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Page 63
"By Jove!" said Bill, "it is a narrow way."
There was an opening about a yard square in front of them, which
had something the look of a brick fireplace, a fireplace raised
about two feet from the ground. But, save for one row of bricks
in front, the floor of it was emptiness. Antony took a torch
from his pocket and flashed it down into the blackness.
"Look," he whispered to the eager Bill. "The steps begin down
there. Six feet down."
He flashed his torch up again. There was a handhold of iron, a
sort of large iron staple, in the bricks in front of them.
"You swing off from there," said Bill. "At least, I suppose you
do. I wonder how Ruth Norris liked doing it."
"Cayley helped her, I should think .... It's funny."
"Shall I go first?" asked Bill, obviously longing to do so.
Antony shook his head with a smile.
"I think I will, if you don't mind very much, Bill. Just in
case."
"In case of what?"
"Well in case."
Bill, had to be content with that, but he was too much excited to
wonder what Antony meant.
"Righto," he said. "Go on."
"Well, we'll just make sure we can get back again, first. It
really wouldn't be fair on the Inspector if we got stuck down
here for the rest of our lives. He's got enough to do trying to
find Mark, but if he has to find you and me as well--"
"We can always get out at the other end."
"Well, we're not certain yet. I think I'd better just go down
and back. I promise faithfully not to explore."
"Right you are."
Antony sat down on the ledge of bricks, swung his feet over, and
sat there for a moment, his legs dangling. He flashed his torch
into the darkness again, so as to make sure where the steps
began; then returned it to his pocket, seized the staple in front
of him and swung himself down. His feet touched the steps
beneath him, and he let go.
"Is it all right?" said Bill anxiously.
"All right. I'll just go down to the bottom of the steps and
back. Stay there."
The light shone down by his feet. His head began to disappear.
For a little while Bill, craning down the opening, could still
see faint splashes of light, and could hear slow uncertain
footsteps; for a little longer he could fancy that he saw and
heard them; then he was alone ....
Well, not quite alone. There was a sudden voice in the hall
outside.
"Good Lord!" said Bill, turning round with a start, "Cayley!"
If he was not so quick in thought as Antony, he was quick enough
in action. Thought was not demanded now. To close the secret
door safely but noiselessly, to make sure that the books were in
the right places, to move away to another row of shelves so as to
be discovered deep in "Badminton" or "Baedeker" or whomever the
kind gods should send to his aid the difficulty was not to decide
what to do, but to do all this in five seconds rather than in
six.
"Ah, there you are," said Cayley from the doorway.
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