"Hard luck, Dickie!" she said. "Never mind. P'raps we could smash the window presently and if we have to make a noise we'll make Mackie bark again."

"Come here, you two," Penny said. "I've got a brainwave. Let's camp under this table and make no noise at all. If we don't fuss I bet they'll soon wonder what's happened to us and then they'll come and open the door. When they do we'll still keep quiet and if they look in they won't see us at first."

"What do we do then?" asked the realist Dickie. "Overpower them, I suppose, by lurin' them under the table."

"I'm not sure what we do then," Penny said doubtfully, "but I think that if we keep quiet then they will have to do something. Let's try it once, anyway... Come on!"

They crawled under the table and Penny noticed that the strip of light at the window was fading fast. Macbeth seemed rather astonished that his friends should join him on the floor, and Mary was uneasy about it all.

"I think maybe we ought to sing a bit," she said. "Just to keep our spirits up. This is the sort of time and place for us to sing."

"We won't sing anything," Penny whispered urgently. "Just be quiet. I believe someone tried the door."

Instantly the twins froze and Mary put her hand on Macbeth's collar. The window was rattling behind the shutters and the floor shook with the power of the waves thundering up the beach such a short distance away. They strained their ears to catch any other sound, and suddenly the lock clicked back and a crack of yellow light showed as the door opened an inch. Penny slipped an arm round the shoulders of each twin and breathed, "Quiet! Hear what she's got to say."

For a long moment there was no other sound from the door. Penny sensed Miss Ballinger standing there and waiting for them to beg her to let them go.

"Let her wait," she thought. "Let her do the wondering and the worrying. I know Jon will come presently."

Then they heard the hated voice.

"Are you listening, children?"

No answer.

"Can you hear me?... It's no use sulking and it's no use pretending you're not here... Answer me!"

Silence. Mary held her hand firm now over Macbeth's muzzle, while the little dog trembled with fury.

"Very well! Go on sulking then. Grandon! Fetch me my torch from the bedroom... These little fools are pretending they're not there... Now listen... Jonathan and the other boy will be here soon with the map and other papers, but it will save us all a lot of time if you, Penny, tell me all you know. Tell me if you know what 'nt 8 April 7' means."