"Do you think Slinky really was listening outside the door?... Oh, that's all right, Penny... It's just that this business is getting me down a bit, I s'pose... We'll give it a little longer. Keep your eyes open here and watch Slinky particularly, and David and me will have a talk about last night and see if we can get any more brain-waves."

Later, when Jon went out into the lounge, the twins introduced him to their father.

Jon liked Mr. Morton at once. He liked them all, and when they went out into the sunshine together he realized that he was going to enjoy the day, but he had no idea how exciting it was going to be.

David was just driving the car under the archway into the street with Vasson beside him, so they followed him out.

Penny was sitting on the wall swinging her legs, and Mrs. Morton went over to her.

"You must be Penny," she smiled. "I've heard a lot about you already. You and Jonathan must come out with us for the day soon. We'll make up a party. And if you've nothing better to do today, my dear, just keep an eye on those awful twins of mine, will you? All right! All right! I'm coming! Thank you, Vasson. What a lovely day!"

"Best get your game in quick," Vasson replied as he closed the car door and stood back. "Wind's rising and weather's breaking up. Moon's full tonight and tide be highest of the year."

At the golf course David showed Jon how to carry a bag of golf clubs comfortably across his shoulders, then they all tramped across the springy turf and over the dunes. Before long the wind freshened and the sun disappeared behind the clouds which were piling up from the southwest. The colour of the sea changed to dark green, and far out across the sands the tumbling waves were flecked with white foam, and by the time they were back at the club-house the first silver spears of rain came driving sharply at them from the sea.

"Vasson was right, then," Mr. Morton said as they went in. "Doesn't look as if we shall get much more golf today. How quickly the weather changes down here."

The meal was good and the boys were hungry, but they both felt sleepy by the time the coffee arrived. Jon was almost nodding when he realized that Mr. Morton was talking about the Marsh.

"We've read a lot of the smuggling stories," Jon said. "Didn't the Romans land on the Marsh? Do you know any stories about them, sir?"

"Yes, Jon, there's no doubt about that. Roman remains have been found in the Marsh, I believe, and many of them in this district. A mound in flat country like this is conspicuous, and somebody told me that many of these odd-looking hillocks have already been opened by experts."

"What do they find?" David asked. "Bones?"