There was a long silence. Miss Ballinger regarded them with malevolent triumph. Slinky, by the door, shifted uneasily, and then the girl who had been lounging in an easy chair laughed shortly.

"Now we know!" she said. "I thought they had found something."

"Now we know," Miss Ballinger repeated with a quiet innocence that made even Dickie shiver, while Macbeth, now tucked under Mary's arm, growled warningly.

"Grandon, throw that disgusting dog out. I won't have it here. Put the dog down, child, and don't argue."

But Mary, with her big eyes dark in her white face, only hugged her friend closer.

"You great bullying beasts!" she stuttered. "Don't one of you dare to come near, else I'll make him kill you. We're not afraid of you, but wherever I go Mackie stays with me..."

"An' wherever Mary goes I go..." Dickie added with chin up. "An' now you've made Penny cry."

"They haven't, Dickie," Penny protested violently and put an arm round his shoulders. "Not really, anyway. It's only because I'm so furious... Anyway, what I said about the letter isn't true. I made it up... Now will you let us go? ..

We can't tell you anything about this treasure you keep talking about because we don't know anything."

"I see," said Miss Ballinger quietly. "But we are wasting time, and if we do not hurry the weather will be too bad for you to get home at all. I have a new suggestion to make," and she sat down suddenly at the table behind which the children were still standing defiantly. "You children can help us more than you know, so let us get the business over and done with so that you can finish your holidays with plenty of jolly fun" - here Penny felt Dickie shudder - "and to do this I am prepared to make you a reasonable present each. Perhaps the twins would like nice new bicycles?"

"We got 'em," said Dickie tersely.

"Or another little dog," suggested Miss Ballinger, with cunning which was sadly misplaced.

"Why should we want another?" Mary asked.

"And you, Penny? There is sure to be something you would like. Just tell me what and you shall have it in exchange for one simple little favour,"

"And that is?" Penny asked with her head high.

"Just write a note now to your cousin Jonathan and ask him to come over right away with the letter you mentioned and all the other papers you found in the box in your room at the Dolphin... If you write the note at once Mr. Grandon will take it to Jonathan and bring him back in the car, and then you can all go back together and enjoy yourselves and forget all this unpleasantness."

For just one second Penny weakened. She could not give in now! With her head down she glanced at her three enemies.

Miss Ballinger, seated only three feet away, was watching her closely through her thick glasses.