little lass … Yes, of course, I’ll go out and look for them at once … No. No, Mrs Hoggart, I’m afraid there isn’t a police station here.’
A man had appeared in the doorway of the hotel. He stood there, his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless. Mr Tarbutt promised that he would telephone as soon as he had found the children. Then he put the receiver down and the man in the doorway spoke. ‘Police station?’ Mr Smith said. ‘Who wants a policeman on Skua?’
*
‘We ought to have told a policeman,’ Janey said.
‘What policeman? There isn’t even a doctor on Skua. And who’d believe us, anyway? No one would listen, Janey. Not without evidence. We’ve got to get evidence first.’
‘Are you going to ask Mr Jones for your ruby back? Are we going to see Perdita, at Luinpool?’
‘Well …’ Tim hesitated. That had, in fact, been his first indignant reaction: to walk up to Luinpool and confront Mr Jones. Then doubt had set in. Suppose he was wrong, after all. Suppose there was some ‘perfectly simple explanation’ which had, so far, eluded him? What a fool he would look! Even if someone had knocked his father down, there was no proof it was Toffee Papers. At least, he had no proof. And if he was right—well, if he was right, to go up to Luinpool might be dangerous!
‘I think it’s better to go to the cave first,’ he said. ‘If I found the ruby there, I expect that’s where Mr Jones found the treasure. So there might be another one.’ He breathed quickly, with excitement. ‘If we could find another ruby, Janey, then they’d have to believe us.’
‘But it’s a long way to Carlin’s Cave,’ Janey protested. ‘You and Dad went by car.’
‘It’s only a long way by road. Not if we go round by the headland.’
If theycould go round by the headland. If Perdita was right about the path …
‘How far is it?’ Janey asked.
‘A bit beyond the bay.’ Tim looked at his sister. She was a good walker, but it was already late in the day and she would soon be tired. ‘I should have left you behind,’ he said. ‘I told you to stay behind …’
‘I wouldn’t though, would I?’ Janey said, smiling to herself.
Tim gave a little sigh. ‘No, you wouldn’t. Well, you mustn’t grumble, then.’
Janey showed no sigh of grumbling. She walked stoutly beside Tim who still limped a little, and held onto the sleeve of his wind cheater for guidance. ‘We’re nearly at the bay now,’ she said.
‘How d’you know?’ Tim said, surprised.
‘We’re out of the peaty bog. It’s grassy here, sort of springy. Then you get to the stone wall and over the wall there’s the up and down sandy part with the prickly grasses.’
‘The dunes,’ Tim said. ‘I’ll carry you through the dunes, if you like.’
‘No. I don’t mind. It tells me where I am.’
They had reached the bay and were crossing the sand towards the headland when Perdita saw them. She was walking the ridge of Ben Luin. She looked down at Skuaphort and saw Mr Smith’s white Jaguar drive away from the hotel and up the stony road. Then she looked down at the bay and saw Tim and Janey. She called out, but the wind was strong and tossed her voice away like a bird cry. She ran down off the ridge, so fast that her teeth jolted. The wind was very strong now, and the sky was sullen over the sea.
*
There was a path round the headland, a narrow path, a goat track. It wound up the cliff a little, through heather, and thendescended on the seaward side, a tiny ledge on the sheer cliff face. It was safe enough as long as you didn’t look down and turn giddy. Tim looked down once: beneath him, the sea boiled over rocks that were sharp and pointed like—like dragon’s teeth, he thought. He had to stop. Behind him, holding onto his wind cheater, Janey had to stop too. ‘What’s the matter? Have we got there?’
‘No.’ Tim swallowed. There was no point in telling her about that terrible drop. ‘It’s just my foot
A man had appeared in the doorway of the hotel. He stood there, his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless. Mr Tarbutt promised that he would telephone as soon as he had found the children. Then he put the receiver down and the man in the doorway spoke. ‘Police station?’ Mr Smith said. ‘Who wants a policeman on Skua?’
*
‘We ought to have told a policeman,’ Janey said.
‘What policeman? There isn’t even a doctor on Skua. And who’d believe us, anyway? No one would listen, Janey. Not without evidence. We’ve got to get evidence first.’
‘Are you going to ask Mr Jones for your ruby back? Are we going to see Perdita, at Luinpool?’
‘Well …’ Tim hesitated. That had, in fact, been his first indignant reaction: to walk up to Luinpool and confront Mr Jones. Then doubt had set in. Suppose he was wrong, after all. Suppose there was some ‘perfectly simple explanation’ which had, so far, eluded him? What a fool he would look! Even if someone had knocked his father down, there was no proof it was Toffee Papers. At least, he had no proof. And if he was right—well, if he was right, to go up to Luinpool might be dangerous!
‘I think it’s better to go to the cave first,’ he said. ‘If I found the ruby there, I expect that’s where Mr Jones found the treasure. So there might be another one.’ He breathed quickly, with excitement. ‘If we could find another ruby, Janey, then they’d have to believe us.’
‘But it’s a long way to Carlin’s Cave,’ Janey protested. ‘You and Dad went by car.’
‘It’s only a long way by road. Not if we go round by the headland.’
If theycould go round by the headland. If Perdita was right about the path …
‘How far is it?’ Janey asked.
‘A bit beyond the bay.’ Tim looked at his sister. She was a good walker, but it was already late in the day and she would soon be tired. ‘I should have left you behind,’ he said. ‘I told you to stay behind …’
‘I wouldn’t though, would I?’ Janey said, smiling to herself.
Tim gave a little sigh. ‘No, you wouldn’t. Well, you mustn’t grumble, then.’
Janey showed no sigh of grumbling. She walked stoutly beside Tim who still limped a little, and held onto the sleeve of his wind cheater for guidance. ‘We’re nearly at the bay now,’ she said.
‘How d’you know?’ Tim said, surprised.
‘We’re out of the peaty bog. It’s grassy here, sort of springy. Then you get to the stone wall and over the wall there’s the up and down sandy part with the prickly grasses.’
‘The dunes,’ Tim said. ‘I’ll carry you through the dunes, if you like.’
‘No. I don’t mind. It tells me where I am.’
They had reached the bay and were crossing the sand towards the headland when Perdita saw them. She was walking the ridge of Ben Luin. She looked down at Skuaphort and saw Mr Smith’s white Jaguar drive away from the hotel and up the stony road. Then she looked down at the bay and saw Tim and Janey. She called out, but the wind was strong and tossed her voice away like a bird cry. She ran down off the ridge, so fast that her teeth jolted. The wind was very strong now, and the sky was sullen over the sea.
*
There was a path round the headland, a narrow path, a goat track. It wound up the cliff a little, through heather, and thendescended on the seaward side, a tiny ledge on the sheer cliff face. It was safe enough as long as you didn’t look down and turn giddy. Tim looked down once: beneath him, the sea boiled over rocks that were sharp and pointed like—like dragon’s teeth, he thought. He had to stop. Behind him, holding onto his wind cheater, Janey had to stop too. ‘What’s the matter? Have we got there?’
‘No.’ Tim swallowed. There was no point in telling her about that terrible drop. ‘It’s just my foot
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