"You live hereabouts?" and when Penny nodded he rather reluctantly handed over the envelope. Penny gasped. It was clearly addressed in a small but tidy handwriting to "Jonathan Warrender, Gay Dolphin, Rye," and marked in addition, "Bearer to await reply."

"You just wait here and I'll bring you the answer in a minute," she said, and dashed in to find Jon. She met him coming down the stairs whistling cheerfully, with the map roll sticking out of the inside of his coat pocket.

Jon crossed over to the window and slit open the envelope while his cousin stood on tip-toe and tried to read the letter over his shoulder.

"Winchelsea.

"DEAR JONATHAN,

"If you and your cousin can spare the time this afternoon I should be very happy if you would come and have tea with me. You may like to explore in this direction, and I shall be glad to see you and perhaps tell you some more stories of the Ports and the Marsh. I hope you will be able to tell the lad who brings this that you will be coming.

"Please give my kind regards to your mother.

"Sincerely yours,

"E. M. BALLINGER."

"P.S. - My bungalow is the fourth to the west on Winchelsea Beach, past the little hill at the end of the Beach Road."

After some discussion they agreed to go out for the day and finish up at Miss Ballinger's, so Jon went into the yard and said to the messenger:

"Tell Miss Ballinger, please, that we'll be glad to come and thank her very much."

"Can you understand that?" Penny added, "or would you like us to repeat it?"

The boy glared at her without speaking and then rode away, while Jon and Penny stood under the archway and watched him. Then, "Did you lock the box and the door?" Penny asked.

"Of course I did, and I've got the big key in my pocket. There are some other maps, too, you know, Penny, but they don't show as much as this one. Have you got the grub yet or are you going to keep me waiting again?"

"I'm going to keep you waiting, little man! If Auntie is in the kitchen I'll tell her we'll be out to tea. I'll meet you outside when I'm ready."

When she came out eventually with a heavy haversack, Jon was leaning against the wall studying the map. (You can see the map for yourself. It is printed at the beginning of this book.)