chapter 19 back to kirrin cottage

julian ran after the others. 'what were you doing?' said george. 'calling rude names down to themen?'

'no. i hope they'll go and dig for hours if they want to!' said julian. 'they'll soon find that whenthey've got through it, that roof-fall is nothing much, and they'll go on till they come to the little room- and what they'll say when they find that the bag is gone, i really don't know!'

'i wish i could be there!' said dick.

'what are we going to do about guy?' asked harry. 'he really can't walk very far on that bad foot.'

'if he can walk as far as the gorse-bush where we've left our things, i've got a bike there,' said george.

'he could pedal with one foot, i should think.'

'oh yes - i could easily do that,' said guy, pleased. he had dreaded the thought of having to walk allthe way to kirrin - but neither did he want to be left behind!

he limped along, helped by harry, who couldn't do enough for him. jet ran along beside them,excited and happy at being with so many people. timmy sometimes wuffed a little bark to him,which made jet as proud as punch. he thought the big timmy was wonderful!

they came to the gorse-bush, and found their things all safe. the bicycle was there, with its packagesstrapped to it. george unstrapped them, meaning to carry them herself, so that guy would not havetoo heavy a weight to pedal with his one foot. they all started off together, guy riding ahead on thebicycle.

'we will go to kirrin, dump our things at the cottage, and get aunt fanny to ring the police and askthem if they'll come along and collect this bag from us,' said julian. 'i don't want to leave it at thepolice station - i want to see it opened in front of us!'

'i do hope it won't be empty,' said anne. 'it does feel terribly light!'

'yes. it does,' said julian, swinging it to and fro. 'i can't help fearing that paul, who drew the plan thatthe men found so difficult to understand, may have double-crossed his friends - drawn a deliberatelydifficult plan - and then left the bag quite empty in the place he marked on the plan!

it would be the kind of hoax that a trickster loves to play - and would give him time to get away insafety.'

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'but they said he was ill,' said dick. 'still - perhaps he might have been pretending that too! it's amystery!'

'how are you getting on, guy?' called anne, as they overtook the boy. he kept riding on by himselffor a little way, and then resting, waiting for them to catch up with him before he pedalled on againwith his one good foot.

'very well indeed, thank you,' said guy. 'this bike was a very good idea of yours. what a blessingyou had it with you!'

'your foot doesn't seem any more swollen,' said anne. 'i expect you'll be able to walk on it properlyin a day or two. oh, dear - it does make me laugh when i think how puzzled we all were when wethought there was just one of you, not twins!'

'we met first one of you, then the other, and thought you were the same boy,' said george, with achuckle. 'we were absolutely wild with you sometimes, you seemed so mad and contradictory!'

'don't remind us of it,' said harry. 'i can't bear thinking that if i'd only been with guy, all this troubleof his would never have happened.'

'oh well - it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good!' said george. 'the bad and the good havefitted together very well this time, and made a most exciting adventure!'

'here's carters lane at last,' said anne. 'what a long walk it seemed over the common. it will bemuch easier for you to ride that bike when you're on a proper road, guy. it won't go bumping overheather clumps now.'

they went down the long lane and came into kirrin at last, realizing that they were all very hungryindeed. 'it must be well past dinner-time,' said george, looking at her watch. 'good gracious - it's aquarter to two! would you believe it! i hope there's some dinner left over for us -mother doesn't know we're coming.'

'we'll raid joan's larder!' said dick. 'she never minds so long as she's there to grumble at us while wedo it!'

they went in at the gate of kirrin cottage and up to the front door, which was open. george shouted.

'mother! where are you? we've come back!'

nobody answered. george yelled again. 'mother! we've come home!'

the door of the study opened and her father looked out, red in the face and frowning.

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'george! how many times am i to tell you not to shout when i'm working? oh, my goodness me,who are all these?'

'hallo, father!' said george, mildly. 'surely you know anne and julian and dick! don't say you'veforgotten them already!'

'of course not! but who are these?' and george's father pointed to the startled twins. 'they're as likeas peas. where did they come from? i haven't seen them before, have i?'

