Read Online Five Get Into Trouble by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online Page B

wonder it's called Owl's Hil ,' said Julian. 'Perhaps it's always been a haunt of the screech-owls.'

    The four children and Timmy began to walk quietly round the house, keeping to the shadows as much as they could. Everywhere was dark at the back except two long windows. They were leaded windows, and curtains were pul ed across them. Julian tried to see through the cracks.

    He found a place where two curtains didn't quite meet. He put his eye to the crack and looked in.

    'It's the kitchen,' he told the others. 'An enormous place — lighted with one big oil-lamp.
    Al the rest of the room is in shadow. There's a great fire-place at the end, with a few logs burning in it.'

    'Anyone there?' asked George, trying to see through the crack too. Julian moved aside and let her take her turn.

    'No one that I can see,' he said. George gave an exclamation as she looked, and Julian pushed her aside to look in again.

    He saw a man walking into the room — a queer, dwarf-like fel ow, with a hunched back that seemed to force his head on one side. He had a very evil face. Behind him came a woman — thin, drab and the picture of misery.

    The man flung himself into a chair and began to fil a pipe. The woman took a kettle off the fire and went to fil hot-water bottles in a corner.

    'She must be the cook,' thought Julian. 'What a misery she looks! I wonder what the man is — man-of-all-work, I suppose. What an evil face he's got!'

    The woman spoke timidly to the man in the chair. Julian, of course, could not hear a word from outside the window. The man answered her roughly, banging on the arm of the chair as he spoke.

    The woman seemed to be pleading with him about something. The man flew into a rage, picked up a poker and threatened the woman with it. Julian watched in horror.

    Poor woman! No wonder she looked miserable if that was the sort of thing that kept happening.

    However, the man did nothing with the poker except brandish it in temper, and he soon replaced it, and settled down in his chair again. The woman said no more at all, but went on fil ing the bottles. Julian wondered who they were for.

    He told the others what he had seen. They didn't like it at al . If the people in the kitchen behaved like that whatever would those in the other part of the house be like?

    They left the kitchen windows and went on round the house. They came to a lower room, lighted inside. But here the curtains were tightly drawn, and there was no crack to look through.

    They looked up to the one room high up that was lighted. Surely Dick must be there?
    Perhaps he was locked up in the attic, all by himself? How they wished they knew!

    Dared they throw up a stone? They wondered if they should try. There didn't seem any way at all of getting into the house. The front door was well and truly shut. There was a side door also tightly shut and locked, because they had tried it. Not a single window seemed to be open.

    'I think I wil throw up a stone,' said Julian at last. 'I feel sure Dick's up there, if he has been taken here — and you're certain you heard the men say "Owl's Dene", aren't you, Anne?'

    'Quite certain,' said Anne. 'Do throw a stone, Julian. I'm getting so worried about poor Dick.'

    Julian felt about on the ground for a stone. He found one embedded in the moss that was everywhere. He balanced it in his hand. Then up went the stone, but fel just short of the window. Julian got another. Up it went — and hit the glass of the window with a sharp crack. Somebody came to the pane at once.

    Was it Dick? Everyone strained their eyes to see — but the window was too far up. Julian threw up another stone, and that hit the window too.

    'I think it is Dick,' said Anne. 'Oh dear — no it isn't after all. Can't you see, Julian?'

    But the person at the window, whoever he was, had now disappeared. The children felt a bit uncomfortable. Suppose it hadn't been Dick? Suppose it had been someone else who had now disappeared from the room to go