Although the moon was high in the sky, big clouds were now piling up from the north and it was darker than it had been when they were waiting at H.Q.3 some hours ago. Twice they missed the track and once went half-a-mile out of their way after two trees on the skyline that were nothing to do with the spinney for which they were searching.

At last Penny pointed ahead.

"Look, Peter. Surely that's the spinney just down in that dip? And can you see something else? Two little squares of yellow. Do you know what those are?"

"Yes, I do. They're lighted windows in the house, but it's funny we can see them from here and never seemed able to see the house in daylight."

Penny started to move off again towards the pine trees and, for a moment did not realize that her friend was not with her.

Meanwhile Peter stood still looking down on the two lighted windows and feeling vaguely uneasy. She was aware that Penny, twenty paces ahead, had turned and was waiting for her but for a moment she felt that she could not move. She brushed a hand across her eyes and then, with a great effort, broke the strange spell and hurried on down the path.

"What were you doing, Peter? Dreaming?"

"Think I must have been," Peter said. "I wonder if we shall be able to watch those windows all the time... That's rum, Penny. They've disappeared now. You know you can only see down on to the house from certain places... There they are again. They must be windows of rooms right at the top of the house... Let's wait a sec. under the trees and shelter from this wind. I can't feel my feet... And keep your eye on those windows."

They leant against the trunk of a great fir tree while above them the branches tossed and threshed and moaned.

"I loathe wind," Penny said suddenly. "I think I can stand any weather but wind... Peter! One of those lights has gone out... No, it hasn't. It's on again... Peter, look! They've gone mad... It keeps going on and off. Can you see it, too?"

Peter suddenly shouted in excitement.

"Penny! Watch! Somebody is signalling... That's Morse. Do you know it?"

Penny shook her head gloomily.

Peter was murmuring to herself, "Dash. Dot? That's N... Now what? Nothing else. Just an N. Maybe he'll start again... Here he comes again, Penny! Now I can do it. Just remember the letters as I spell them out. Dot, dash, dash, dash - that's J... Now three dashes, and that's O, and then dash dot again. Doesn't make sense to me. Suppose that's part of a word."