his hind legs against the wall.
 He took quite a pleasure in seeing that George was upset
at being separated from Timmy.
'Here comes the car,' said Julian. They all
looked at it — and then glanced at each other. KMF 102 — of course!
The black Bentley swept by the kitchen
windows and up to the front door. Three men got out. Richard crouched back, his
face going pale.
Julian glanced round at him raising his
eyebrows, mutely asking him if he recognized one of the men as Rooky. Richard
nodded miserably. He was very frightened now.
The whining, groaning noise came again. The
gates were being shut. Voices came from the hall, then the men went into one of
the rooms, and there was the sound of a door being shut.
Julian wondered if he could slip out of the
room unnoticed and go up to see if Dick was all right. He sidled to the door,
thinking that Hunchy was engrossed in cleaning an array of dirty shoes. But his
grating voice sounded at once.
'Where you going? If you don't obey orders
I'll tell Mr Perton — and won't you be sorry!'
There's quite a lot of people in his house
going to be sorry for themselves soon,' said Julian, in an irritatingly
cheerful voice. 'You be careful, Hunchy.'
Hunchy lost his temper suddenly and threw
the shoe-brush he was using straight at Julian. Julian caught it deftly and
threw it up on the high mantelpiece.
'Thanks,' he said. 'Like to throw another?'
'Oh don't,' said the woman, beseechingly.
'You don't know what he's like when he's in a real temper. Don't!'
The door of the room that the men had gone
into opened, and somebody went upstairs. 'To fetch Dick,' thought Julian at
once. He stood and listened.
Hunchy got another shoe-brush and went on
polishing, muttering angrily under his breath. The woman went on preparing some
food. The others listened with Julian. They too guessed that the man had gone
to fetch Dick to show him to Rooky.
Footsteps came down the stairs again — two
lots this time. Yes — Dick must be with the man, they could hear his voice.
'Let go my arm! I can come without being
dragged!' they heard him say indignantly. Good old Dick! He wasn't going to be
dragged about without making a strong protest.
He was taken into the room where the other
three men were waiting. Then a loud voice was heard.
'He's not the boy! Fools — you've got the
wrong boy!'
Hunchy and the woman heard the words too.
They gaped at one another. Something had gone wrong. They went to the door and
stood there silently. The children just stood behind them. Julian edged Richard
away very gradually.
'Rub some soot over your hair,' he
whispered. 'Make it as black as you can, Richard. If the men come out here to
see us, they're not likely to recognize you so easily if your hair's black. Go
on, quick — while the others aren't paying attention.'
Julian was pointing to the inside of the
grate, where black soot hung. Richard put his trembling hands into it and
covered them with it. Then he rubbed the soot over his yellow hair.
'More,' whispered Julian. 'Much more! Go on.

Richard rubbed soot even more wildly over
his hair. Julian nodded. Yes — it looked black enough now. Richard looked quite
different. Julian hoped Anne and George would be sensible enough not to exclaim
when they saw him.
There was evidently some sharp argument
going on in the room off the hall. Voices were raised, but not many words could
be made out from where the children stood at the kitchen door. Dick's voice
could be heard too. It suddenly sounded quite clearly.
'I TOLD you you'd made a mistake. Now you
just let me go, see!'
Hunchy suddenly pushed everyone roughly away
from the door — except poor Richard who was standing over in a dark corner,
shaking with fright!
'They're coming,' he hissed. 'Get away from
the door.'
Everyone obeyed. Hunchy took up a shoe-brush
again, the woman went to peel potatoes, the children turned over the pages of
some old magazines they had found.
Footsteps came to the kitchen door. It was
flung open. Mr Perton was there — and behind him another man. No mistaking who
he was!
Thick-lipped, with an enormous nose — yes,
he was the ruffian Rooky, once bodyguard to Richard's father — the man who
hated Richard because he had told tales of him and who had been sent off in
disgrace by the boy's father.
Richard cowered back in his corner, hiding
behind the others. Anne and George had given him astonished stares when they
had noticed his hair, but neither of them had said a word. Hunchy and the woman
didn't seem to have noticed any change in him.
Dick was with the two men. He waved to the
others. Julian grinned. Good old Dick!
Rooky glanced at all four children. His eye
rested for a moment on Richard, and then glanced away. He hadn't recognized
him!
'Well, Mr Perton,' said Julian. 'I'm glad to
see you've got my brother down from the room you locked him up in last night. I
imagine that means he can come with us now. Why you brought him here as you
did, and made him a prisoner last night I can't imagine.'
'Now look here,' said Mr Perton, in quite a
different voice from the one he had used to them before, 'now look here — quite
frankly we made a mistake. You don't need to know why or how — that's none of
your business. This isn't the boy we wanted.'
'We told you he was our brother,' said Anne.
'Quite,' said Mr Perton, politely. 'I am
sorry I disbelieved you. These things happen. Now — we want to make you all a
handsome present for any inconvenience you have suffered — er — ten pounds for
you to spend on ice-creams and so on. You can go whenever you like.'
'And don't try and tell any fairy stories to
anyone,' said Rooky suddenly, in a threatening voice. 'See? We made a mistake —
but we're not having it talked about. If you say anything silly, we shall say
that we found this boy lost in the woods, took pity on him and brought him here
for the night — and that you kids were — found trespassing in the grounds. You
understand?'
'I understand perfectly,' said Julian, in a
cool rather scornful voice. 'Well — I take it we can all go now, then?'
'Yes,' said Mr Perton. He put his hand into
his pocket and took out some pound notes. He handed two to each of the
children. They glanced at Julian to see if they were to take them or not. Not
one of them felt willing to accept Mr Perton's money. But they knew they must
take them if Julian did.
Julian accepted the two notes handed to him,
and pocketed them without a word of thanks. The others did the same. Richard
kept his head down well all the time, hoping that the two men would not notice
how his knees were shaking. He was really terrified of Rooky.
'Now clear out,' said Rooky when the ten
pounds had been divided. 'Forget all this — or you'll be very sorry.'
He opened the door that led into the garden.
The children trooped out silently, Richard well in their midst. Timmy was
waiting for them. He gave a loud bark of welcome and flung himself on George,
fawning on her, licking every bit of her he could reach. He looked back at the
kitchen door and gave a questioning growl as if to say, 'Do you want me to go
for anyone in there?'
'No,' said George. 'You come with us, Timmy.
We'll get out of here as quickly as we can.'
'Give me your pound notes, quick,' said
Julian in a low voice, when they had rounded a corner and were out of sight of
the windows. They all handed them to him wonderingly. What was he going to do
with them?
The woman had come out to watch them go.
Julian beckoned to her. She came hesitatingly down the garden. 'For you,' said
Julian, putting the notes into her hand. 'We don't want them.'
The woman took them, amazed.  'Why — it's a fortune — no, no, you take them back. You're kind,
though — so kind.'
Julian turned away, leaving the astonished
and delighted woman standing staring after them. He hurried after the others.
'That was a very, very good idea of yours,'
said Anne, warmly, and the others agreed. All of them had been sorry for the
poor woman.
'Come on,' said Julian. 'We don't want to
miss the opening of the gates! Listen — can you hear the groaning noise back at
the house. Somebody has set the machinery working that opens the gates. Thank
goodness we're free — and Richard too. That was a bit of luck!'
'Yes, I was so scared Rooky would recognize
me, even though my hair was sooted black,' said Richard, who was now looking
much more cheerful. 'Oh look — we can see the end of the drive now — and the
gates are wide open. We're free!'
'We'll get our bikes,' said Julian. 'I know
where we left them. You can ride on my crossbar Richard, because we're a bike
short. Dick must have his bike back now — you remember you borrowed it? Look —
here they are.'
They mounted their bicycles and began to
cycle down the drive — and then Anne gave a scream.
'Julian! Look, look — the gates are closing
again. Quick, quick — we'll be left inside!'
Everyone saw in horror that the gates were
actually closing, very slowly. They pedalled as fast as they could — but it was
no use. By the time they got there the two great gates were fast shut. No
amount of shaking would open them. And just as they were so very nearly out!
15
Prisoners
They all flung themselves down on the grass
verge and groaned.
'What have they done that for, just as we
were going out?' said Dick. 'Was it a mistake, do you think? I mean — did they
think we'd had time to go out, or what?'
'Well — if it was a mistake, it's easy to
put right,' said Julian.  'We'll
wait here.'
But before Julian could even mount his
bicycle there came the sound of the car purring down the long drive. All the
children jumped to their feet. Richard ran behind a bush in panic. He was
terrified of having to face Rooky again.
The car drew up by the children and stopped.
'Yes, they're still here,' said Mr Perton's voice, as he got out of the car.
Rooky got out too. They came over to the children.
Rooky ran his eyes over them. 'Where's that
other boy?' he asked quickly.
'I can't imagine,' said Julian, coolly.
'Dear me — I wonder if he had time to cycle out of the gateway.
Rooky had caught sight of Richard's
shivering figure behind the bush. He strode over to him and yanked him out. He
looked at him closely. Then he pulled him over to Mr Perton.
'Yes — I thought so — this is the boy we
want! He's sooted his hair or something, and that's why I didn't recognize him.
But when he'd gone I felt sure there was something familiar about him — that's
why I wanted another look.'
'Well — what do you want to do about it?'
asked Mr Perton, rather gloomily.
'Hold him, of course,' said Rooky. 'I'll get
back at his father now — he'll have to pay a very large sum of money for his
horrible son! That'll be useful, won't it? And I can pay this kid out for some
of the lies he told his father about me. Nasty little rat.'
He shook Richard again. Julian stepped
forward, white and furious.
'Now you stop that,' he said. 'Let the boy
go. Haven't you done enough already — keeping my brother locked up for nothing
— holding us all for the night — and now you talk about kidnapping! Haven't you
just come out of prison? Do you want to go back there?'
Rooky dropped Richard and lunged out at
Julian. With a snarl Timmy flung himself between them and bit the man's hand.
Rooky let out a howl of rage and nursed his injured hand. He yelled at Julian.
