"But last night," Peter repeated. "I saw it again last night, I tell you, some time after midnight. It was rushing up the street outside. I saw it clearly."

Mr Cantor smiled gently. "Quite so, my dear. You thought you saw it, but nobody else did. You were tired out after a long day and dreamed it no doubt," and he closed the door behind the policeman, who followed him out.

"Did you hear what he said?" Peter gasped. "He called me a liar. I'll never, never forgive him. I hate him. David! Why don't you go after him and do something to him? Are you going to let him call me a liar?"

Even as she was speaking David strode across to the door, but Jon stopped him before he could open it.

"Just a sec," he said quietly. "Let's be sensible. We'll get our own back on him, Peter, don't you worry. Nobody is allowed to call a Lone Piner a liar and get away with it, are they, Dickie?... Be quiet just for a minute and see what he's going to do, and then we'd better make our plans."

David went across to Peter and touched her arm.

"Sorry about that, Peter. Jon's right, though. We won't forget. I won't forget, I promise."

She gave him a grateful glance and then turned away so that he could not see the tears in her eyes as Jon, his ear against the closed door, whispered, "He's shut the front door and gone upstairs, and I bet he doesn't want to see us again for a little. Now, David, what's the best thing to do?"

"We'd better get dressed first," David replied, "and while we're doing it will you girls do everything you can to keep Agnes sweet?"

Fifteen minutes later the dining-room was clear and the beds made and all the Lone Piners, including Macbeth, were climbing the Castle hill. The morning was bright and cold and a steady wind seemed to blow their fatigue and short temper away. The twins and Tom were teasing Mackie with a piece of stick and Jenny's gay laughter at their antics echoed back from the ruins above them. Only Peter looked depressed, for try as she would she could not forget the cruel, unfair way in which Mr Cantor had sneered at her.

"David," she said suddenly, "I've had an awful idea. We've all walked out of the house to make some plans and left Mr Cantor alone and unguarded."

"You're right, Peter! What fools we are. If I'd thought for a minute I'd have realized that and we'd have met in one of the bedrooms and kept a look-out for him... We'd better go back at once."

"Let's talk now," Jon said. "Peter may be right, but I've had enough of Keep View this morning, and it's grand out here. Let's chance Mr Cantor for a few minutes just for the sake of some fresh air."