“Is there any way up from this gallery?”

“We’ll walk round it and see,” said Julian. “Be as quiet as you can. I don’t think there’s anyone here, but you never know. And watch your step, in case the stone isn’t sound — it’s very crumbly here and there.”

Julian led the way round the curious little gallery. Had this tower-room been used for old plays or mimes? Was the gallery for spectators? He wished he could turn back the years and lean over the gallery to see what had been going on in the room below, when the castle was full of people.

About three-quarters of the way round the gallery a little flight of steps led downwards into the room below. But just beyond where the steps began there was another door set in the wall, very like the one they had just come through.

It too had an iron ring for a handle. Julian turned it slowly. It didn’t open. Was it locked? There was a great key standing in the iron lock, and Julian turned it. But still the door didn’t open. Then he saw that it was bolted.

The bolt was securely pushed home. So somebody was a prisoner the other side! Was it the man who owned the Face? Julian turned and whispered very softly in Anne’s ear.

“There’s a door here bolted my side. Looks as if we’re coming to the Face. Tell George to send Timmy right up to me.”

Anne whispered to George, and George pushed Timmy forward. He squeezed past Anne’s legs and stood by Julian, sensing the sudden excitement.

“We’re probably coming to stairs that lead up to the top tower-room, where that window is with the Face,” thought Julian, as he slid back the bolt very cautiously. He pushed the door, and it opened. He stood listening, his torch switched off. Then he switched it on.

Just as he had thought, another stone stairway led up steeply. At the top must be the prisoner, whoever he was.

“We’ll go up,” said Julian softly. “Quiet, everybody!”

Chapter Seventeen

Excitement and shocks

Timmy strained forward, but Julian had his hand on the dog’s collar. He went up the stone stairway, very steep and narrow. The others followed with hardly a sound. All of them but Jo had on their rubber shoes; she had bare feet. Timmy made the most noise, because his claws clicked on the stone.

At the top was another door. From behind it came a curious noise — guttural and growling. Timmy growled in his throat. At first Julian couldn’t think what the noise was. Then he suddenly knew.

“Somebody snoring! Well, that’s lucky. I can take a peep in and see who it is. We must be at the top of the tower now.”

The door in front of him was not locked. He pushed it open and looked inside, his hand still on Timmy’s collar.

The moonlight struck through a narrow window and fell on the face of a sleeping man. Julian stared at it in rising excitement. Those eyebrows! Yes — this was the man whose face had appeared at the window!