'Call that dog to heel. Do you hear?'
'I'll call him to heel all right — if you
talk sense,' said Julian, still white with rage. 'You're going to let us all
go, here and now. Go back and open these gates.'
Timmy growled terrifyingly, and both Rooky
and Mr Perton took some hurried steps backwards. Rooky picked up a very big
stone.
 Mr Perton knocked the stone out
of Rooky's hand.
'Don't be a fool,' he said. 'That dog could
make mincemeat of us — great ugly brute. Look at his teeth. For goodness' sake
let the kids go, Rooky.'
'Not till we've finished our plans,' said
Rooky fiercely, still nursing his hand. 'Keep 'em all prisoners here! We shan't
be long before our jobs are done.  Ha! I'll teach him a few things — and his
father too.'
Timmy growled again. He was straining at
George's hand. She had him firmly by the collar. Richard trembled when he heard
Rooky's threats about him. Tears ran down his face.
'Yes — you can howl all you like,' said
Rooky, scowling at him. 'You wait till I get you! Miserable little coward — you
never did have any spunk — you just ran round telling tales and misbehaving
yourself whenever you could.'
'Look, Rooky — you'd better come up to the
house and have that hand seen to,' said Mr Perton. 'It's bleeding badly. You
ought to wash it and put some stuff on it — you know a dog's bite is dangerous.
Come on. You can deal with these kids afterwards.'
Rooky allowed himself to be led back to the
car. He shook his unhurt fist at the children as they watched silently.
'Interfering brats! Little . . .'
But the rest of his pleasant words were lost
in the purring of the car's engine. Mr Perton backed a little, turned the car,
and it disappeared up the drive. The five children sat themselves down on the
grass verge. Richard began to sob out loud.
 'Rooky
was right when he said you were a little coward, with no spunk. So you are.
Anne's much pluckier than you are. I wish to goodness we had never met you.'
Richard rubbed his hands over his eyes. They
were sooty, and made his face look most peculiar with streaks of black soot
mixed with his tears. He tooked very woebegone indeed.
'I'm sorry,' he sniffed. 'I know you don't
believe me — but I really am. I've always been a bit of a coward — I can't help
it.'
'Yes you can,' said Julian, scornfully.
'Anybody can help being a coward. Cowardice is just thinking of your own
miserable skin instead of somebody else's. Why, even little Anne is more
worried about us than she is about herself — and that makes her brave. She
couldn't be a coward if she tried.'
This was a completely new idea to Richard.
He tried to wipe his face dry. 'I'll try to be like you,' he said, in a muffled
voice. 'You're all so decent. I've never had friends like you before. Honestly,
I won't let you down again.'
'Well, we'll see,' said Julian, doubtfully.
'It would certainly be a surprise if you turned into a hero all of a sudden — a
very nice surprise, of course — but in the meantime it would be a help if you
stopped howling for a bit and let us talk.'
Richard subsided. He really looked very
peculiar with his soot-streaked face. Julian turned to the others.
'This is maddening!' he said. 'Just as we so
nearly got out. I suppose they'll shut us up in some room and keep us there
till they've finished whatever this "job" is. I imagine the
"job" consists of getting that hidden fellow away in safety — the one
I saw in the secret room.'
'Won't Richard's people report his disappearance
to the police?' said George, fondling Timmy, who wouldn't stop licking her now
he had got her again.
'Yes, they will. But what good will that do?
The police won't have the faintest notion where he is,' said Julian. 'Nobody
knows where we are, either, come to that — but Aunt Fanny won't worry yet,
because she knows we're off on a cycling tour, and wouldn't be writing to her
anyway.'
'Do you think those men will really take me
off with them when they go?' asked Richard.
'Well, we'll hope we shall have managed to
escape before that,' said Julian, not liking to say yes, certainly Richard
would be whisked away!
'How can we escape?' asked Anne. 'We'd never
get over those high walls. And I don't expect anyone ever comes by here — right
at the top of this deserted hill. No tradesman would ever call.'
'What about the postman?' asked Anne.
'They probably arrange to fetch their post
each day,' said Julian. 'I don't expect they want anyone coming here at all. Or
— there may be a letter-box outside the gate. I never thought of that!'
They went to see. But although they craned
their necks to see each side, there didn't seem to be any letter-box at all for
the postman to slip letters in. So the faint hope that had risen in their
minds, that they might catch the postman and give him a message, vanished at
once.
'Hallo — here's the woman — Aggie, or
whatever he name is,' said George, suddenly, as Timmy growled. They all turned
their heads. Yes, Aggie was coming down the drive in a hurry — could she be
going out? Would the gates open for her?
Their hopes died as she came near. 'Oh,
there you are! I've come with a message. You can do one of two things — you can
stay out in the grounds all day, and not put foot into the house at all — or
you can come into the house and be locked up in one of the rooms.'
She looked round cautiously and lowered her
voice. 'I'm sorry you didn't get out; right down upset I am. It's bad enough
for an old woman like me, being cooped up here with Hunchy — but it's not right
to keep children in this place. You're nice children too.'
'Thanks,' said Julian. 'Now, seeing that you
think we're so nice — tell us, is there any way we can get out besides going
through these gates?'
'No. No way at all,' said the woman. 'It's
like a prison, once those gates are shut. Nobody's allowed in, and you're only
allowed out if it suits Mr Perton and the others. So don't try to escape — it's
hopeless.'
Nobody said anything to that. Aggie glanced
over her shoulder as if she feared somebody might be listening — Hunchy perhaps
— and went on in a low voice.
'Mr Perton said I wasn't to give you much
food. And he said Hunchy's to put down food for the dog with poison in it — so
don't you let him eat any but what I give you myself.'
The brute,' cried George, and she held Timmy
close against her. 'Did you hear that, Timmy? It's a pity you didn't bite Mr
Perton too!'
'Sh!' said the woman, afraid.  Right down nice you are. Now you listen to me — you'd better
say you'd rather keep out here in the grounds — because if you're locked up I
wouldn't dare to bring you much food in case Rooky came in and saw it. But if
you stay out here it's easier. I can give you plenty.'
'Thank you very much,' said Julian, and the
others nodded too. 'In any case we'd rather be out here. I suppose Mr Perton is
afraid we'd stumble on some of his queer secrets in the house if we had the
free run there! All right — tell him we'll be in the grounds. What about our
food? How shall we manage about that? We don't want to get you into trouble —
but we're very hungry for our meals, and we really could do with a good dinner
today.'
'I'll manage it for you,' said Aggie, and
she actually smiled.  It'll be poisoned.'
A voice shouted from the house. Aggie jerked
her head up and listened. 'That's Hunchy,' she said. 'I must go.'
She hurried back up the drive. 'Well, well,
well,' said Julian, 'so they thought they'd poison old Timmy, did they? They'll
have to think again, old fellow, won't they?'
'Woof,' said Timmy, gravely, and didn't even
wag his tail!
16
Aggie — and Hunchy
'I feel as if I want some exercise,' said
George, when Aggie had gone. 'Let's explore the grounds. You never know what we
might find!'
They got up, glad of something to do to take
their minds off their surprising problems. Really, who would have thought
yesterday, when they were happily cycling along sunny country roads, that they
would be held prisoner like this today? You just never knew what would happen.
It made life exciting, of course — but it did spoil a cycling tour!
They found absolutely nothing of interest in
the grounds except a couple of cows, a large number of hens, and a brood of
young ducklings. Evidently even the milkman didn't need to call at Owl's Dene!
It was quite self-contained.
'I expect that black Bentley goes down each
day to some town or other, to collect letters, and to buy meat, or fish,' said
George. 'Otherwise Owl's Dene could keep itself going for months on end if
necessary without any contact with the outside world. I expect they've got
stacks and stacks of tinned food.'
'It's weird to find a place like this,
tucked away on a deserted hill, forgotten by everyone — guarding goodness knows
what secrets,' said Dick. 'I'd love to know who that man was you saw in the
secret room, Julian — the snorer!'
'Someone who doesn't want to be seen even by
Hunchy or Aggie,' said Julian. 'Someone the police would dearly love to see, I
expect!'
'I wish we could get out of here,' said
George, longingly. 'I hate the place. It's got such a nasty "feel"
about it.  'We won't let him be. He can have half our food, can't you, Timmy, old
fellow?'
Timmy agreed. He woofed and wagged his tail.
He wouldn't leave George's side that morning, but stuck to her like a leech.
'Well, we've been all round the grounds and
there's nothing much to see,' said Julian, when they had come back near the
house. 'I suppose Hunchy sees to the milking and feeds the poultry and brings
in the vegetables. Aggie has to manage the house. I say — look — there's Hunchy
now. He's putting down food for Timmy!
Hunchy was making signs to them. 'Here's the
dog's dinner!' he yelled.
'Don't say a word, George,' said Julian in a
low voice. 'We'll pretend to let Timmy eat it, but we'll really throw it away
somewhere — and he'll be frightfully astonished when Timmy is still all-alive-o
tomorrow morning!'
Hunchy disappeared in the direction of the
cow-shed, carrying a pail. Anne gave a little giggle.
'I know what we'll pretend! We'll pretend
that Timmy ate half and didn't like the rest — so we gave it to the hens and
ducks!'
'And Hunchy will be frightfully upset
because he'll think they'll die and he'll get into a row,' said George. 'Serve
him right! Come on — let's get the food now.'
She ran to pick up the big bowl of food.
Timmy sniffed at it and turned away. It was obvious that he wouldn't have
fancied it much even if George had allowed him to have it. Timmy was a very
sensible dog.
'Quick, get that spade, Ju, and dig a hole
before Hunchy comes back,' said George, and Julian set to work grinning. It
didn't take him more than a minute to dig a large hole in the soft earth of a
bed. George emptied all the food into the hole, wiped the bowl round with a
handful of leaves and watched Julian filling in the earth. Now no animals could
get at the poisoned food.
