At this Mrs. Thurston raised her hand again, but before she could strike Mary, Macbeth, who had been sleeping the sleep of exhaustion under the table, took a share in the proceedings and jumped out at his enemy, growling fiercely. Mrs. Thurston had forgotten him and she backed to the door, taking the key from her pocket.

"Hold him back, Mary!" she said quickly. "Keep him off!" Then she turned to Dickie. "I'm sorry about that, Dickie," she said. "You shouldn't have made me so angry. I didn't mean to hit you, but you were so disobedient and naughty. Now will you be sensible children and go quietly to bed, and I promise you shall go home in the morning?"

Mary, holding Macbeth, looked up at her steadily.

"It's no good being sorry now," she said. "You hit him... look at his face! All right. We'll go to bed now if you won't let us go home. But we're not friends, and I hate you... I think you're a horrid witch. Yes, I do. You're a witch, and I b'lieve you're a spy!"

There was a long silence while Dickie fingered his cheek. Then Mrs. Thurston laughed shortly and turned the key in the lock.

"Come along," she said. "Perhaps you had better leave the dog down here."

"I won't," said Mary tersely. "He's comin' with us wherever we go in this house." And she picked up the growling Macbeth firmly.

There was no sign of Jacob as they were led across the hall and up the stairs. Mary had the dog under one arm, and was also holding Dickie's hand, so that progress was not very fast. At the top of the stairs they turned to the right down a dark passage and then to the right again, and came to an open door. Mrs. Thurston reached across to close the door, but the twins were close enough to see everything. The room was brightly lit with a lamp. Lying on a bed at the side of the shuttered window was the English officer. He was in his shirt-sleeves, with his bandaged ankle stretched out in front of him, and his sound leg resting on the floor. Seated in a chair at the side of the bed was another man, who looked up sharply at the sound of their steps. The twins recognized him instantly as John Davies, although he had a different, slightly startled look on his face. They had been looking at a piece of paper which was resting on his knee, but just as the twins smiled at him and were ready to speak, Mrs. Thurston closed the door quickly and urged them forward. At the end of the corridor she opened another door.

"Wait there," she said, "while I light the candle."