food or drink for two or three days. Just to teach you what happens to lads who break into places! Oh, you needn’t think you can get out of the window you so easily slipped in by! I shall tie you up and lock you in this room, and when I come back on Monday - or maybe Tuesday - I’ll listen to your apologies and let you go - perhaps!”
“But, sir - our parents will be so worried,” began Fatty. “We haven’t done any harm. We apologize now . We do really. Don’t we, Ern? “
“Ooooh yes,” said Ern, fervently, a little surprised to hear Fatty talking in such a humble voice. Why, Fatty sounded scared ! “First time I’ve ever seen him frightened,” thought Ern.
“You can apologize when you next see me, and have had time to think what fools you have both been,” said Mr Engler. The turnstile man grinned sarcastically. He was very, very glad to see that “cheeky fat boy” as he thought of him, standing there, caught so easily.
“Tie them up,” said Mr Engler, to the turnstile man. “I’m going to see if Poussin is there. He’s about due now.”
Fatty wondered who Poussin was. It was a French name, so maybe it was the French artist. He stood waiting for the turnstile man to tie up him and Ern. “Got to go and get some rope, if you want me to tie them up,” said the man, turning.
“No. Use those curtain cords,” said Mr Englar. “I must go and see if Poussin has come. These boys are not to be left alone until their wrists are tied tightly, behind their backs! TIGHTLY, I said, Flint. And DON’T talk to them - else I’ll talk to you ! Do you hear me? “
“Yes,” said Flint, sulkily, and went to tear down the cords that pulled the great curtains open or shut. He had soon tied the boys by their wrists and ankles very tightly indeed.
“You know these cords are too tight,” said Fatty, between his teeth. “No need to be so brutal.”
“Ha - you’re not so funny now, are you!” said Flint. “Cheeking me out there, you was. Don’t feel like cheeking me now, do you? “
Fatty heard another voice - the French artist’s. He was in the great hall, with Engler. He was speaking in French, which Fatty understood perfectly. He strained his ears to listen. He was extremely surprised to hear noises as of a ladder being dragged along the hall, and set up somewhere. He listened hard. That sounded like a knife being used to cut something. What on earth were they doing? Not damaging the pictures, surely!
Then he thought he heard the sound of a brush being slapped over some surface. A brush? A paint -brush probably. Was the Frenchman painting a picture out there, his easel set up as usual? No, it couldn’t be that - he wouldn’t slap the paint on!
Flint, the turnstile man, finished tying Ern’s wrists, stood back and grinned at the two angry boys. “Well - happy dreams!” he said. “And may the rats and mice run all over you tonight! This place is full of them.”
“You wait till we see you again,” said Fatty. “We’ll be handing you over to the police, I hope! What are you all up to? Beats me!”
“You won’t see me again - I’m off to the States!” said Flint. “America’s the place for me now. We’ll soon be off - and the old banshee can wail her head off for us, we shan’t hear her!”
He went out. banged the door, and the boys heard the key being turned in the lock. Ern groaned as he lay trussed up on the floor beside Fatty.
“This is a nice how-do-you-do,” he said. “Good thing the men don’t guess we…”
“Shut up, Ern,” hissed Fatty. “They may be listening, hoping we’ll give something away. Can you stand up?”
“No,” said Ern, trying. “Hallo, Bingo - pity you can’t untie me. Is Buster clever enough to untie you , Fatty? Have you taught him things like that yet?”
Buster and Bingo were puzzled and distressed to see Fatty and Ern rolling on the floor, groaning as their cords seemed to get tighter and tighter. They licked the boys’ faces, and
“But, sir - our parents will be so worried,” began Fatty. “We haven’t done any harm. We apologize now . We do really. Don’t we, Ern? “
“Ooooh yes,” said Ern, fervently, a little surprised to hear Fatty talking in such a humble voice. Why, Fatty sounded scared ! “First time I’ve ever seen him frightened,” thought Ern.
“You can apologize when you next see me, and have had time to think what fools you have both been,” said Mr Engler. The turnstile man grinned sarcastically. He was very, very glad to see that “cheeky fat boy” as he thought of him, standing there, caught so easily.
“Tie them up,” said Mr Engler, to the turnstile man. “I’m going to see if Poussin is there. He’s about due now.”
Fatty wondered who Poussin was. It was a French name, so maybe it was the French artist. He stood waiting for the turnstile man to tie up him and Ern. “Got to go and get some rope, if you want me to tie them up,” said the man, turning.
“No. Use those curtain cords,” said Mr Englar. “I must go and see if Poussin has come. These boys are not to be left alone until their wrists are tied tightly, behind their backs! TIGHTLY, I said, Flint. And DON’T talk to them - else I’ll talk to you ! Do you hear me? “
“Yes,” said Flint, sulkily, and went to tear down the cords that pulled the great curtains open or shut. He had soon tied the boys by their wrists and ankles very tightly indeed.
“You know these cords are too tight,” said Fatty, between his teeth. “No need to be so brutal.”
“Ha - you’re not so funny now, are you!” said Flint. “Cheeking me out there, you was. Don’t feel like cheeking me now, do you? “
Fatty heard another voice - the French artist’s. He was in the great hall, with Engler. He was speaking in French, which Fatty understood perfectly. He strained his ears to listen. He was extremely surprised to hear noises as of a ladder being dragged along the hall, and set up somewhere. He listened hard. That sounded like a knife being used to cut something. What on earth were they doing? Not damaging the pictures, surely!
Then he thought he heard the sound of a brush being slapped over some surface. A brush? A paint -brush probably. Was the Frenchman painting a picture out there, his easel set up as usual? No, it couldn’t be that - he wouldn’t slap the paint on!
Flint, the turnstile man, finished tying Ern’s wrists, stood back and grinned at the two angry boys. “Well - happy dreams!” he said. “And may the rats and mice run all over you tonight! This place is full of them.”
“You wait till we see you again,” said Fatty. “We’ll be handing you over to the police, I hope! What are you all up to? Beats me!”
“You won’t see me again - I’m off to the States!” said Flint. “America’s the place for me now. We’ll soon be off - and the old banshee can wail her head off for us, we shan’t hear her!”
He went out. banged the door, and the boys heard the key being turned in the lock. Ern groaned as he lay trussed up on the floor beside Fatty.
“This is a nice how-do-you-do,” he said. “Good thing the men don’t guess we…”
“Shut up, Ern,” hissed Fatty. “They may be listening, hoping we’ll give something away. Can you stand up?”
“No,” said Ern, trying. “Hallo, Bingo - pity you can’t untie me. Is Buster clever enough to untie you , Fatty? Have you taught him things like that yet?”
Buster and Bingo were puzzled and distressed to see Fatty and Ern rolling on the floor, groaning as their cords seemed to get tighter and tighter. They licked the boys’ faces, and
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