“I had to unlock the door to get out again, of course,” she said. “And I thought I’d take that key, too, because, who knows? — I might have wanted to get into that larder again and lock myself in with the food!”

“No one will ever get the better of you, Jo,” said Dick with the utmost conviction. “Never. You’re as cute as a bagful of monkeys. So you’ve still got the right key with you?”

“Yes,” said Jo. “And Red and my Dad and Jake are still locked up in the tower room!”

But suddenly a most disagreeable thought struck Dick. “Wait a bit!” he said. “What’s going to happen when they find they’ve got the wrong key? They’ll be down here again, and my word, what’ll happen to us all then!”

Chapter Twenty-Four

A grand surprise

The thought that the men might soon return even angrier than they had been before was most unpleasant.

“As soon as Markhoff tries the key in the door of the tower room he’ll find it won’t unlock it, and he’ll know that Jo has tricked him!” said George.

“And then he’ll be in such a fury that he’ll tear down here again, and goodness knows what will happen to us!” groaned Julian. “What shall we do? Hide again?”

“No,” said Dick. “Let’s get out of here and climb down the cliff to the sea. I’d feel safer there than up here in this cave. We might be able to find a better hiding-place down on the rocks in that little cove.”

“It’s a pity my boat’s smashed,” said George, with a sigh for her lovely boat. “And, I say — how are we going to get old Timmy down?”

There was a conference about this. Timmy couldn’t climb down, that was certain. Jo remembered the rope still hanging down the side of the cliff to the ledges below — the one she had tied there to help Julian and Dick climb up the steep sides of the cliff.

“I know,” she said, her quick mind working hard again. ‘You go down first, Julian, then Dick. Then George can go — each of you holding on to the rope as you climb down, in case you fall.

“Then I’ll haul up the rope and tie old Timmy to it, round his waist — and I’ll lower him down to you. He’s so sleepy still, he won’t struggle. He won’t even know what’s happening!”

“But what about you?” said Dick. “You’ll be last of all. Will you mind? You’ll be all alone up on this ledge, with the men coming behind you at any minute.”

“No, I don’t mind,” said Jo. “But let’s be quick.”

Julian went down first, glad of the rope to hold to as his feet and hands searched for crevices and cracks. Then came Dick, almost slipping in his anxiety to get down.

Then George climbed down, slowly and anxiously, not at all liking the steep cliff. Once she glanced down to the sea below, and felt sick. She shut her eyes for a moment and clung with one hand to the rope.