Rather disconsolately, she wandered over to the wall and looked down to the river. The rain was slanting fiercely in from the south-west, and the sea and Winchelsea on its hill were hidden. Then she noticed the weeds growing at the foot of the wall. Pulling up a big wet handful, she shook the rain from her curls and quite unnecessarily tip-toed over to the still-open window and glanced up the street. There was no one in sight so, putting the tip of her tongue between her teeth as she always did when concentrating, she leaned back and tossed up the clod. Even as the wet earth sailed through the air she remembered with glee that Jon had said that he was going to move his bed under the window.

For a long, long moment there was a silence and then came a sort of splosh, followed by a strangled cry. Again there was a silence until Penny, unable to bear the suspense any longer, giggled, and this brought her cousin's face to the window.

At the sight of him the giggle changed to a laugh. He was struggling to put on his spectacles and one side of his face was covered in mud, which was running down into his mouth. He wiped the mud off with his pyjama sleeve and, when his glasses were safely on his nose, spluttered:

"Oh, it was you, was it? I might have known if I'd had time to think. Why don't you go in and keep dry or p'raps you haven't noticed it's raining. Next thing will be that you'll catch cold and spoil our holidays."

"Be quiet, you idiot," she hissed. "Buck up and come down. I've got something vital and urgent and secret to tell you and I didn't know where your room was. Get up, Jon. It's urgent! Really it is!"

"Oh, go back to bed yourself," he growled. "It's too dark and too wet and too early to get up, and I'm going to sleep again. Don't be such an ass, Penny."

"Please, Jon," she pleaded. "I really meant it. I've had an adventure in the night and I want you to know all about it, but you must be quick and I must see you secretly... Jon! Are you listening? Listen! Get up right away and then, when you're ready, open your door and leave it open and listen for me. I can't find anybody or anything in this house because all the doors are always shut. Will you, Jon? Please do," and without realizing it she had put her head on one side and smiled up at him so good-humouredly that he nodded and shut the window.

She wandered back into the yard and saw Fred disappearing through a narrow door just past the hotel entrance. She followed him into a dark little room with a long table under the window.