“You want me to give your sister shelter, but you’ll go out into the night?” she said. Dick nodded. He thought he could easily find some shed or barn for himself. But Anne really must be indoors.

“My son mustn’t see either of you,” said the old woman, and she pulled Anne to what the girl thought was a cupboard. But when the door opened, she saw a very small, steep wooden staircase leading upwards into the roof.

“You go up there,” said the old woman to Anne. “And don’t you come down till I call you in the morning. I’ll get into trouble if my son knows you’re here.”

“Go up, Anne,” said Dick, rather troubled. “I don’t know what you’ll find there. If it’s too bad, come down. See if there’s a window or something you can call out from, and then I’ll know if you’re all right.”

“Yes,” said Anne, in rather a trembling voice, and she went up the steep, dirty wooden stairs. They led straight into a little loft. There was a mattress there, fairly clean, and a chair. A rug was folded up on the chair and a jug of water stood on a shelf, Otherwise the room was bare.

A tiny window opened out of one side. Anne went to it and called out. “Dick! Are you there? Dick!”

“Yes, I’m here,” said Dick. “What’s it like, Anne? Is it all right? Listen, I’ll find somewhere nearby to shelter in - and you can always call me if you want me!”

Chapter Six

In the middle of the night

“It’s not bad,” said Anne. “There’s a fairly clean mattress and a rug. I’ll be all right. But what about if the others come, Dick? Will you look out for them? I almost think George will have to sleep in a barn with you and Julian if she comes. That old woman won’t let anyone else in, I’m sure!”

“I’ll look out for them and arrange something,” said Dick. “You eat the rest of your sandwiches and your cake, and see if you can dry your wet feet and make yourself really comfortable. There’s a shed or something out here. I shall be quite all right. Yell for me if you want me.”

Anne went back into the room. She felt wet and tired, hungry and thirsty. She ate all her food, and had a drink from the jug. Then she felt sleepy and lay down on the mattress, throwing the rug over her. She meant to listen for the others to come, but she was too tired. She fell fast asleep!

Dick was prowling about down below. He was careful because he didn’t want to run into the old woman’s son. He didn’t like the sound of him somehow! He came to a small barn with piles of straw in one corner. He flashed his torch cautiously round.

“This will do for me,” he thought. “I can be quite comfortable here in that straw. Poor Anne! I wish old George was with her. I’d better wait about and watch for the other two, or I’ll fall asleep and miss them, once I bed down in that straw! It’s only about six o’clock too - but we’ve had a long day. I wonder how Timmy is. I wish he was here!”