Penny put a hand to her aching forehead and, with the gesture that Jon and Mrs. Warrender knew so well, flung back her head defiantly.

"I won't write anything," she said. "Even if we had the papers you keep talking about I wouldn't write for them. Why should I? You can't do anything to us, and you've no right to keep us here." She turned to Slinky. "As for you, Mr. Grandon, the best thing you can do is to take us home right away... You called it a truce this morning, didn't you?"

Miss Ballinger bowed her head in her hands. She suddenly looked dispirited and defeated and her niece watched her with growing astonishment.

"We'll go now," Penny said again more firmly.

"Very well," Miss Ballinger agreed. "Perhaps that would be best. I cannot keep you here, but I did hope you would do the sensible thing... Mr. Grandon will take you home..." and she got up heavily from the table and turned towards the door.

Penny's eyes were bright with excitement. She had won! They had beaten the three of them and in twenty minutes they would be home and this horrible bungalow would seem like a bad dream.

But she did not see Miss Ballinger's quick gesture to her niece, nor did she realize how quickly Slinky and the girl slipped out into the hall. When she glanced up again Miss Ballinger was glaring at them round the half-open door.

"Now, listen, and listen for the last time," she snarled. "You will stay here until I have the papers in my possession. If you will not help me to get them I must use other methods, and there are still plenty of ways in which young Jonathan Warrender can be persuaded to bring them here to me!"

"After her, Mackie boy! After her!" Mary shouted, and the little black warrior hurtled across the room as the door slammed and the lock clicked home.

"Quick!" Dickie yelled. "The window! We can get out there. Smash it!" But even as he spoke Grandon and Miss Ballinger passed outside and slammed across two heavy wooden shutters.

The fading daylight was shut out, and as for a moment the howling wind was lulled, there came the sound of an iron bar slipping into place, followed by Miss Ballinger's laugh.

10. Wednesday: Jon and David to the Rescue

What's it all about, Jon?" David demanded as they walked away from the telephone.

"We've got an invitation to tea," Jon explained, "and I don't like it. It was that girl - that girl who said she was Miss Ballinger's niece. She says Penny and the twins are over at the bungalow now and they want us to join them... She said that Penny wants me to bring the map and the papers and that it was very important... What do you think?"

"I should think she's a liar," David said shortly. "I can't imagine Penny sending a message like that."