CHAPTER IX.

I MAKE A DISCOVERY.
RANK and I were late for breakfast as usual ia next morning, but much to our delight we found that we had beaten Nora, who appeared just after we had seated ourselves.
“Aha! Who’s a lazybones now?” said Frank pointedly, with an air of self-satisfied virtue.
“Tsn’t that a case of the ‘kettle and the pot’ ?” suggested Mrs. Naismith, who had finished her own breakfast, but was pouring out our tea. “ Never mind him, Nora. I hope you had a good rest after yesterday’s excitement.”
“Yes, mother dear, I slept like a top,’ she answered, with a scornful glance at her jeering brother.
“That is good. Do you think you would like to go to a tea party this afternoon ?”’
“A tea party? Rather. Where is it? At Cliffden ? ”
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“Yes. Your father brought an invitation from Colonel Leighton last night. His housekeeper is to be away for the day, and he asked if you would go over after lunch and give him his tea. So you will have the kitchen all to yourself.”
“How jolly!” cried Nora, clapping her hands. “May I bake scones? Colonel Leighton is a dear! I must take the locket and show it to him.”
“Where is father?” asked Frank.
“He went off early this morning, as he had a large number of visits to pay.—Now, Humphrey, aren’t you going to open that interesting-looking parcel ?”
“T was going to ask Nora to open it,’ I said. “My aunt says in her letter that she is sending the present I wrote about, and this is it.”
Nora took the parcel I handed her, and cutting the string unfolded the paper.
“Oh, what a jolly collar!’’ she exclaimed, holding it out to show Mrs. Naismith, “and it has got Bouncer’s name on it. Thank you ever so much, Humphrey, for such a nice present.”
“Tt is a beauty,” said Mrs. Naismith, examining it. “I hope you didn’t spend all your pocket-money in buying it, Humphrey. Bouncer will be quite a
swell with this on.”’
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“Good old Bouncer,” said Frank; “let’s go and show him his new dress.”
The retriever received us with boisterous welcome, but seemed quite indifferent to his new collar, and it was only by our united efforts that we managed to fasten it on his neck.
“J think he is very ungrateful,” said Nora indig- nantly, when the operation was at length safely -accomplished, “He might at least have given you a paw. Look! He is rolling himself in the mud.— Bouncer, come here, sir!”’
As a punishment for his rude behaviour his stern mistress insisted on chaining the poor dog up again and leaving him to repent of his misdeeds while we indulged in a game of cricket. As usual, Frank won, and as usual Nora, who captained our side, protested.
“Your leg was right in front, Frank. You know it was.”
“But I hit the ball with my bat first. That’s not Lb.w.”
“Of course it is—Isn’t it, Humphrey 2?” :
Luckily Mrs. Naismith’s appearance on the scene put an end to what threatened to became a quarrel, and Nora was carried off to make herself tidy for the
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tea party, while Frank and I finished the game by ourselves.
After lunch we escorted Nora to the avenue gate, to give her a “send off,’ as Frank expressed it, and to tell the truth we both secretly wished we were going with her.
“Remember me to the colonel, and tell him I think it is shabby not to ask the lot of us to his cooky shine. What’s that you’ve got in your hand ?— a present for Win Kee?”
“Rather not. It’s the locket and chain to show to Colonel Leighton. I forgot about Win Kee. I hope he is away for the day too.”
“Not a bit of him. MHe’ll be there. The colonel can’t do without him. You and he will have a jolly time together.”
Nora had already opened the gate and stepped into the road, but at Frank’s teasing remarks she paused, irresolute. “Bother Win Kee, I do dislike him,” she said, “and I know he hates me. I wish you boys were coming.”
“Never mind Win Kee,” I said reassuringly ; “he won’t make himself unpleasant when Colonel Leighton is there.”
“No, I don’t suppose he will. Well, I must be
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off. Good-bye,” and she waved her hand in a part- ing salute.
We watched the little pink figure pass through the garden in front of Cliffden and disappear into the doorway, and sauntered back to the house.
“‘T believe Nora dreams about Win Kee,” laughed Frank; ‘she thinks he will kidnap her or some- thing.”
Mrs. Naismith met us at the door dressed for visiting.
‘“‘ Well, boys,” she said, buttoning her gloves, ‘I am afraid you will be alone for tea this afternoon. You must play the host, Frank, and see that Hum- phrey gets all he wants.”
“All right. That will be a lark. Where are you going, mother ?”’
“T promised to meet your father at the Went- worths’ and drive home with him, but there are one or two visits I must pay on the road. We may be late, but Nora will be back before six.’’
Left to ourselves, we found the time hang rather heavily on our hands, and at Jane’s suggestion we had our tea an hour earlier than usual. Frank acted the host after his own peculiar manner, piling the
bread on my plate and emptying the jam dish over
a.
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it. No protests on my part were of any avail, and between us we spilt most of the tea and sugar over the clean cloth before Jane chased us out of the dining-room.
“What a beastly long afternoon!” said Frank as we lolled about the drawing-room. ‘‘ What on earth shall we do?”