'Let's go to the hen-run now, and when we
see Hunchy we'll wave to him,' said Julian. 'He'll ask us what we've been
doing. Come on. He deserves to have a shock.'
They went to the hen-house, and stood
looking through the wire surrounding the hen-run. As Hunchy came along they
turned and waved to him. George pretended to scrape some scraps out of the
dog's bowl into the run. Hunchy stared hard. Then he ran towards her, shouting.
'Don't do that, don't do that!'
'What's the matter?' asked George,
innocently, pretending to push some scraps through the wire. 'Can't I give the
hens some scraps?'
'Is that the bowl I put the dog's food down
in?' asked Hunchy, sharply.
'Yes,' said George.
'And he didn't eat all the food — so you're giving
it to my hens!' shouted Hunchy in a rage, and snatched the bowl out of George's
hands. She pretended to be very angry.
'Don't! Why shouldn't your hens have scraps
from the dog's bowl? The food you gave Timmy looked very nice — can't the hens
have some?'
Hunchy looked into the hen-run with a groan.
The hens were pecking about near the children for all the world as if they were
eating something just thrown to them. Hunchy felt sure they would all be dead
by the next day — and then, what trouble he would get into!
He glared at George. 'Idiot of a boy! Giving
my hens that food! You deserve a good whipping.'
He thought George was a boy, of course. The
others looked on with interest. It served Hunchy right to get into a panic over
his hens, after trying to poison dear old Timmy.
Hunchy didn't seem to know what to do.
Eventually he took a stiff brush from a nearby shed and went into the hen-run.
He had evidently decided to sweep the whole place in case any poisoned bits of
food were still left about. He swept laboriously and the children watched him,
pleased that he should punish himself in this way.
'I've never seen anyone bother to sweep a
hen-run before,' said Dick, in a loud and interested voice.
'Nor have I,' said George at once. 'He must
be very anxious to bring his hens up properly.'
'It's jolly hard work, I should think,' said
Julian. 'Glad I haven't got to do it. Pity to sweep up all the bits of food,
though. An awful waste.'
Everyone agreed heartily to this.
'Funny he should be so upset about my giving
the hens any scraps of the food he put down for Timmy,' said George. 'I mean —
it seems a bit suspicious.'
'It does rather,' agreed Dick. 'But then
perhaps he's a suspicious character.'
Hunchy could hear all this quite plainly.
The children meant him to, of course. He stopped his sweeping and scowled
evilly at them.
'Clear off, you little pests,' he said, and
raised his broom as if to rush at the children with it.
'He looks like an angry hen,' said Anne,
joining in.
'He's just going to cluck,' put in Richard,
and the others laughed. Hunchy ran to open the gate of the hen-run, red with
anger.
'Of course — it's just struck me — he might
have put poison into Timmy's bowl of food,' said Julian, loudly. 'That's why
he's so upset about his hens. Dear, dear — how true the old proverb is — he
that digs a pit shall fall into it himself!'
The mention of poison stopped Hunchy's rush
at once. He flung the broom into the shed, and made off for the house without
another word.
'Well — we gave him a bit more than he
bargained for,' said Julian.
'And you needn't worry, hens,' said Anne,
putting her face to the wire-netting of the run. 'You're not poisoned — and we
wouldn't dream of harming you!'
'Aggie's calling us,' said Richard. 'Look —
perhaps she's got some food for us.'
'I hope so,' said Dick. 'I'm getting very
hungry. It's funny that grown-ups never seem to get as hungry as children. I do
pity them.'
'Why? Do you like being hungry?' said Anne
as they walked over to the house.
'Yes, if I know there's a good meal in the
offing,' said Dick. 'Otherwise it wouldn't be at all funny. Oh goodness — is
this all that Aggie has provided?'
On the window-sill was a loaf of
stale-looking bread and a piece of very hard yellow cheese. Nothing else at
all. Hunchy was there, grinning.
'Aggie says that's your dinner,' he said,
and sat himself down at the table to spoon out enormous helpings of a very
savoury stew.
'A little revenge for our behaviour by the
hen-run,' murmured Julian softly. 'Well, well — I thought better than this of
Aggie. I wonder where she is.'
She came out of the kitchen door at that
moment, carrying a washing-basket that appeared to be full of clothes. 'I'll
just hang these out, Hunchy, and I'll be back,' she called to him. She turned
to the children and gave them a broad wink.
'There's your dinner on the window-sill,'
she said. 'Get it and take it somewhere to eat. Hunchy and me don't want you
round the kitchen.'
She suddenly smiled and nodded her head down
towards the washing-basket. The children understood immediately. Their real
dinner was in there!
They snatched the bread and cheese from the
sill and followed her. She set down the basket under a tree, where it was
well-hidden from the house. A clothes-line stretched there. 'I'll be out
afterwards to hang my washing,' she said, and with another smile that changed
her whole face, she went back to the house.
'Good old Aggie,' said Julian, lifting up
the top cloth in the basket. 'My word — just look here!'
17
Julian has a bright idea
Aggie had managed to pack knives, forks,
spoons, plates and mugs into the bottom of the basket. There were two big
bottles of milk. There was a large meat-pie with delicious looking pastry on
top, and a collection of buns, biscuits and oranges. There were also some
home-made sweets. Aggie had certainly been very generous!
All the things were quickly whipped out of
the basket. The children carried them behind the bushes, sat down and proceeded
to eat a first-rate dinner. Timmy got his share of the meat-pie and biscuits.
He also gobbled up a large part of the hard yellow cheese.
'Now we'd better rinse everything under that
garden tap over there, and then pack them neatly into the bottom of the basket
again,' said Julian. 'We don't want to get Aggie into any sort of trouble for
her kindness.'
The dishes were soon rinsed and packed back
into the basket. The clothes were drawn over them — nothing could be seen!
Aggie came outside to them in about half an
hour. The children went to her and spoke in low voices.
 We did enjoy it!'
'I bet Hunchy didn't enjoy his dinner as
much as we did!'
'Sh!' said Aggie, half-pleased and
half-scared. 'You never know when Hunchy's listening. He's got ears like a
hare! Listen — I'll be coming out to get the eggs from the hen-run at tea-time.
I'll have a basket with me for the eggs — and I shall have your tea in it. I'll
leave your tea in the hen-house when I get the eggs. You can fetch it when I've
gone.'
'You're a wonder, Aggie!' said Julian,
admiringly. 'You really are.'
Aggie looked pleased. It was plain that
nobody had said a kind or admiring word to her for years and years. She was a
poor, miserable, scared old woman — but she was quite enjoying this little
secret. She was pleased at getting the better of Hunchy too. Perhaps she felt
it was some slight revenge for all the years he had ill-treated her.
She hung out some of the clothes in the
basket, left one in to cover the dinner-things, and then went back into the
house.
'Poor old thing,' said Dick. 'What a life!'
'Yes — I shouldn't like to be cooped up here
for years and years with ruffians like Perton and Rooky,' said Julian.
'It looks as if we shall be if we don't
hurry up and think of some plan of escape,' said Dick.
'Yes. We'd better think hard again,' said
Julian. 'Come over to those trees there. We can sit on the grass under them and
talk without being overheard anywhere.'
'Look — Hunchy is polishing the black
Bentley,' said George. 'I'll just pass near him with Timmy, and let Timmy
growl. He'll see Timmy's all alive and kicking then.'
So she took Timmy near the Bentley, and of
course he growled horribly when he came upon Hunchy.  George grinned.
'Hallo!' she said. 'Going off for a ride?
Can Timmy and I come with you?'
She made as if she was going to open the
door, and Hunchy yelled loudly: 'Don't you let that dog in here! I've seen
Rooky's hand — one finger's very bad indeed. I don't want that dog going for
me.'
'Do take me for a ride with you, Hunchy,'
persisted George. 'Timmy loves cars.'
'Go away,' said Hunchy, hanging on to the
door-handle for dear life. 'I've got to get this car cleaned up for Mr Perton
this evening.
George laughed and went off to join the
others. 'Well, he can see Timmy's all-alive-o,' said Dick, with a grin. 'Good
thing too. We'd find ourselves in a much bigger fix if we hadn't got old Timmy
to protect us.'
They went over to the clump of trees and sat
down. 'What was it that Hunchy said about the car?' asked Julian. George told
him. Julian looked thoughtful. Anne knew that look — it meant that Julian was
thinking of a plan! She prodded him.
'Ju! You've got a plan, haven't you? What is
it?'
'Well — I'm only just wondering about
something,' said Julian, slowly. 'That car — and the fact that Mr Perton is
going out in it tonight — which means he will go out through those gates . . .'
'What of it?' said Dick. 'Thinking of going
with him?'
'Well, yes, I was,' said Julian,
surprisingly. 'You see — if he's not going till dark, I think I could probably
get into the boot — and hide there till the car stops somewhere, and then I
could open the boot, get out, and go off for help!'
Everyone looked at him in silence. Anne's
eyes gleamed. 'Oh Julian! It's a wizard plan.'
'It sounds jolly good,' said Dick.
'The only thing is — I don't like being left
here without Julian,' said Anne, suddenly feeling scared. 'Everything's all
right if Julian's here.'
'I could go,' said Dick.
'Or I could,' said George, 'only there
wouldn't be room for Timmy too.'
'The boot looks pretty big from outside,'
said Julian. 'I wish I could take Anne with me. Then I'd know she was safe. You
others would be all right so long as you had Timmy.'
They discussed the matter thoroughly. They
dropped it towards tea-time when they saw Aggie coming out with a basket to
collect the eggs. She made a sign to them not to come over to her. Possibly
someone was watching. They stayed where they were, and watched her go into the
hen-house. She remained there a short time, and then came out with a basketful
of new-laid eggs. She walked to the house without looking at the children
again.
'I'll go and see if she's left anything in
the hen-house,' said Dick, and went over to it. He soon appeared again,
grinning. His pockets bulged!
Aggie had left about two dozen potted-meat
sandwiches, a big slab of cherry cake and a bottle of milk. The children went
under the bushes and Dick unloaded his pockets. 'She even left a bone for old
Tim,' he said.
