There was enough light for her to press a pin about nine inches above the ground into each wall and then stretch a length of black cotton taut between the two so that anyone stepping, however cautiously, up the passage could not avoid breaking the thread or pulling out the pins. After closing the panel she fixed another thread trap across the inside wall and then repeated the same trick across the little landing at the top of the stairs. There did not seem much else that she could do up here, so she locked the door again, hid the key in her room and went down.

In the long corridor she ran into Mrs. Warrender.

"What are you wandering about up here for, Penny?" she said brightly. "I was hoping to find you because I want you to go down to the High Street for me. It won't take you more than a quarter of an hour. You don't mind, do you?"

The note was soon written and Penny went out determined to get back as soon as possible. As she ran down Trader's Passage she noticed how the wind was rising, for here, on the edge of the town facing the levels, there was nothing to break its force as it came blustering in from the sea.

She had to wait a few minutes for an answer to the note and was back at the Dolphin again within half an hour.

"Thank you, Penny," Mrs. Warrender said. "I've got a surprise for you. Mr. Grandon has offered to take you and those Morton twins into Hastings in the car. He has to go into the town, and as you seemed to be rather at a loose end, he thought you might like to go, and as he has included the twins very specially in the invitation, I've taken the risk of accepting for them. I don't think Mr. and Mrs. Morton would mind, do you?"

Penny gasped. "He asked us to go with him, Auntie? Are you sure he suggested it?"

"Of course I'm sure. He came over specially to ask me and has offered to take you all out to lunch."

Penny just did not know what to say or do.

"You don't seem very keen to go, Penny. Why are you looking so worried? I thought you'd like the chance of the trip. You haven't got to be with him all the time, you know. After lunch you three can arrange to go off on your own and meet him later. He says he wants to be back at tea-time."

"Do the twins know, Auntie? What do they think of the idea?"

"They're thrilled about it! I heard the boy say he'd been looking forward to spending the day with Grandon and that it would be wizard to go with him. I think they're getting the car out now, so you'd better go and get ready."