“Suppose we go and hunt up Inspector Melvin,” I suggested.
‘“* We’ve nothing new to tell him,” objected Frank. “Crickey!” he exclaimed after a moment’s pause, “‘T know what I'll do, [ll write up the diary of the Sherlock Holmes Society.”
Straightway he seated himself at Mrs. Naismith’s desk, and rummaging through the drawers discovered some notepaper, which, along with his fingers, he speedily contrived to cover with ink. Nor would he answer any of my remarks, so engrossed was he in his work, and at last I left him and wandered out into the garden. My mind was vaguely uneasy about Nora; Frank’s joking references to Win Kee had somehow stirred all my latent dislike to the man. I began to wish that Inspector Melvin would leave his investigations at Fareham Castle for a bit
and turn his attention to Cliffden. Was it possible
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that he had any suspicions about the Chinaman ? He had given no hint of the direction of his thoughts, and certainly there was little evidence of any kind against Win Kee. If only I could procure definite proof to lay before the detective.
As these thoughts passed through my mind I stumbled against a stone, and only recovered my balance with an effort, Looking down to see the cause of the mishap, I discovered that, all unwit- tingly, I had strayed to the very spot where Poacher, the rabbit, had been run to earth a few days pre- viously, and that, but for my lucky stumble, I should have put my foot right into the hole.
Cliffden, Colonel Leighton’s house, was only about three hundred yards away; and feeling that in a manner I was protecting Nora by my presence, I sat down amongst the heath facing the sea. Idly, as boys will, I took to flinging stones and bits of dried earth down the hole. Something about the peculiar sound they made attracted my attention, and I dropped down another stone larger than the others. “That’s rummy,” I muttered to myself; “why, it sounds quite hollow down there, like that smuggler’s cave we explored.”
Rising on to my knees I examined the edge of
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the hole, and perceived that if a large boulder were removed the cavity would be considerably enlarged. To effect this I set to work at once, and with such energy as nearly to bring about my undoing, for the boulder having been unloosened by my exertions, a vigorous tug completed the business, and, accompanied by a shower of earth and gravel, the boulder suddenly disappeared. I felt it going, and tried to regain my balance, but too late, and next instant I found myself falling headlong. The drop was not great, and the loosened earth broke the shock; but for a moment or two I lay wondering what had happened, and blink- ing stupidly at the light overhead.
Picking myself up slowly, I soon found that no bones were broken, and beyond a shaking and a mouthful of soil I was little the worse. I appeared to be in a low, narrow tunnel, but where it led I could not conjecture, as the only light came from the hole through which I had just fallen. My first impulse, to clamber out again as quickly as possible, speedily gave place to a feeling of curiosity and a boyish love of adventure. What strange place was this I had accidentally discovered? I had often read of secret underground passages, but it had never
occurred to me that such places really existed.
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Suddenly Dr. Naismith’s story of the old smuggler’s retreat flashed across my mind, and I peered round about me with increasing interest and excitement. Could this really be the very place? What a tale this would be to relate to the Sherlock Holmes Society! but how the president would scoff if I hesitated now !
After all there was nothing to fear except losing my way, and by keeping in touch with one side of the tunnel I could avoid this. “Now for it,” I muttered to myself, and turning in the direction of the sea I stepped cautiously forward. Step by step I crept along, my heart beating with excitement. The light from the entrance hole soon disappeared, and pitch darkness fell like a heavy pall. But my mind was now made up, and I pushed on steadily. Something—a rat—scuttled away at my approach, and I started at the sound.
On and on I erept, and I seemed to have been walking for hours, when my left hand, with which I kept in touch with the wall, suddenly groped in empty space. A cross passage at last! This was what I had feared, and prudence told me that retreat was the safer plan. ‘I don’t believe it leads any-
where,” I muttered to myself; but even as I paused
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irresolute, my eye, peering ahead blindly, caught a tiny streak of light shining through the surrounding gloom.
Daylight at last! In my relief prudence and dis- cretion were thrown to the winds, and groping my way past the opening I stumbled onwards frantic with excitement. A current of fresh air fanned my cheek, and the light broadened at every step. The walls of the passage widened suddenly, and turning a corner I gave an involuntary exclamation of wonder and surprise; for opposite me the solid rock was cleft by a narrow vertical slit through which the sunlight was streaming.
At first I was dazzled so much that everything appeared blurred and indistinct, but as my eyes grew more accustomed to the change, I made out that I had emerged into a rocky grotto in the face of the cliff, and far below lay the sparkling blue sea. The upper part of the rock projected over the floor, so that by leaning forward it was possible to look down almost to the base of the cliffs. It gave me a curious dizzy sensation, for all the world as though I were hanging in mid-air; but the strength of the massive rock gave me confidence, and the sense of insecurity
soon passed.
