He went on: "This is the bit I was looking for, Miss Ballinger. Here it is. She says... 'I'm sure there are secret passages and ghosts here, and one of the maids told me that this was one of the inns used by the Marsh smugglers in olden days. She said that the window in Jon's room was built to jutt out over the street so that a lantern placed there could be seen away down at the little harbour at the mouth of the muddy river two miles away, where the boats would be waiting with contraband from France, to be exchanged for wool from the Marsh sheep. This is a strange old house, but I know that I can make it really lovely, although Uncle Charles certainly left it in a muddle. And this reminds me that the old man has left me a lot of ancient documents and letters that look as if they won't be de-ciphered until Jon has had the wit to translate them. So you can see that there'll be plenty for you both to do, with secret papers and new places to explore.' "

He looked up from the page.

"Do you think she's right, Miss Ballinger? It sounds great, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does. I should like to see those old documents she mentions. I'm interested in things like that... Does she say when she'll be ready for visitors?"

Jon skipped the last pages.

"No, she doesn't say that. There's a bit here about the new manager. She doesn't say a lot really about him, but I don't think she likes him... But we shall soon know for ourselves."

Another station flashed backwards as he spoke.

The long train was swinging round a steep curve and away to the right they could see the greenish-blue of the sea and the yellow line of the shingle beach. They had hardly got their luggage down before the train stopped at the first of the St. Leonards' stations. Then, after two more tunnels, with another station in between, came Hastings. Jon reached up for Miss Ballinger's cases.

"Don't you bother, my lad. I'll get a porter to do that. Good-bye to you both, for the present. No, don't wait for me... Be off with you... Good-bye..."

Jon looked at her in some surprise for she seemed suddenly in a great hurry to be rid of them.

"Well, thank you for telling us all about Rye," Penny said impetuously. "Perhaps we'll see you again some time."

"Maybe you will. Good-bye! Good-bye!"

Jon got out without paying much attention to his cousin. His mind seemed to be on other things, and when Penny had struggled out with her own case she saw him working his way up the platform against the crowds making for the bridge behind her. Penny was not the kind of girl who liked to be overlooked, so she dumped her case down outside the Refreshment Room and stalked after him up the platform.