Part 13 (1/2)
Tat lot of good Stinker is,” said Julian. ”No, Timmy-you're not to eat him. Stay here! He wouldn't taste nice if you did eat him!”
Timothy was sorry not to be able to chase Stinker round and round the island. If he couldn't chase rabbits, he might at least be allowed to chase Stinker!
They all went down into the dungeons. Julian's white chalk-marks were still on the rocky walls, so it was easy to find the way to the cave-like room where the children, last summer, had found piles of golden ingots. They felt sure that the little kidnapped girl had been put there, for this cave had a big wooden door that could be bolted on the outside.
They came to the door. It was well and truly bolted. There was no sound from inside. Everyone halted outside and Timmy scratched at the door, whining gently. He knew there was someone inside.
”Hallo, there!” shouted Julian, in a loud and cheerful voice. ”Are you all right? We've come to rescue you.”
There was a scrambling noise, as if someone had got up from a stool. Then a small voice sounded from the cave.
”Hallo! Who are you? Oh, do please rescue me! I'm so lonely and frightened!”
”Just undoing the door!” called back Julian, cheerfully. ”We're all children out here, so don't be afraid. You'll soon be safe.”
He shot back the bolts, and flung open the door. Inside the cave, which was lighted by a lantern, stood a small girl, with a scared little white face, and large dark eyes. Dark red hair tumbled round her cheeks, and she had evidently been crying bitterly, for her face was dirty and tear-stained.
d.i.c.k went to her and put his arm round her. ”Everything's all right now,” he said. ”You're safe. We'll take you back to your mother.”
”I do want her, I do, I do,” said the little girl, and tears ran down her cheeks again. ”Why am I here? I don't like being here.”
”Oh, it's just an adventure you've had,” said. Julian. ”It's over now-at least, nearly over. There's still a bit of it left-a nice bit, though. We want you to come and have breakfast with us in our cave. We've a lovely cave.”
”Oh, have you?” said the little girl, rubbing her eyes. ”I want to go with you, I like you, but I didn't like those other people.”
”Of course you didn't,” said George. ”Look! This is Timothy, our dog. He wants to be friends with you.”
”What a simply lovely dog!” said the little girl, and flung her arms around Timmy's neck. He licked her ir delight. George was pleased. She put her arm round the little girl.
”What's your name?” she said.
”Jennifer Mary Armstrong,” said the little girl. ”What's yours?”
”George,” said George, and the little girl nodded, thinking that George was a boy, not a girl, for she was dressed in jeans just like Julian and d.i.c.k, and her hair was short, too, though very curly.
The others told her their names-and then she looked at Edgar, who had said nothing.
”This is Spotty-Face,” said Julian. ”He isn't a friend of ours. It was his father and mother who put you here, Jennifer. Now we are going to leave him here in your . place. It will be such a pleasant surprise for them, won't it?”
Edgar gave a yell of dismay and tried to back away-but Julian gave him a strong shove that sent him flying into the cave.
”There's only one way to teach people like you and your parents that wickedness doesn't pay!” said the boy, grimly. ”And that is to punish you hard. People like you don't understand kindness. You think it's just being soft and silly. All right-you can have a taste of what Jennifer has had. It will do you good, and do your parents a lot of good too! Good-bye!”
Edgar began to howl dismally as Julian bolted the big wooden door top and bottom. ”I shall starve!” he wailed.
”Oh no, you won't,” said Julian. ”There's plenty of food and water in there, so help yourself. It would do you good to go hungry for a while, all the same.”
”Mind the cows don't get you!” called d.i.c.k, and he gave a realistic moo that startled Jennifer very much, for the echoes came mooing round too.
”It's all right-only the echoes,” said George, smiling at her in the torch-light. Edgar howled away in the cave, sobbing like a baby.
”Little coward, isn't he?” said Julian. ”Come on-let's get back. I'm awfully hungry for my breakfast.”
”So am I,” said Jennifer, slipping her small hand into Julian's. ”I wasn't hungry at all in that cave - but now I am. Thank you for rescuing me.”
”Don't mention it,” said Julian, grinning at her. ”It's a real pleasure-and an even greater one to put old Spotty-Face there instead of you. Nice to give the Sticks a dose of their own medicine.”
Jennifer didn't know what he meant, but the others did, and they chuckled. They made their way back through the dark, musty pa.s.sages of the dungeons, pa.s.sing many caves, big and small, on the way. They came at last to the flight of steps and went up them into the dazzling sun-light.
”Oh!” said Jennifer, breathing in great gulps of the-. fresh, sea-smelling air. ”Oh! This is lovely! Where am I?”
”On our island,” said George. ”And this is our ruined castle. You were brought here last night in a boat. We heard you scream, and that's how we guessed you were being made a prisoner.”
They walked to the cliff, and Jennifer was amazed at the way they disappeared down the knotted rope. She was eager to try too, and soon slid down into the cave.
”Nice kid, isn't she?” said Julian to George. ”My word, she's had even more of an adventure than we have!”
Chapter Twenty-One.
A VISIT TO THE POLICE STATION.
ANNE liked Jennifer very much, and gave her a hug and a kiss. Jennifer looked round the well-furnished cave in amazement and wonder-and then she gave-a scream of surprise and joy. She pointed to Anne's neatly-made bed, on which sat a number of beautiful dolls, and a large teddy-bear.
.'My dolls!” she said. ”Oh, and Teddy, too! Oh, oh, where did you get them? I've missed them so! Oh Josephine and Angela and Rosebud and Marigold, have you missed me?”
She flung herself on the dolls. Anne was very interested to hear their names. ”I've looked after them well,” she told Jennifer. ”They're quite all right.”
”Oh, thank you,” said the little girl, happily. ”I do think you're all nice. Oh, I say-what a lovely breakfast!”
It was. Anne had opened a tin of salmon, two tins of peaches, a tin of milk, cut some bread and b.u.t.ter, and made a big jug of cocoa. Jennifer sat down and began to eat. She was very hungry, and as she ate, she began to lose her paleness and look rosy and happy. .
The children talked busily as they ate. Jennifer told them about herself.
”I was playing in the garden with my nurse,” she said, ”and suddenly, when nurse had gone indoors to fetch something, a man climbed over the wall, threw a shawl round my head, and took me away. We live by the sea, you know, and I soon heard the sound of the waves splas.h.i.+ng on the sh.o.r.e, and I knew I was being put into a boat. I was taken to a big s.h.i.+p, and locked down in a cabin for two days: Then I suppose I was brought here one night. I was so frightened that I screamed.”
”That was the scream we heard,” said George. ”It was lucky we heard it. We had thought there was smuggling going on here, in our island-we didn't guess it was a case of kidnapping, till we heard you scream-though we had found your trunk with your clothes and toys.”
”I don't know how the man got those,” said Jennifer. ”Maybe one of our maids helped him. There was one I didn't like at all. She was called Sarah Stick.'- ”Ah!” said Julian, at once. ”That's the one, then! It was Mr. and Mrs. Stick who brought you here. Sarah Stick, your maid, must be some relation of theirs. They must have been in the pay of someone else, I should think-someone who had a s.h.i.+p, and could bring you here to hide you.”
”Jolly good hiding-place, too,” said George. ”No one but us would ever have found it out.”
They ate all their breakfast, made some more cocoa, and discussed their future plans.