'I suppose it's all right,' said George
doubtfully. Julian smelt it.
'Perfectly fresh,' he said. 'No poison here
at all! Anyway, Aggie wouldn't play a dirty trick like that. Come on — let's
tuck in.'
They were very bored after tea, so Julian
arranged some races and some jumping competitions. Timmy, of course, would have
won them all if he had been counted as a proper competitor. But he wasn't. He
went in for everything, though, and barked so excitedly that Mr Perton came to
a window and yelled to him to stop.
'Sorry!' yelled back George.  'He'll be rowing Hunchy for not getting on with the poison
job.'
When it began to grow dark the children went
cautiously to the car. Hunchy had finished working on it. Quietly Julian opened
the boot and looked inside. He gave an exclamation of disappointment.
'It's only a small one! I can't get in
there, I'm afraid. Nor can you, Dick.'
'I'll go then,' said Anne, in a small voice.
'Certainly not,' said Julian.
'Well — I'll go,' said Richard,
surprisingly. 'I could just about squash in there.'
'You!' said Dick. 'You'd be scared stiff.'
Richard was silent for a moment. 'Yes — I
should,' he admitted. 'But I'm still ready to go. I'll do my very best if you'd
like me to try. After all — it's me or nobody. You won't let Anne go — and
there's not enough room for George and Timmy — and not enough for either you or
Julian, Dick.'
Everyone was astonished. It didn't seem a
bit like Richard to offer to do an unselfish or courageous action. Julian felt
very doubtful.
'Well — this is a serious thing, you know,
Richard,' he said. 'I mean — if you're going to do it, you've got to do it
properly — go right through with it — not get frightened in the middle and
begin howling, so that the men hear you and examine the boot.'
'I know,' said Richard. 'I think I can do it
all right. I do wish you'd trust me a bit.'
'I can't understand your offering to do a
difficult thing like that,' said Julian. 'It doesn't seem a bit like you —
you've not shown yourself to be at all plucky so far!'
'Julian, I think I understand,' said Anne
suddenly, and she pulled at her brother's sleeve. 'He's thinking of our skins
this time, not of his own — or at least he's trying to. Let's give him a chance
to show he's got a bit of courage.'
'I only just want a chance,' said Richard in
a small voice.
'All right,' said Julian. 'You shall have
it. It'll be a very pleasant surprise if you take your chance and do something
helpful!'
'Tell me exactly what I've got to do,' said
Richard, trying to keep his voice from trembling.
'Well — once you're in the boot we'll have
to shut you in. Goodness knows how long you'll have to wait there in the dark,'
said Julian. 'I warn you it will be jolly stuffy and uncomfortable. When the
car goes off it will be more uncomfortable still.'
'Poor Richard,' said Anne.
'As soon as the car stops anywhere and you
hear the men get out, wait a minute to give them time to get out of sight and
hearing — and then scramble out of the boot yourself and go straight to the
nearest police-station,' said Julian. 'Tell your story quickly, give this
address — Owl's Dene, Owl's Hill, some miles from Middlecombe Woods — and the
police will do the rest. Got all that?'
'Yes,' said Richard.
'Do you still want to go, now you know what
you're in for?' asked Dick.
'Yes,' said Richard again. He was surprised
by a warm hug from Anne.
'Richard, you're nice — and I didn't think
you were!' said Anne.
He then got a thump on the back from Julian,
'Well, Richard — pull this off and you'll wipe out all the silly things you've
done! Now — what about getting into the boot immediately? We don't know when
the men will be coming out.'
'Yes. I'll get in now,' said Richard,
feeling remarkably brave after Anne's hug and Julian's thump. Julian opened the
boot. He examined the inside of the boot-cover. 'I don't believe Richard could
open it from the inside,' he said. 'No, he couldn't. We mustn't close it tight,
then — I'll have to wedge it a bit open with a stick or something. That will
give him a little air, and he'll be able to push the boot open when he wants
to. Where's a stick?'
Dick found one. Richard got into the boot
and curled himself up. There wasn't very much room even for him! He looked
extremely cramped.
 'Quick —
someone's coming!'
18
Hunt for Richard!
Mr Perton could be seen standing at the
front door, outlined in the light from the lamp in the hall. He was talking to
Rooky, who, apparently, was not going out. It seemed as if only Mr Perton was
leaving in the car.
'Good luck, Richard,' Julian whispered, as
he and the others melted into the shadows on the other side of the drive. They
stood there in the darkness, watching Mr Perton walk over to the car. He got in
and slammed the door. Thank goodness he hadn't wanted to put anything in the
boot!
The engine started up and the car purred
away down the drive. At the same time there came the grating sound of the gate
machinery being used.
'Gates are opening for him,' muttered Dick.
They heard the car go right down the drive and out of the gateway without
stopping. It hooted as it went, evidently a signal to the house. The gates had
been opened just at the right moment. They were now being shut, judging by the
grinding noise going on.
The front door closed. The children stood in
silence for a minute or two, thinking of Richard shut up in the boot.
I'd never have thought it of him,' said
George.
'No — but you just simply never know what is
in anybody,' said Julian thoughtfully. 'I suppose even the worst coward, the
most despicable crook, the most dishonest . rogue can find some good thing in
himself if he wants to badly enough.'
'Yes — it's the "wanting-to" that
must be so rare, though,' said Dick. 'Look — there's Aggie at the kitchen-door.
She's calling us in.'
They went to her. 'You can come in now,' she
said. 'I can't give you much supper, I'm afraid, because Hunchy will be here —
but I'll put some cake up in your room, under the blankets.'
They went into the kitchen. It was pleasant
with a log-fire and the mellow light from an oil-lamp. Hunchy was at the far
end doing something with a rag and polish. He gave the children one of his
familiar scowls.
'No,' said George.
'Then I'll tell Rooky,' said Hunchy. Neither
he nor Aggie seemed to notice that there were only four children, not five.
'Well, if Rooky comes here I've no doubt
Timmy will bite his other hand,' said George. 'Anyway — won't he be surprised
to find Timmy still alive and kicking?'
Nothing more was said about Timmy. Aggie
silently put the remains of a plum-pie on the table. 'There's your supper,' she
said.
There was a very small piece each. As they
were finishing, Hunchy went out. Aggie spoke in a whisper.
'I heard the wireless at six o'clock. There
was a police message about one of you — called Richard. His mother reported him
missing — and the police put it out on the wireless.'
'Did they really?' said Dick. 'I say —
they'll soon be here then!'
'But do they know where you are?' asked
Aggie, surprised.
'Not yet — but I expect we'll soon be traced
here.'
Aggie looked doubtful. 'Nobody's ever been
traced here yet — nor ever will be, it's my belief. The police did come once,
looking for somebody, and Mr Perton let them in, all polite-like. They hunted
everywhere for the person they said they wanted, but they couldn't find him.'
Julian nudged Dick. He thought he knew where
the police might have found him — in the little secret room behind that sliding
panel.
'Funny thing,' said Julian. 'I haven't seen
a telephone here. Don't they have one?'
'No,' said Aggie. 'No phone, no gas, no
electricity, no water laid on, no nothing. Only just secrets and signs and
comings and goings and threats and . . .'
She broke off as Hunchy came back, and went
to the big fire-place, where a kettle was slung over the burning logs. Hunchy
looked round at the children.
 'Says he wants to learn him a few
lessons.'
All the four felt extremely thankful that
Richard was not there. They felt sure he wouldn't have liked the lessons that
Rooky wanted to teach him.
They looked round at one another and then
all round the room. 'Richard? Where is Richard?'
'What do you mean — where's Richard?' said
Hunchy, in a snarling voice that made Timmy growl. 'One of you is Richard —
that's all I know.'
'Why — there were five children — now
there's only four!' said Aggie, in sudden astonishment. 'I've only just
noticed. Is Richard the missing one?'
'Dear me — where's Richard gone?' said
Julian, pretending to be surprised. He called him 'Richard! Hey, Richard, where
are you?'
Hunchy looked angry. 'Now, none of your
tricks. One of you's Richard. Which one?'
'Not one of us is,' answered Dick.
'Gracious, where can Richard be? Do you suppose we've left him in the grounds,
Ju?'
'Must have,' said Julian. He went to the
kitchen window and swung it wide open. 'RICHARD!' he roared. 'You're wanted,
RICHARD!'
But no Richard answered or appeared, of
course. He was miles away in the boot of the black Bentley!
There came the sound of angry footsteps in
the hall and the kitchen door was flung open.  With a delighted bark Timmy leapt forward.
George caught him just in time.
'That dog! Didn't I say he was to be
poisoned?' shouted Rooky, furiously. 'Why haven't you brought that boy to me,
Hunchy?'
Hunchy looked afraid. 'He don't seem to be
here,' he answered sullenly. 'Unless one of these here children is him, sir.'
Rooky glanced over them. 'No — he's not one
of them. Where is Richard?' he demanded of Julian.
'I've just been yelling for him,' said
Julian, with an air of amazement. 'Funny thing. He was out in the grounds all
day with us — and now we're indoors, he just isn't here. Shall I go and hunt in
the grounds?'
'I'll shout for him again,-' said Dick,
going to the window. 'RICHARD!'
'Shut up!' said Rooky. 'I'll go and find
him. Where's my torch? Get it, Aggie. And when I find him — he'll be sorry for
himself, very, very sorry!'
'I'll come too,' said Hunchy. 'You go one
way and I'll go another.'
'Get Ben and Fred too,' ordered Rooky.
Hunchy departed to fetch Ben and Fred, whoever they were. The children supposed
they must be the other men who had arrived with Rooky the night before.
Rooky
went out of the kitchen door with his powerful torch. Anne shivered. She was
very, very glad that Richard couldn't be found, however hard the men looked for
him. Soon there came the sound of other voices in the grounds, as the four men
separated into two parties, and began to search every yard.
'Where is he, the poor boy?' whispered
Aggie.
'I don't know,' said Julian, truthfully. He
wasn't going to give any secrets away to Aggie, even though she seemed really
friendly to them.
