“It smells a bit musty,” said Julian. “But if it really is a passage, there must be secret air-holes somewhere to keep the air fresh in here. That’s right, Anne — you hang on to me. Jo, you come next, then George, then Dick.”

Soon they were all in the curious passage, which ran along in the centre of the wall. It certainly was very small. They all got tired of going along bent double. It was pitch dark too, and although they all had torches, except Jo, it was very difficult to see.

Anne hung on to Julian’s coat for dear life. She wasn’t enjoying this very much, but she wouldn’t have been left out of it for anything.

Julian suddenly stopped, and everyone bumped into the one in front. “What’s up?” called Dick, from the back.

“Steps here!” shouted back Julian. “Steps going down, very very steeply — almost like a stone ladder. Be careful, everybody!”

The steps were certainly steep. “Better go down backwards,” decided Julian. “Then we can have hand-holds as well as foot-holds. Anne, wait till I’m down and I’ll help you.”

The steps went down for about ten feet. Julian got down safely, then Anne turned herself round and went down backwards too, as if she were on a ladder instead of on stairs. It was much easier that way.

At the bottom was another passage, wider and higher, for which everyone was devoutly thankful. “Where does this lead to?” said Julian, stopping to think. “This passage is at right angles to the wall — we’ve left the wall now — we’re going underneath part of the courtyard, I should think.”

“I bet we’re not far from that tower,” called Dick. “I say — I do hope this leads to the tower.”

Nobody could possibly tell where it was going to lead to! Anyway, it seemed to run quite straight, and after about eighty feet of it, Julian stopped again.

“Steps up again!” he called. “Just as steep as the others. I think we may be going up into the inside of the castle walls. This is possibly a secret way into one of the old rooms of the castle.”

They went carefully up the steep stone steps and found themselves, not in a passage, but in a very small room that appeared to be hollowed out of the wall of the castle itself. Julian stopped in surprise, and everyone crowded into the tiny room. It really wasn’t much larger than a big cupboard. A narrow bench stood at one side, with a shelf above it. An old pitcher stood on the shelf, with a broken lip, and on the bench was a small dagger, rusty and broken.

“I say! Look here! This is a secret room — like they used to have in old places, so that someone might hide if necessary,” said Julian. “We’re inside one of the walls of the castle itself — perhaps the wall of an old bedroom!”

“And there’s the old pitcher that had water in,” said George. “And a dagger. Who hid here — and how long ago?”