'no, father. they're just friends of ours,' said george. 'where's mother? we've just had an adventureand we want to tell her. oh, and we want to ring the police - and i think we ought to get a doctor tosee to guy's foot - and father, look, timmy's ear is healed!'

'bless us all! there's never any peace when you are about, george,' said her father, groaning.

'your mother's at the bottom of the garden, picking raspberries - or it might have been strawberries.'

'oh no, father - it's august, not june!' said george. 'you always...'

julian thought he had better get his uncle safely back in his study before a row blew up between himand george. uncle quentin did not like being disturbed in his complicated work!

'let's go and find aunt fanny,' he said, 'we can tell her everything out in the garden. come on!'

'wuff-wuff!' said jet.

'good gracious - that's not another dog, is it?' said george's father, scowling. 'how many times have isaid that...'

'we won't disturb you any more, uncle,' said julian, hurriedly, seeing guy's scared face. 'we'll goand find aunt fanny.'

they all went thankfully out in the garden, hearing the house echo to the slam of uncle quentin'sstudy door. george shouted.

'mother! where are you?'

'shut up, george - we don't want to make your father leap out of the window after us!' said dick.

'ah - there's aunt fanny!'

his aunt was very surprised to see him and the others advancing on her. she went to greet them, abasket of raspberries on her arm.

'well! i thought you wanted to stay away for longer than this!'

'we did - but an adventure descended on us!' said dick. 'we'll tell you all about it in detail later on,aunt fanny.'

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'but just now we want two things - can we ring the police - or will you - and ask them to come here?'

said julian, very grown-up all of a sudden. 'there's something that might be very important for themto know. and also do you think we should let a doctor see guy's foot - he's sprained his ankle, ithink?'

'oh dear!' said aunt fanny, distressed to see the boy's swollen foot. 'yes - he ought to have that seento properly. who is he? dear me - there's another of them! aren't they alike?'

'twins,' said george. 'i don't know how i shall be able to tell one from the other when guy's bad footis better.'

'i'm going to ring the police,' said julian, seeing that his aunt could now only think of guy's swollenfoot. he went off indoors, and they heard him speaking on the telephone. he put it down and cameout again.

'the inspector himself is coming,' said julian. 'shall i ring the doctor now, aunt fanny?'

'oh yes. his number is 042,' said his aunt. 'how did you get such an ankle, guy?'

'mother, you don't seem at all interested in our adventure,' complained george.

'oh, i am, dear,' said her mother. 'but you do have such a lot, you know. what have you been up tothis time?'

but before george could do more than begin, a black police car drew up at the front gate, and theinspector of police got out and marched up to the front door. he knocked extremely loudly on theknocker.

which, of course, had the immediate result of bringing george's father hotfoot out of his study inanother rage! he flung open the front door.

'hammering at the door like that! what's the matter? i've a good mind to report you to the police!

oh - er - h'm - good afternoon, inspector. do come in. are we expecting you?'

smiling broadly, the inspector came in. by this time julian had come back in the house again, andgreeted him. his uncle went back into his study, rather red in the face, and actually closed the doorquietly!

'you wanted me to come along at once, because of something important?' said the inspector.

'what is it?'

the others came into the room now, with julian's aunt behind them. julian nodded round at them.

'they're all in this, sir - except my aunt, of course. we've brought something we think may 84be important, sir. quite a lot of people were looking for it - but we managed to get hold of it first!'

he put the brown bag on the table. the inspector's eyes went to it at once. 'what is it? what's inside?

stolen goods?'

'yes, sir - blue-prints of some kind, i think. but i don't know what of, of course.'

'open the bag, my boy! i'll examine them,' said the inspector.

'i can't open it,' said julian. 'it's locked - and there's no key!'

'well - we'll soon manage that!' said the inspector, and took out a small, strong-looking tool. heforced the lock, and the bag opened. everyone leaned forward eagerly, even timmy. what was in thebag?

there was nothing there! absolutely nothing! julian groaned in bitter disappointment.

'no wonder it felt so light. it's empty after all. would you believe it!'