She went out of the room and the children
clustered together, speaking in low voices.
'I say — what a blessing it was Richard that
went off in the Bentley and not one of us,' whispered George.
'My word, yes — I didn't like the look on
Rooky's face when he came into the kitchen just now,' said Julian.
'Well, Richard's got a little reward for
trying to be brave,' said Anne. 'He's missed some ill-treatment from Rooky!'
Julian glanced at a clock in the kitchen.
'Look — it's almost nine. There's a wireless on that shelf. Let's put it on and
see if there's a message about Richard.'
He switched it on and twiddled the knob till
he got the right station. After a minute or two of news, there came the message
they wanted to hear.
'Missing from home since Wednesday, Richard
Thurlow Kent, a boy of twelve, well-built, fair hair, blue eyes, wearing grey
shorts and grey jersey. Probably on a bicycle.'
So the message went on, ending with a police
telephone number that could be called. There was of course no message about
Julian and the others. They were relieved. That means that Mother won't be
worrying,' said George. 'But it also means that unless Richard can get help
nobody can possibly find out we're here — if we're not missed we can't be
searched for, and I don't really want to be here much longer.'
Nobody did, of course. All their hopes were
now on Richard. He seemed rather a broken reed to rely on — but you never knew!
He just might be successful in escaping unseen from the boot and getting to a
police station.
After about an hour Rooky and the others
came in, all in a furious temper. Rooky turned on Julian.
'What's happened to that boy? You must
know.'
'Gr-r-r-r-r,' said Timmy at once. Rooky
beckoned to Julian to come into the hall. He shut the kitchen door and shouted
at Julian again.
'Well — you heard what I said — where's that
boy?'
'Isn't he out in the grounds?' said Julian,
putting on a very perturbed look. 'Good gracious — what can have happened to
him? I assure you he was with us all day. Aggie will tell you that — and Hunchy
too.'
'They've already told me,' said Rooky. 'He's
not in the grounds. We've gone over every inch. Where is he?'
'Well, would he be somewhere in the house,
then?' suggested Julian, innocently.
'How can he be?' raged Rooky. 'The front
door's been closed and locked all day except when Perton went out. And Hunchy
and Aggie swear he didn't come into the kitchen.'
'It's an absolute mystery,' said Julian.
'Shall I hunt all over the house? The others can help me.  'Or any of you, either! I believe that boy's about
somewhere, laughing up his sleeve at us all — and I believe you know where he
is too!'
'I don't,' said Julian. 'And that's the
truth.'
'When I do find him, I'll . . . I'll . . .'
Rooky broke off, quite unable to think of anything bad enough to do to poor
Richard.
He went to join the others, still muttering.
Julian went thankfully back to the kitchen. He was very glad Richard was well
out of the way. It was pure chance that he had gone — but what a very good
thing! Where was Richard now? What was he doing? Was he still in the boot of
the car? How Julian wished he knew!
19
Richard has his own adventure
Richard had been having a much too exciting
time. He had gone with the car, of course, crouching in the boot at the back,
with a box of tools digging into him, and a can of petrol smelling horribly
nearby, making him feel sick.
Through the gates went the car, and down the
hill. It went at a good pace, and once stopped very suddenly. It had gone round
a corner and almost collided with a stationary lorry, so that Mr Perton had put
the brake on in a hurry. Poor Richard was terrified. He bumped his head hard on
the back of the boot and gave a groan.
He sat curled up, feeling sick and scared.
He began to wish he had not tried to be a hero and get help. Being any kind of
a hero was difficult — but this was a dreadful way of being heroic.
The car went on for some miles; Richard had
no idea where it was going. At first he heard no other traffic at all — then he
heard the sound of many wheels on the road, and knew he must be getting near a
town. Once they must have gone by a railway station or railway line because
Richard could distinctly hear the noise of a train, and then a loud hooting.
The car stopped at last. Richard listened
intently. Was it stopping just for traffic lights — or was Mr Perton getting
out? If so, that was his chance to escape!
He heard the car door slam. Ah — Mr Perton
was out of the car then. Richard pressed hard at the cover of the boot. Julian
had wedged it rather tightly, but it gave at last, and the lid of the boot
opened. It fell back with rather a noise.
Richard looked out cautiously. He was in a
dark street. A few people were walking on the pavement opposite. A lamp-post
was some way away. Could he get out now — or would Mr Perton be about and see
him?
He stretched out a leg to slide from the
boot and jump to the ground — but he had been huddled up in an awkward position
for so long that he was too stiff to move. Cramp caught him and he felt
miserably uncomfortable as he tried to straighten himself out.
Instead of jumping out and taking to his
heels at once, poor Richard had to go very slowly indeed. His legs and arms
would not move quickly. He sat for a half-minute on the open boot-lid, trying to
make up his mind to jump down.
And then he heard Mr Perton's voice! He was
running down the steps of the house outside which he had parked the car.
Richard was horrified. It hadn't dawned on him that he would come back so
quickly.
He tried to jump from the boot-cover, and
fell sprawling to the ground. Mr Perton heard him, and, thinking someone was
trying to steal something from his car he rushed up to the boot.
Richard scrambled up just in time to get
away from his outstretched hand. He ran to the other side of the road as fast
as he could, hoping that his stiff, cramped legs wouldn't let him down. Mr
Perton tore after him.
'Hey, you, stop! What are you doing in my
car?' shouted Mr Perton. Richard dodged a passer-by and tore on, panic-stricken.
He mustn't be caught; he mustn't be caught!
Mr Perton caught up with him just under the
lamppost. He grabbed Richard's collar and swung him round roughly. 'You let me
go!' yelled Richard, and kicked Mr Perton's ankles so hard that he almost fell
over.
Mr Perton recognized him! 'Good gracious —
it's you!' he cried. 'The boy Rooky wants! What are you doing here? How did you
. . .?'
But with a last despairing struggle, Richard
was off again, leaving his coat in Mr Perton's hands! His legs were feeling
better now, and he could run faster.
He tore round the corner, colliding with
another boy. He was off and away before the boy could even call out. Mr Perton
also tore round the corner and collided with the same boy — who, however, was a
bit quicker than before, and clutched Mr Perton by the coat, in a real rage at
being so nearly knocked over again.
By the time Mr Perton had got himself free
from the angry boy, Richard was out of sight. Mr Perton raced to the corner of
the road, and looked up and down the poorly lighted road. He gave an
exclamation of anger.
'Lost him! Little pest — how did he get
here? Could he have been at the back of the car? Ah — surely that's him over
there!'
It was. Richard had hidden in a garden, but
was now being driven out by the barking of a dog. In despair he tore out of the
gate and began running again. Mr Perton tore after him.
Round another corner, panting hard. Round
yet another, hoping that no passer-by would clutch at him and stop him. Poor
Richard! He didn't feel at all heroic, and didn't enjoy it a bit either.
He stumbled round the next corner and came
into the main street of the town — and there, opposite, was a lamp that had a
very welcome word shining on the glass.
POLICE
Thankfully Richard stumbled up the steps and
pushed open the police station door. He almost fell inside. There was a kind of
waiting-room there with a policeman sitting at a table. He looked up in
astonishment as Richard came in in such a hurry.
'Now then — what's all this?' he asked the
boy.
Richard looked fearfully back at the door,
expecting Mr Perton to come in at any moment. But he didn't. The door remained
shut. Mr Perton was not going to visit any police station if he could help it —
especially with Richard pouring out a most peculiar story!
Richard was panting so much that he couldn't
say a word at first. Then it all came out. The policeman listened in amazement,
and very soon stopped Richard's tale, and called a big burly man in, who proved
to be a most important police inspector.
He made Richard tell his tale slowly and as
clearly as he could. The boy was now feeling much better — in fact he was
feeling quite proud of himself! To think he'd done it — escaped in the boot of
the car — got out — managed to get away from Mr Perton — and arrive safely at
the police station. Marvellous!
'Where's this Owl's Dene?' demanded the
Inspector, and the constable near by answered.
'Must be that old place on Owl's Hill, sir.
You remember we once went there on some kind of police business, but it seemed
to be all right. Run by a hunch-back and his sister for some man who is often
away abroad — Perton, I think the name was.'
'That's right!' cried Richard. 'It was Mr
Perton's car I came here in — a black Bentley.'
'Know the number?' said the Inspector,
sharply.
'KMF 102,' said Richard at once.
'Good lad,' said the Inspector. He picked up
a telephone and gave a few curt instructions for a police car to try to trace
the Bentley immediately.
'So you're Richard Thurlow Kent,' he said.
 I'll see that she is
telephoned to straight away. You'd better be taken home now in a police car.'
'Oh but, sir — can't I go with you to Owl's
Dene when you drive up there?' said Richard, deeply disappointed. 'You'll be
going there, won't you? — because of all the others — Anne, Dick, George and
Julian.'
'We'll be going all right,' said the
Inspector, grimly. 'But you won't be with us. You've had enough adventures. You
can go home and go to bed. You've done well to escape and come here. Quite the
hero!'
Richard couldn't help feeling pleased — but
how he wished he could race off to Owl's Dene with the police. What a
marvellous thing it would be to march in with them and show Julian how well he
had managed his part of the affair! Perhaps Julian would think better of him
then.
The Inspector, however, was not having any
boys in the cars that were to go to Owl's Dene, and Richard was taken off by
the young constable, and told to wait till a car came to take him home.
The telephone rang, and the Inspector
answered it. 'No trace of the Bentley? Right. Thanks.'
He spoke to the young constable. 'Didn't
think they'd get him. He's probably raced back to Owl's Dene to warn the
others.'
'We'll get there soon after!' said the
constable with a grin. 'Our Wolseley's pretty well as fast as a Bentley!'
Mr Perton had indeed raced off, as soon as
he saw Richard stumbling up the police station steps. He had gone back to his
car at top speed, jumped in, slammed the door and raced away as fast as he
could, feeling certain that the police would be on the look-out for KMF 102
immediately.
