lonely the old lady must be living there all by herself!”
As they sat there, nibbling their apples, Timmy suddenly began to bark. He stood up, turning his head towards the path that ran higher up the hil .
“Perhaps it"s Aily, that funny child, coming,” said Julian, hopeful y. But it wasn"t. It was a small, wiry-looking woman, a shawl over her head, neatly-dressed, walking swiftly.
She didn"t seem very surprised to see the children. She stopped and said “Good day.”
“You"l be the boys my Aily was telling me of last night,” she said. “Are you staying in the Jones" hut?”
“Yes,” said Julian. “We were staying at the farm first - but our dog didn"t get on with the others, so we"ve come up here. It"s fine. Marvellous view, too!”
“If you see that Aily of mine, you tell her not to stay out tonight,” said the woman, wrapping her shawl more tightly round her. “Her and her lamb! She"s as mad as the old lady in the house yonder!” and she pointed in the direction of Old Towers.
“Oh - do you know anything about that old place?” asked Julian, at once. “We went to it by mistake, and...”
“Well, you didn"t get into it, I"l be bound,” said Aily"s mother. “Notices on the gate and all!
And to think I used to go up there three times a week, and never anything but kindness shown me! And now old Mrs. Thomas, she won"t see a soul except those friends of her son"s. Poor old lady - she"s out of her mind, so they say. Must be - or she"d see me, that waited on her for years!”
This was al very interesting.
“Why do they say „Keep Out" on the gates?” asked Julian. “They"ve a fierce dog there, too.”
“Ah well, young sir, you see some of the old lady"s friends would like to know what"s going on,” said Aily"s mother. “But nobody can do a thing. It"s a queer place now - with noises at night - and mists - and shimmerings - and...”
Julian began to think this was an old wives" tale, made up because the vil agers were angry that they were now kept out of the big old house. He smiled.
“Oh, you may smile, young man,” said the woman, sounding cross. “But ever since last October, there"s queer doings there. And what"s more, vans have been there in the dead of night. What for, I"d like to know? Well, if you ask me, I reckon they"ve been taking away the poor old thing"s belongings - furniture and pictures and such. My poor old Madam -
she was sweet and kind, and now I don"t know what"s happening to her!”
There were tears in the woman"s eyes, and she hastily brushed them away.
“I shouldn"t be telling you all this - you"l be scared sleeping here alone at night now.”
“No - no, we shan"t,” Julian assured her, amused that she should think that a vil age tale might frighten them. “Tell us about Aily. Isn"t she frozen, going about with so few clothes on?”
“That child! She"s fey, I tell you,” said Aily"s mother. “Runs about the hil s like a wild thing -
plays truant from school - goes to see her father - he"s shepherd, up yonder where the sheep are - and doesn"t come home at nights. You tell her there"s a good whipping waiting for her at home if she doesn"t come back tonight. She"s like her father, she is - likes to be alone all the time - talks to the lambs and the dogs like they were human - but never a word to me!”
The children began to feel uncomfortable, and wished they hadn"t spoken to the grumbling gossipy woman. Julian got up.
“Well - if we see Aily, we"ll certainly tel her to go home - but not about the whipping, because I expect she wouldn"t go home then,” he said. “If you pass by the farmhouse wil you be kind enough to step in and tell Mrs. Jones we are quite al right, and enjoying ourselves very much? Thank you!”
The woman nodded her head, muttered something, and went off down the hil , walking as swiftly as before.
“She said some queer things,” said Dick, staring after her. “Was that a sil y vil age-tale she told us - or do you suppose
As they sat there, nibbling their apples, Timmy suddenly began to bark. He stood up, turning his head towards the path that ran higher up the hil .
“Perhaps it"s Aily, that funny child, coming,” said Julian, hopeful y. But it wasn"t. It was a small, wiry-looking woman, a shawl over her head, neatly-dressed, walking swiftly.
She didn"t seem very surprised to see the children. She stopped and said “Good day.”
“You"l be the boys my Aily was telling me of last night,” she said. “Are you staying in the Jones" hut?”
“Yes,” said Julian. “We were staying at the farm first - but our dog didn"t get on with the others, so we"ve come up here. It"s fine. Marvellous view, too!”
“If you see that Aily of mine, you tell her not to stay out tonight,” said the woman, wrapping her shawl more tightly round her. “Her and her lamb! She"s as mad as the old lady in the house yonder!” and she pointed in the direction of Old Towers.
“Oh - do you know anything about that old place?” asked Julian, at once. “We went to it by mistake, and...”
“Well, you didn"t get into it, I"l be bound,” said Aily"s mother. “Notices on the gate and all!
And to think I used to go up there three times a week, and never anything but kindness shown me! And now old Mrs. Thomas, she won"t see a soul except those friends of her son"s. Poor old lady - she"s out of her mind, so they say. Must be - or she"d see me, that waited on her for years!”
This was al very interesting.
“Why do they say „Keep Out" on the gates?” asked Julian. “They"ve a fierce dog there, too.”
“Ah well, young sir, you see some of the old lady"s friends would like to know what"s going on,” said Aily"s mother. “But nobody can do a thing. It"s a queer place now - with noises at night - and mists - and shimmerings - and...”
Julian began to think this was an old wives" tale, made up because the vil agers were angry that they were now kept out of the big old house. He smiled.
“Oh, you may smile, young man,” said the woman, sounding cross. “But ever since last October, there"s queer doings there. And what"s more, vans have been there in the dead of night. What for, I"d like to know? Well, if you ask me, I reckon they"ve been taking away the poor old thing"s belongings - furniture and pictures and such. My poor old Madam -
she was sweet and kind, and now I don"t know what"s happening to her!”
There were tears in the woman"s eyes, and she hastily brushed them away.
“I shouldn"t be telling you all this - you"l be scared sleeping here alone at night now.”
“No - no, we shan"t,” Julian assured her, amused that she should think that a vil age tale might frighten them. “Tell us about Aily. Isn"t she frozen, going about with so few clothes on?”
“That child! She"s fey, I tell you,” said Aily"s mother. “Runs about the hil s like a wild thing -
plays truant from school - goes to see her father - he"s shepherd, up yonder where the sheep are - and doesn"t come home at nights. You tell her there"s a good whipping waiting for her at home if she doesn"t come back tonight. She"s like her father, she is - likes to be alone all the time - talks to the lambs and the dogs like they were human - but never a word to me!”
The children began to feel uncomfortable, and wished they hadn"t spoken to the grumbling gossipy woman. Julian got up.
“Well - if we see Aily, we"ll certainly tel her to go home - but not about the whipping, because I expect she wouldn"t go home then,” he said. “If you pass by the farmhouse wil you be kind enough to step in and tell Mrs. Jones we are quite al right, and enjoying ourselves very much? Thank you!”
The woman nodded her head, muttered something, and went off down the hil , walking as swiftly as before.
“She said some queer things,” said Dick, staring after her. “Was that a sil y vil age-tale she told us - or do you suppose
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