Part 24 (2/2)

Without another word, Scarlett held the light above his head.

”It seems very rum though, Scar. That must be the way to the house.”

”Well, let's see.”

Scarlett started once more with the lanthorn along the tunnel in the other direction, apparently toward the house, while, with a maliciously merry laugh on his face, Fred hung back, and half hid himself among the fallen wood and stones.

Scarlett went on quite a couple of dozen yards, talking the while, every word he said coming back as in a loud whisper distinctly to the mouth of the hole.

”Don't seem to get any deeper, Fred. I'm glad we came, because we shall find it out this time.”

Fred chuckled and watched, and, to his surprise, he saw his companion and the light gradually disappear, leaving the tunnel in obscurity.

”Why, I shall have to go in the dark,” cried Fred to himself. ”Oh!”

And, startled more than he had startled his companion, he hurried after him, so eager to overtake the light that he nearly went headlong in the water, for his body went quicker than his legs.

”Hi! stop a minute, Scar!” he cried; and he noted, as he hurried on, that the pa.s.sage made a great curve, though it was so gradual that he could not tell its extent.

”Why, I thought you were close behind me,” said Scarlett, as he overtook him. ”Lean a little forward, and you'll find it easier to go along through the water. It's getting just a little deeper now.”

”Then this must be the way to the lake, after all.”

They persevered, going steadily on for some time, and, with the water gradually creeping up and up till it was mid-thigh, and then higher and higher till it was almost to their hips, and then they stopped.

”I shan't go any farther, Scar,” cried Fred. ”I don't want to have to swim.”

”Yes, it is getting deep,” said Scarlett, thoughtfully.

”Couldn't get a boat down here, could we!”

”No; but we might get one of the big tubs,” replied Scarlett. ”It would hold us both. Shall we go back now?”

”Yes; we're so horribly wet; but hold the lanthorn up higher, and--Oh, I say!”

Scarlett had obeyed, and raised it so high that the lanthorn struck slightly against the rough roof, and, as the candle happened to be already burning away in the socket, this was sufficient to extinguish it, and for the moment they were in total darkness, or so it seemed to them in the sudden change.

Then Fred cried exultantly, ”Look! look!” and pointed to a bright, rough-looking star of light.

”Suns.h.i.+ne,” cried Scarlett. ”Then that is the entrance. Shall we go on?”

Fred had already squeezed by him, and was wading on toward the light, which proved to be not more than fifty feet away.

”Come along!” he cried; ”it isn't very much deeper, only up to my middle now. Here, I'm touching it. This is the end, and--it's--it's--no, I can't quite make out where it is,” he continued, as he darkened the hole by placing his face to it; ”but I can see the lake, and I could see where, only there's a whole lot of ivy hanging down.”

”Can you get your head through?”

”No; too small. Come and look.”

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