He
tore dangerously round the corners, and hooted madly, making everyone leap out
of the way. He was soon out in the country, and there he put on terrific speed,
his powerful headlights picking out the dark country lanes for half a mile
ahead.
As he came to the hill on which Owl's Dene
stood, he hooted loudly. He wanted the gates opened quickly! Just as he got up
to them they opened. Someone had heard his hooting signal — good! He raced up
the drive and stopped at the front door. It opened as he jumped out. Rooky
stood there, and two other men with him, all looking anxious.
'What's up, Perton? Why are you back so
quickly?' called Rooky. 'Anything wrong?'
Mr Perton ran up the steps, shut the door
and faced the three men in the hall.
'Do you know what's happened? That boy,
Richard Kent, was in the car when I went out! See? Hidden in the back or in the
boot, or somewhere! Didn't you miss him?'
'Yes,' said Rooky. 'Of course we missed him.
Did you let him get away, Perton?'
'Well, seeing that I didn't know he was in
hiding, and had to leave the car to go in and see Ted, it was easy for him to
get away!' said Mr Perton. 'He ran like a hare. I nearly grabbed him once, but
he wriggled out of his coat.  'You're a fool, Perton — you ought
to have got that boy. There's our ransom gone west — and I was so glad to be
able to get my hands on the little brute.'
'It's no good crying over spilt milk,' said
Perton. 'What about Weston? Suppose the police find him. They're looking for
him all right — the papers have been full of only two things the last couple of
days — Disappearance of Richard Thurlow Kent — and Escape from Prison of
Solomon Weston! And we're mixed up with both these. Do you want to be shoved
back into prison again, Rooky? You've only just come out, you know. What are we
going to do?'
'We must think,' said Rooky, in a
panic-stricken voice. 'Come in this room here. We must think.'
20
The secret room
The four children had heard the car come
racing up the drive, and had heard Mr Perton's arrival. Julian went to the
kitchen door, eager to find out what he could. If Mr Perton was back, then
either Richard had played his part well, and had escaped — or he had been
discovered, and had been brought back.
He heard every word of the excited talk out
in the hall. Good, good good! — Richard had got away — and was even now telling
his tale to the police. It surely wouldn't be very long before the police
arrived at Owl's Dene then — and what surprising things they would find there!
He tiptoed out into the hall, when he heard
the men go into the room near by. What were their plans? He hoped they would
not vent their rage on him or the others. It was true they had Timmy — but in a
real emergency Rooky would probably think nothing of shooting the dog straightaway.
Julian didn't at all like what he heard from
the room where the men talked over their plans.
'I'm going to bang all those kids' heads
together as hard as I can, to start with,' growled Rooky. 'That big boy —
what's his name? — Julian or something — must have planned Richard Kent's
escape — I'll give him a real good thrashing, the interfering little beast.'
'What about the sparklers, Rooky?' said
another man's voice. 'We'd better put them in a safe hiding place before the
police arrive. We'll have to hurry.'
'Oh, it'll be some time before they find
they can't open that gate,' said Rooky. 'And it'll take a little more time
before they climb that wall. We'll have time to put the sparklers into the room
with Weston. If he's safe there, they'll be safe too.'
'Sparklers!' thought Julian, excited. 'Those
are diamonds — so they've got a haul of diamonds hidden somewhere. Whatever
next?'
'Get them,' ordered Mr Perton. 'Take them to
the Secret Room — and be quick about it, Rooky. The police may be here at any
minute now.'
'We'll spin some tale about that kid Richard
and his friends,' said the voice of a fourth man. 'We'll say they were caught
trespassing, the lot of them, and kept here as a little punishment. Actually,
if there's time, I think it would be best to let the rest of them go. After all
— they don't know anything. They can't give away any secrets.'
Rooky didn't want to let them go. He had
grim plans for them, but the others argued him over. 'All right,' he said
sullenly. 'Let them go, then — if there's time!  They'll probably set off
thankfully and get lost in the dark. So much the better.'
'You get the sparklers then, and see to
them,' said Mr Perton, and Julian heard him getting up from his chair. The boy
darted back to the kitchen.
It looked as if there would be nothing for
it but to let themselves be led down to the gates and shoved out and Julian
decided that if that happened they would wait at the gateway till the police
arrived. They wouldn't get lost in the dark, as Rooky hoped!
Mr Perton came into the kitchen. His eyes
swept over the four children. Timmy growled.
'So you made a little plan, did you, and hid
Richard in the car?' he said. 'Well, for that we're going to turn you all out
into the night — and you'll probably lose yourselves for days in the deserted
countryside round here — and I hope you do!'
Nobody said anything. Mr Perton aimed a blow
at Julian, who ducked. Timmy sprang at the man, but George had hold of his
collar, and he just missed snapping Mr Perton's arm in two!
'If that dog had stayed here a day longer
I'd have shot him,' said Mr Perton, fiercely. 'Come on, all of you, get a move
on.'
'Good-bye, Aggie,' said Anne. Aggie and
Hunchy watched them go out of the kitchen door into the dark garden. Aggie
looked very scared indeed. Hunchy spat after them and said something rude.
But, when they were half-way down the drive,
there came the sound of cars roaring at top speed up the hill to the gates of
Owl's Dene! Two cars, fast and powerful, with brilliant headlights. Police
cars, without a doubt! Mr Perton stopped. Then he shoved the children roughly
back towards the house. It was too late to set them free and hope they would
lose themselves.
'You look out for Rooky,' he said to them.
'He goes mad when he's frightened — and he's going to be frightened now, with
the police hammering at the gates!'
Julian
and the others cautiously edged into the kitchen. They weren't going to risk
meeting Rooky if they could help it. Nobody was there at all, not even Hunchy
or Aggie. Mr Perton went through to the hall.
'Have you put those sparklers away?' he called,
and a voice answered him: 'Yes. Weston's got them with him. They're O.K. Did
you get the kids out in time?'
'No — and the police are at the gates
already,' growled Mr Perton.
A howl came from someone — probably Rooky.
'The police — already! If I had that kid Richard here I'd skin him alive. Wait
till I've burnt a few letters I don't want found — then I'll go and get hold of
the other kids. I'm going to put somebody through it for this, and I don't care
who.'
'Don't be foolish, Rooky,' said Mr Perton's
voice.  Leave the kids alone.'
Julian listened to all this and felt very
uneasy indeed. He ought to hide the others. Even Timmy would be no protection
if Rooky had a gun. But where could he hide them?
'Rooky will search the whole house from top
to bottom if he loses his temper much more, and really makes up his mind to
revenge himself on us,' thought Julian. 'What a pity there isn't another secret
room — we could hide there and be safe!'
But even if there was one he didn't know of
it. He heard Rooky go upstairs with the others. Now, if he and the other
children were going to hide somewhere in safety, this was their chance. But
WHERE could they hide?
An idea came to Julian — was it a brilliant
one, or wasn't it? He couldn't make up his mind at first. Then he decided that
brilliant or not they had got to try it.
He spoke to the others. 'We've got to hide.
Rooky isn't safe when he's in a temper.'
'Where shall we hide?' said Anne, fearfully.
'In the secret room!' said Julian. They all
gaped at him in amazement.
'But — but somebody else is already hidden
there — you told us you saw him last night,' said George at last.
'I
know. That can't be helped. He's the last person to give us away, if we share
his hiding-place — he wouldn't want to be found himself!' said Julian. 'It will
be a frightful squash, because the secret room is very, very small — but it's
the safest place I can think of.'
'Timmy will have to come too,' said George
firmly. Julian nodded.
'Of course. We may need him to protect us
against the hidden man!' he said. 'He may be pretty wild at us all invading his
hiding-place. We don't want to have him calling Rooky. We'll be all right once
we're in the room, because Timmy will keep him quiet. And once we're in he
won't call out because we'll tell him the police are here!'
'Fine,' said Dick. 'Let's go. Is the coast
clear?'
'Yes. They're all upstairs for some reason
or other,' said Julian. 'Probably destroying things they don't want found. Come
on.'
Hunchy and Aggie were still not to be seen.
They had probably heard what the scare was about and were hidden away
themselves! Julian led the way quietly to the little study.
They stared at the big, solid wooden
bookcase that stretched from floor to ceiling. Julian went quickly to one shelf
and emptied out the books. He felt for the knob.
There it was! He pulled it out, and the back
panel of the shelf slid noiselessly downwards, leaving the large hole there,
like a window into the secret room.
The children gasped. How queer! How very
extraordinary! They blinked through the hole and saw the small room behind, lit
by a little candle. They saw the hidden man too — and he saw them! He looked at
them in the very greatest astonishment.
'Who are you?' he said, in a threatening
voice. 'Who told you to open that panel? Where's Rooky and Perton?'
'We're coming through to join you,' said
Julian quietly. 'Don't make a noise.'
He shoved George up first. She slid through
the narrow opening sideways and landed feet-first on the floor. Timmy followed
immediately, pushed through by Julian.
The man was up on his feet now, angry and
surprised.
'Now look here,' he began in a loud voice.
'I won't have this. Where's Perton? Hey, Per . . .'
'If you say another word I'll set my dog on
you,' said George, at a sign from Julian. Timmy growled so ferociously that the
man shrank back at once.
'I — I . . .' he began. Timmy growled again
and bared all his magnificent teeth in a snarl. The man climbed up on the
narrow bed and subsided, looking astonished and furious. Dick went through the
opening next, then Anne. By that time the small room was uncomfortably crowded.
'I say,' said Julian, suddenly remembering
something, 'I shall have to stay outside the room — because the books have got
to be put back, otherwise Rooky will notice the shelf is empty and guess we're
hiding in the secret room. Then we'll be at his mercy.'
'Oh Ju — you must come in with us,' said
Anne, frightened.
'I can't, Anne. I must shut the panel and
put the books back,' said Julian. 'I can't risk your being discovered till the
police have safely caught that madman Rooky! I shall be all right, don't you
worry.'
