s all this? How did you get in, you boys! Answer me at once!”
14 - PRISONERS - NOW WHAT CAN BE DONE?
It was Mr Engler who stood there, shouting! He looked extremely angry, and his face was very red. Behind him stood the turnstile man, a sneering smile on his face. Buster flew at them, with Bingo behind him, and both dogs were kicked hard by the two men, and howled in pain.
“Call off these dogs, or I’ll kill them,” said Mr Engler, pulling a great sword from the wall, where it had been hanging.
“SIT, Buster, SIT, Bingo!” shouted Fatty, his heart cold with fear. To his enormous relief both dogs sat at once, growling savagely, their hackles still up. Thank goodness Buster had been trained to be instantly obedient, thought Fatty. Bingo, of course, had just copied Buster. How fierce they both looked, showing their teeth, longing to get at these two men who dared to shout at Fatty and Ern.
“Good thing they obey you,” said Mr Engler, still holding the sword. “I like dogs, or I wouldn’t give them a chance. Now explain your presence here, please. The door was locked - so I presume you came in through one of the windows. I saw that one was open when I came - the one on the first floor. Easy enough to climb up ivy, isn’t it - easy to break into a place. You boys will have to explain all that when you come before the police!”
Fatty was thankful that the man thought they had broken in through an open window. He said nothing. He was certainly not going to explain about the trap-door in the hearth! If the man didn’t know of it, well and good!
“Oh, don’t take us to the police, sir,” blurted out Ern, thinking of Goon’s face, if he, Ern, were taken to the police station. “Please don’t. We weren’t doing any harm, reely we weren’t. We were just looking round, like.”
“I’ve seen these kids before, sir,” said the turnstile man. “Cheeky lot they are, too. Six of them have been coming up - with these dogs. I told them dogs weren’t allowed. I was a bit afraid these kids might find out what we…”
“Shut up, Flint, you fool!” snapped Mr Engler, clearly afraid that he was about to say something he didn’t want the boys to hear. “Go and begin to load the van. and be sharp about it. I’ll deal with what’s not ready, and you can fetch it later.”
He turned to the two listening boys. “I’m afraid you are going to have a very poor week-end,” he said. “I’ve decided not to hand you over to the police - but to leave you all alone here, without
“Fatty - where do you think the boat has gone?” said Bets, really puzzled. “It doesn’t look as if it’s been washed out or painted over.”
“A big wave probably caught it and it sank to the bottom,” said Pip, solemnly. “That’s the simplest explanation, Bets.”
“Don’t be so silly !” said Bets, quite worried over the vanished boat. “Fatty, I’d like to look at some of the other pictures too.”
But before they could do that, dogs, who had been wandering happily about together, suddenly stood still and began to growl, their hackles rising on their necks. Fatty shushed everyone at once.
“Get back into the Armour Room, girls. Somebody’s coming!” he whispered. “Buck up. You’ll have to get down the trap-door quickly, and run for your lives! We shall be in real trouble if we’re found here. Larry and Pip, look after the girls!”
The two girls shot off into the Armour Room with Pip and Larry, and were soon down the steps. They wanted to wait for Ern and Fatty, but Larry wouldn’t let them. “You’re in my charge now,” he said. “Quickly now - get along underground!”
Fatty too went to the Armour Room with Ern, hoping there would be time for them both to slip down the hole. But there wasn’t! He just managed to push the cauldron quickly over the trap-door and step back on to the hearth-rug.
Footsteps came to the door of the room and a voice snapped out. “Stand where you are! What’s all this? How did you get in, you boys! Answer me at once!”
14 - PRISONERS - NOW WHAT CAN BE DONE?
It was Mr Engler who stood there, shouting! He looked extremely angry, and his face was very red. Behind him stood the turnstile man, a sneering smile on his face. Buster flew at them, with Bingo behind him, and both dogs were kicked hard by the two men, and howled in pain.
“Call off these dogs, or I’ll kill them,” said Mr Engler, pulling a great sword from the wall, where it had been hanging.
“SIT, Buster, SIT, Bingo!” shouted Fatty, his heart cold with fear. To his enormous relief both dogs sat at once, growling savagely, their hackles still up. Thank goodness Buster had been trained to be instantly obedient, thought Fatty. Bingo, of course, had just copied Buster. How fierce they both looked, showing their teeth, longing to get at these two men who dared to shout at Fatty and Ern.
“Good thing they obey you,” said Mr Engler, still holding the sword. “I like dogs, or I wouldn’t give them a chance. Now explain your presence here, please. The door was locked - so I presume you came in through one of the windows. I saw that one was open when I came - the one on the first floor. Easy enough to climb up ivy, isn’t it - easy to break into a place. You boys will have to explain all that when you come before the police!”
Fatty was thankful that the man thought they had broken in through an open window. He said nothing. He was certainly not going to explain about the trap-door in the hearth! If the man didn’t know of it, well and good!
“Oh, don’t take us to the police, sir,” blurted out Ern, thinking of Goon’s face, if he, Ern, were taken to the police station. “Please don’t. We weren’t doing any harm, reely we weren’t. We were just looking round, like.”
“I’ve seen these kids before, sir,” said the turnstile man. “Cheeky lot they are, too. Six of them have been coming up - with these dogs. I told them dogs weren’t allowed. I was a bit afraid these kids might find out what we…”
“Shut up, Flint, you fool!” snapped Mr Engler, clearly afraid that he was about to say something he didn’t want the boys to hear. “Go and begin to load the van. and be sharp about it. I’ll deal with what’s not ready, and you can fetch it later.”
He turned to the two listening boys. “I’m afraid you are going to have a very poor week-end,” he said. “I’ve decided not to hand you over to the police - but to leave you all alone here, without
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