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The tide was out, and as I gazed at the scene a puzzled feeling came over me. Surely I had looked down on this panorama before! That rounded flat rock over yonder was our favourite spot for fishing, and the path down to the sea emerged right under my feet. Then suddenly it flashed across me that once before, the day after our arrival, I had peeped over the cliff and looked down on exactly the same spot. It was the morning that Bouncer’s queer be- haviour had attracted our attention, and we had fancied that we had smelt tobacco smoke. Was it possible that some one had been smoking in this very cave, and could this be the smuggler’s cave that Dr. Naismith had spoken about? My heart leapt at the thought, and an unpleasant feeling made me look round quickly at the dark, silent tunnel through which I had come. I remembered the doctor’s words about the unpleasant reception likely to be accorded any one who unwittingly stumbled across the smugglers ; and though the unknown smoker could hardly be a smuggler, yet he might prove quite as unpleasant.
I drew back from the loophole and glanced round the grotto, a vague feeling of uneasiness growing
upon me with the silence. On one side the rock had
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been hewn out to make a rough seat, and at the foot of this my eye fell on several white objects lying on the ground. I stooped and picked one up. Matches again—the same white wax vestas as I had found in the doctor’s study and in the turret at Fareham Castle. After all, perhaps the clue Inspector Melvin wanted was to be found in the grotto. The idea made me cast another searching glance around, but in vain, and it must have been instinct that caused me to run my hand along the back of the stone ledge, which was in darkness. My fingers closed over a folded piece of paper, which I drew out to the light. The writing was in the same sprawling hand as in the note which the detective had deemed important, and as I plodded slowly through the queerly expressed scrawl, the conviction was forced upon me that I held in my hand at last definite proof against some one. Who that some one might be it was Inspector Melvin’s business to find out, but here were clear instructions as to the sum of money drawn by Dr. Naismith from the bank. The sooner this paper was in the detective’s hands the better. . Trembling with excitement I thrust the paper into my pocket, and turned to re-enter the tunnel. Even
as I did so a sound caught my ear—a sound which
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made my heart leap and then stand still, From far away the noise of some one stumbling in the dark- ness reverberated down the silent passage, and I realized that the owner of the letter was approach- ing! I was caught like a rat in a trap! My first impulse was to squeeze through the aperture on to the face of the cliff, but a glance showed this to be impossible. What was to be done? + To stand where I was in the lighted grotto meant instant detection and capture. My only chance lay in the darkness of the tunnel, and like a flash the remembrance of the cross passage occurred to me. Could I but reach it in time, escape was possible.
Guided by the wall of rock I crept along, pausing every now and then as the sounds indicated the nearer approach of the unknown burglar. It was horrible to feel that somewhere in that dense dark- ness an enemy was drawing closer, and it was with difficulty that I refrained from crying out in nervous terror. The distance seemed to have lengthened out immeasurably, and I was about to abandon myself to despair when suddenly the goal was reached. At the same instant I dropped to the floor, crouching in terror, for close beside me a loud oath broke the
stillness, and I felt that the end was come. Heavy
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breathing and the scuffling of footsteps indicated the close proximity of my unwelcome neighbour; but as I waited the noise receded, and I held my breath in suspense. A pause, and then the sound of heavy boots ascending stone steps, and the truth flashed across me. We had both been making for the cross passage! A moment sooner and I should have been discovered! The sound of a match being struck echoed in the narrow space, and the faint glimmer of light threw into relief the side passage with its damp, glistening walls. The grating of a rusty bolt being withdrawn followed, and the sound of a pon- derous weight being lifted.
I pulled myself on to my feet, and stood ready to dart forward on my way, when there came a gruff exclamation of surprise followed by a scream of terror, cut short by the fall of a trapdoor. What had happened? Where was I? My blood seemed to freeze in my veins, for in that piteous cry for help I recognized Nora’s voice !
In the dead stillness that succeeded I stood for an instant as though petrified; then with a loud shout I dashed blindly down the side passage and stumbled against the stone steps. Up these tr bounded, only to meet a solid roof of rock,
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against which I beat my fists in vain. Against my puny strength the massive stone trapdoor was immovable. Again and again I shouted, but there was no response.
Baffled and raging, hardly conscious of the act, I stumbled down the steps and gained the main tunnel. Only one thought possessed me—to reach the exit and rouse the neighbourhood. Nora was in the clutches of the burglar! That was all that mattered. The rest could wait. What it all sig- nified I did not pause to consider. Nora must be rescued immediately at all costs.
Should I never reach the exit? Stumbling, fall- ing, bruised and battered, I rushed headlong down through the darkness. On and on I went, falling prostrate at last as my foot slipped on some loose stones. Slowly I picked myself up, with the grow- ing conviction that I had lost my way. Lost, and Nora alone with the man I felt sure was the burglar !
I turned to retrace my steps, when a shower of loose earth fell on my head. I looked up mechanic- ally, and next instant with a wild spring I had thrust my hand through the hole by which I had
entered, and was dragging myself through. Some
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_one—probably the burglar—had stuffed a clod of earth into the opening, and only by the luckiest accident had I discovered it. Torn and bleeding I hoisted myself through, and fell panting and ex-
hausted amongst the gorse.
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