The police?' whispered the man in the secret
room, his eyes almost falling out of his head. 'Are the police here?'
'At the gates,' answered Julian. 'So keep
quiet if you don't want them on top of you at once!'
He pushed the knob. The panel slid back into
place without a sound. Julian replaced the books on the shelf as fast as he
could. Then he darted out of the study, so that the men would not even guess
what he had been up to. He was very thankful that Rooky had kept away long
enough for him to carry out his plan.
Where should he hide himself? How long would
it take the police to get over the wall, or break down the great gates? Surely
they would soon be here?
There came the sound of footsteps running
down the stairs. It was Rooky. He caught sight of Julian at once. 'Ah — there
you are! Where are the others? I'll show you what happens to children who upset
my plans. I'll show you what . . .'
Rooky carried a whip in his hand and looked
quite crazy. Julian was afraid. He darted back into the study and locked the
door. Rooky began to hammer at it. Then such a crash came on the door that
Julian guessed he was smashing it down with one of the hall chairs. The door
would be down in a moment!
21
A very exciting finish!
Julian was a courageous boy, but just at
that minute he felt very scared indeed. And what must the children hidden in
the secret room beyond be thinking? Poor Anne must be feeling terrified at
Rooky's shouts and the crashing on the door.
And then a really marvellous idea came to
Julian. Why, oh why hadn't he thought of it before? He could open the gates
himself for the police to come in! He knew how to do it — and there was the
wheel nearby in the corner, that set the gate machinery working! Once he had
the gates open it would not be more than a few minutes, surely, before the police
were hammering at the front door.
Julian ran to the wheel-like handle. He
turned it strongly. A grinding, whining noise came at once, as the machinery
went into action.
Rooky was still crashing at the door with
the heavy chair. Already he had broken in one panel of it. But when he suddenly
heard the groaning of the machinery that opened the gates, he stopped in panic.
The gates were being opened! The police would soon be there — he would be
caught!
He forgot the beautiful stories he had arranged
to tell, forgot the plans that he and the others had made, forgot everything
except that he must hide. He flung down the chair and fled.
Julian sat down in the nearest chair, his
heart beating as if he had just been running a race. The gates were open —
Rooky had fled — the police would soon be there! And, even as he sat thinking
this, there came the sound of powerful cars roaring up the wide drive. Then the
engines stopped, and car doors were thrown open.
Someone began to hammer at the front door.
'Open in the name of the law!' cried a loud voice, and then came another
hammering.
Nobody opened the door. Julian unlocked the
half-broken door of the study he was in, and peered cautiously into the hall.
No one seemed to be about.
He
raced to the front door, pulled back the bolts, and undid the heavy chain,
afraid each moment that some of the men would come to punch him away. But they
didn't.
The door was pushed open by the police, who
swarmed in immediately. There were eight of them, and they looked surprised to
see a boy there.
'Which boy's this?' said the Inspector.
'Julian, sir,' said Julian. I'm glad you've
come. Things were getting pretty hot.'
'Where are the men?' asked the Inspector,
walking right in.
'I don't know,' said Julian.
'Find them,' ordered the Inspector, and his
men fanned out up the hall. But before they could go into any room, a cool
voice called to them from the end of the corridor.
'May I ask what all this is?'
It was Mr Perton, looking as calm as could
be, smoking a cigarette. He stood at the door of his sitting-room, seeming
quite unperturbed. Since when has a man's house been broken into for no reason
at all?'
'Where are the rest of you?' demanded the
Inspector.
'In here, Inspector,' drawled Mr Perton. 'We
were having a little conference, and heard the hammering at the door.
Apparently you got in somehow. I'm afraid you'll get into trouble for this.'
The Inspector advanced to the room where Mr Perton
stood. He glanced into it.
'Aha — our friend Rooky, I see,' he said,
genially. 'Only a day or two out of prison, Rooky, and you're mixed up in
trouble again. Where's Weston?'
'I don't know what you mean,' said Rooky,
sullenly. 'How should I know where he is? He was in prison last time I knew
anything about him.'
'Yes. But he escaped,' said the Inspector.
'Somebody helped him, Rooky. Somebody planned his escape for him — friends of
yours — and somebody knows where the diamonds are that he stole and hid. I've a
guess that you're going to share them with him in return for getting your
friends to help him. Where is Weston, Rooky?'
'I tell you I don't know,' repeated Rooky.
'Not here, if that's what you're getting at. You can search the whole house
from top to bottom, if you like. Perton won't mind. Will you, Perton? Look for
the sparklers, too, if you want to. I don't know anything about them.'
'Perton, we've suspected you for a long
time,' said the Inspector, turning to Mr Perton, who was still calmly smoking
his cigarette. 'We think you're at the bottom of all these prison escapes —
that's why you bought this lonely old house, isn't it? — so that you could work
from it undisturbed?
'And you only help criminals who have been
known to do a clever robbery and hide the stuff before they're caught,' went on
the Inspector, in a grim voice. 'So you know you'll make plenty of profit on
your deals Perton. Weston is here all right — and so are the diamonds. Where
are they?'
'They're not here,' said Perton. 'You're at
liberty to look and see. You won't get anything out of me, Inspector. I'm
innocent.'
Julian had listened to all this in
amazement. Why, they had fallen into the very middle of a nest of thieves and
rogues! Well — he knew where Weston was — and the diamonds too! He stepped
forward.
'Tell your story later, son,' said the
Inspector. 'We've things to do now.'
'Well, sir — I can save you a lot of time,'
said Julian. 'I know where the hidden prisoner is — and the diamonds too!'
Rooky leapt to his feet with a howl. Mr Perton
looked at Julian hard. The other men glanced uneasily at one another.
'You don't know anything!' shouted Rooky.
'You only came here yesterday.'
The Inspector regarded Julian gravely. He
liked this boy with the quiet manners and honest eyes.
'Do you mean what you say?' he asked.
'Oh yes,' said Julian. 'Come with me, sir.'
He turned and went out of the room. Everyone
crowded after him — police, Rooky and the others; but three of the policemen
quietly placed themselves at the back.
Julian led them to the study. Rooky's face
went purple, but Perton gave him a sharp nudge and he said nothing. Julian went
to the bookcase and swept a whole shelf of books out at once.
Rooky gave a terrific yell and leapt at
Julian. 'Stop that! What are you doing?'
Two policemen were on the infuriated Rooky
at once. They dragged him back. Julian pulled out the knob and the panel slid
noiselessly downwards, leaving a wide space in the wall behind.
From the secret room four faces gazed out —
the faces of three children — and a man. Timmy was there too, but he was on the
floor. For a few moments nobody said a single word. The ones in the hidden room
were so surprised to see such a crowd of policemen looking in at them — and the
ones in the study were filled with amazement to see so many children in the
tiny room!
'WELL!' said the Inspector. 'Well, I'm
blessed! And if that isn't Weston himself, large as life and twice as natural!'
Rooky began to struggle with the policemen.
He seemed absolutely infuriated with Julian.
'That boy!' he muttered. 'Let me get at him.
That boy!'
'Got the diamonds there, Weston?' asked the
Inspector, cheerfully. 'May as well hand them over.'
Weston was very pale indeed. He made no move
at all. Dick reached under the narrow bed and pulled out a bag. 'Here they
are,' he said, with a grin. 'Jolly good lot they feel — heavy as anything! Can
we come out now, Ju?'
All three were helped out by policemen.
Weston was handcuffed before he was brought out. Rooky found that he also had
handcuffs on all of a sudden, and to Mr Perton's angry surprise he heard a
click at his own wrists too!
'A very, very nice little haul,' said the
Inspector, in his most genial voice, as he looked inside the bag. 'What
happened to your prison clothes, Weston? That's a nice suit you've got on — but
you weren't wearing that when you left prison.'
'I can tell you where they are,' said
Julian, remembering. Everyone stared in amazement, except George and Anne, who
also knew, of course.
'They're stuffed down a well belonging to an
old tumble-down shack on a lane between here and Middlecombe Woods,' said
Julian. 'I could easily find it for you any time.'
Mr Perton stared at Julian as if he couldn't
believe his ears. 'How do you know that?' he asked roughly. 'You can't know a
thing like that!'
'I do know it,' said Julian. 'And what's
more you took him a new suit of clothes, and arrived at the shack in your black
Bentley, didn't you — KMF 102? I saw it.'
'That's got you, Perton,' said the
Inspector, with a pleased smile. 'That's put you on the spot, hasn't it? Good
boy, this — notices a whole lot of interesting things. I shouldn't be surprised
if he joins the police force someday. We could do with people like him!'
Perton spat out his cigarette and stamped on
it viciously, as if he wished he was stamping on Julian. Those children!  Weston would have been safely hidden, the diamonds sold,
Weston could have been sent abroad, and he, Perton, would have made a fortune.
Now a pack of children had spoilt everything.
'Any other people in the house?' the
Inspector asked Julian. 'You appear to be the one who knows more than anybody
else, my boy — so perhaps you can tell me that.'
'Yes — Aggie and Hunchy,' said Julian,
promptly. 'But don't be hard on Aggie, sir — she was awfully good to us, and
she's terrified of Hunchy.'
'We'll remember what you say,' promised the
Inspector. 'Search the house, men. Bring along Aggie and Hunchy too. We'll want
them for witnesses, anyway. Leave two men on guard here. The rest of us will
go.'
It needed the black Bentley as well as the
two police cars to take everyone down the drive and on to the next town! The
children's bicycles had to be left behind, as they could not be got on the cars
anywhere. As it was, it was a terrific squash.
'You going home tonight?' the Inspector
asked Julian. 'We'll run you back. What about your people? Won't they be
worried by all this?'
'They're away,' explained Julian. 'And we
were on a cycling tour. So they don't know. There's really nowhere we can go
for the night.'
But there was! There was a message awaiting
the Inspector to say that Mrs Thurlow Kent would be very pleased indeed if
Julian and the others would spend the night with Richard. She wanted to hear
about their extraordinary adventures.
'Right,' said Julian. 'That settles that.
We'll go there — and anyway, I want to bang old Richard on the back. He turned
out quite a hero after all!'
'You'll have to keep around for a few days,'
said the Inspector. 'We'll want you, I expect — you've a very fine tale to
tell, and you've been a great help.'
'We'll keep around then,' said Julian. 'And
if you could manage to have our bikes collected, sir, I'd be very grateful.'
Richard was at the front door to meet them
all, although by now it was very late indeed. He was dressed in clean clothes
and looked very spruce beside the dirty, bedraggled company of children that he
went to greet.
'I wish I'd been in at the last!' he cried.
'I was sent off home, and I was wild. Mother — and Dad — here are the children
I went off with.'
Mr Thurlow Kent had just come back from
America. He shook hands with all of them. 'Come along in,' he said. 'We've got
a fine spread for you — you must be ravenous!'
'Tell me what happened, tell me at once,'
demanded Richard.
'We simply must have a bath first,'
protested Julian. 'We're filthy.'
'Well, you can tell me while you're having a
bath,' said Richard. 'I can't wait to hear!'
It was lovely to have hot baths and to be
given clean clothes. George was solemnly handed out shorts like the boys, and
the others grinned to see that both Mr and Mrs Kent thought she was a boy.
George, of course, grinned too, and didn't say a word.
'I was very angry with Richard when I heard
what he had done,' said Mr Kent, when they were all sitting at table, eating
hungrily. 'I'm ashamed of him.'
Richard looked downcast at once. He gazed
beseechingly at Julian.
'Yes — Richard made a fool of himself,' said
Julian. 'And landed us all into trouble. He wants taking in hand, sir.'
Richard looked even more downcast. He went
very red, and looked at the table-cloth.
'But,' said Julian, 'he more than made up
for his silliness, sir — he offered to squash himself into the boot of the car,
and escape that way, and go and warn the police. That took some doing, believe
me! I think quite a bit of Richard now!'
He leaned over and gave the boy a pat on the
back.
Richard was now red with pleasure. 'Thanks,'
he said, awkwardly. 'I'll remember this.'
'See you do, my boy!' said his father. 'It
might all have ended very differently!'
'But it didn't,' said Anne happily. 'It
ended like this. We can all breathe again!'
'Till the next time,' said Dick, with a
grin. 'What do you say, Timmy, old boy?'
'Woof,' said Timmy, of course, and thumped
his tail on the floor. 'WOOF!'


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Security updates
Here you can find information about security patches or updates released for Apache Groovy. Note that unless specified otherwise, no binary or source patches are available. To obtain a security fix, you need to upgrade to the latest maintained version of Apache Groovy.
Releases prior to 2.4.4 were not released under Apache so no official patches for security updates are available for older versions.
Groovy 2.4.x vulnerabilities
CVE-2015-3253 Apache Groovy Information Disclosure
Severity: Important
Vendor: The Apache Software Foundation
Versions Affected:
-
Unsupported Codehaus versions of Groovy from 1.7.0 to 2.4.3
-
Fixed in version 2.4.4
Impact:
Remote execution of untrusted code, DoS
Description:
When an application has Groovy on the classpath and uses standard Java serialization mechanisms to communicate between servers, or to store local data, it is possible for an attacker to bake a special serialized object that will execute code directly when deserialized. All applications which rely on serialization and do not isolate the code which deserializes objects are subject to this vulnerability.
Mitigation:
Apache Groovy 2.4.4 is the first supported release under the Apache Software Foundation. It is strongly recommended that all users using serialization upgrade to this version. If you cannot upgrade or rely on an older, unsupported version of Groovy, you can apply the following patch on the
MethodClosure
class (src/main/org/codehaus/groovy/runtime/MethodClosure.java
):public class MethodClosure extends Closure { + private Object readResolve() { + throw new UnsupportedOperationException(); + }
Alternatively, you should make sure to use a custom security policy file (using the standard Java security manager) or make sure that you do not rely on serialization to communicate remotely.
Credit:
This vulnerability was discovered by:
-
cpnrodzc7 working with HP’s Zero Day Initiative
References:
CVE-2016-6814 Apache Groovy Information Disclosure
Severity: Important
Vendor: The Apache Software Foundation
Versions Affected:
-
Unsupported Codehaus versions of Groovy from 1.7.0 to 2.4.3
-
Apache Groovy 2.4.4 to 2.4.7
-
Fixed in version 2.4.8
Impact:
Remote execution of untrusted code, DoS
Description:
When an application with Groovy on classpath uses standard Java serialization mechanisms, e.g. to communicate between servers or to store local data, it is possible for an attacker to bake a special serialized object that will execute code directly when deserialized. All applications which rely on serialization and do not isolate the code which deserializes objects are subject to this vulnerability. This is similar to CVE-2015-3253 but this exploit involves extra wrapping of objects and catching of exceptions which are now safe guarded against.
Mitigation:
Users of Groovy relying on (de)serialization with the affected versions should apply one of the following mitigations:
-
Isolate the code doing the (de)serialization
-
Upgrade to Apache Groovy 2.4.8 or later
-
Users of older versions of Groovy can apply the following patch to the
MethodClosure
class (src/main/org/codehaus/groovy/runtime/MethodClosure.java
):
public class MethodClosure extends Closure { + private void readObject(java.io.ObjectInputStream stream) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException { + if (ALLOW_RESOLVE) { + stream.defaultReadObject(); + } + throw new UnsupportedOperationException(); + }
Credit:
This vulnerability was discovered by:
-
Sam Thomas of Pentest Limited working with Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative
History:
-
2016-09-20 Original advisory
-
2017-01-12 Updated information on affected versions
References:
-
Reporting problems
The Apache Software Foundation takes a very active stance in eliminating security problems in its software products. If you have questions about how to configure or use Groovy securely, you should send them to the users mailing list. If you find any security problems due to bugs in Groovy software, you should raise issues in the bug tracker. The Apache Software Foundation has a dedicated security team which you may contact should the need arise.


# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
# Copyright 2018, IBM.
#
# This source code is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 found in
# the LICENSE.txt file in the root directory of this source tree.
"""Model for representing IBM Q credentials."""
import re
# Regex that matches a IBMQ URL with hub information
REGEX_IBMQ_HUBS = (
'(?P<prefix>http[s]://.+/api)'
'/Hubs/(?P<hub>[^/]+)/Groups/(?P<group>[^/]+)/Projects/(?P<project>[^/]+)'
)
# Template for creating an IBMQ URL with hub information
TEMPLATE_IBMQ_HUBS = '{prefix}/Hubs/{hub}/Groups/{group}/Projects/{project}'
[ドキュメント]class Credentials(object):
"""IBM Q account credentials.
Note that, by convention, two credentials that have the same hub, group
and project (regardless of other attributes) are considered equivalent.
The `unique_id()` returns the unique identifier.
"""
[ドキュメント] def __init__(self, token, url, hub=None, group=None, project=None,
proxies=None, verify=True):
"""
Args:
token (str): Quantum Experience or IBMQ API token.
url (str): URL for Quantum Experience or IBMQ.
hub (str): the hub used for IBMQ.
group (str): the group used for IBMQ.
project (str): the project used for IBMQ.
proxies (dict): proxy configuration for the API.
verify (bool): if False, ignores SSL certificates errors
Note:
`hub`, `group` and `project` are stored as attributes for
convenience, but their usage in the API is deprecated. The new-style
URLs (that includes these parameters as part of the url string, and
is automatically set during instantiation) should be used when
communicating with the API.
"""
self.token = token
self.url, self.hub, self.group, self.project = _unify_ibmq_url(
url, hub, group, project)
self.proxies = proxies or {}
self.verify = verify
[ドキュメント] def is_ibmq(self):
"""Return whether the credentials represent a IBMQ account."""
return all([self.hub, self.group, self.project])
def __eq__(self, other):
return self.__dict__ == other.__dict__
[ドキュメント] def unique_id(self):
"""Return a value that uniquely identifies these credentials.
By convention, we assume (hub, group, project) is always unique.
"""
return self.hub, self.group, self.project
[ドキュメント]def _unify_ibmq_url(url, hub=None, group=None, project=None):
"""Return a new-style set of credential values (url and hub parameters).
Args:
url (str): URL for Quantum Experience or IBM Q.
hub (str): the hub used for IBM Q.
group (str): the group used for IBM Q.
project (str): the project used for IBM Q.
Returns:
tuple[url, hub, group, token]:
* url (str): new-style Quantum Experience or IBM Q URL (the hub,
group and project included in the URL.
* hub (str): the hub used for IBM Q.
* group (str): the group used for IBM Q.
* project (str): the project used for IBM Q.
"""
# Check if the URL is "new style", and retrieve embedded parameters from it.
regex_match = re.match(REGEX_IBMQ_HUBS, url, re.IGNORECASE)
if regex_match:
_, hub, group, project = regex_match.groups()
else:
if hub and group and project:
# Assume it is an IBMQ URL, and update the url.
url = TEMPLATE_IBMQ_HUBS.format(prefix=url, hub=hub, group=group,
project=project)
else:
# Cleanup the hub, group and project, without modifying the url.
hub = group = project = None
return url, hub, group, project


19card's Cydia Repo/Website
Custom Respring and Zeppelin Icons
Also the new home for NotJellyfish, created by Novinha!
Yes, I know this website looks really basic, but soon I'm going to try to make pages so you can see the stuff on my repo.
Custom Respring and Zeppelin Icons
Also the new home for NotJellyfish, created by Novinha!
Yes, I know this website looks really basic, but soon I'm going to try to make pages so you can see the stuff on my repo.
Send me a PM on Twitter!
🤷♂
I only do requests for respring and Zeppelin logos. I do not know how to do animated stuff, so please don't ask me. More intricate and detailed requests for will take longer.
Look at the right side. 👉


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Food Type
Price
Items
Quantity
Burger
250
Burger
1
Set Menu 1
550
Fried Rice
1
Chicken
1
Vegetable
1
Salaad
1