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all that, being a Beech."
    "No, I wouldn't," said Copper. "I've just been living with Aunt Ruby."
    "Ah, yes," said Robin.
    "Never mind," said Oriole, coming over to the table with a bowl of porridge for herself. She put the dish on the table, then carefully turned round three times before sitting on the chair. She saw Copper watching her and smiled.
    "It's what Silver does," she said, "and I expect she has a good reason for it, so I do too."
    Copper giggled.
    "Did your alarm clock go off this morning?" asked Questrid.
    "The thrush? Yes," said Copper. "It was lovely."
    "Spindle House is still a tree, you see, and we like to share it with the birds. They do all sorts of things in exchange."
    Copper looked puzzled.
    "Like messages," said Questrid, laughing. "Your aunt Ruby sent us a bird to say you were coming."
    "Aunt Ruby? But what about the telephone?"
    "Oh, we don't have one of those. The phone lines don't come up into the mountains. Besides, bird-o-gram is a wonderful system."
    Copper thought about the feather in her aunt's bedroom. Of course, that explained it. It seemed there was a whole secret world about which Copper knew nothing.
    "Aunt Ruby was scared," she told them. "Two men were after me—I saw them at the station."
    Oriole looked serious. "Yes. She thought you'd be safer here, and . . . but . . . we can't explain. It's not our story to tell. Wait for your uncle to explain."
    She stopped abruptly and stood quite still, listening. Somewhere outside a bell was ringing loudly: Ding, ding, ding, ding! it repeated again and again, clear and alarming in the quiet morning. Copper looked at the others.
    "What is it?"
    But Oriole and Robin and Questrid were already on their feet and running for the door.
    "Fire!" they cried. "Fire!"
     
     
     
    8. The Rockers
     
    Copper picked up Ralick, dragged on a big red coat, stuffed her feet into a pair of wool-lined boots she found by the door and followed the others outside.
    The air was cold and crisp and took her breath away.
    "Can I help?" she asked, hurrying along after them.
    "No! Stay there!" Questrid spoke so sharply that Copper sank down on the nearest seat, dejected.
    "That's telling you," said Ralick.
    They were at the back of the house in a cobbled courtyard. Across the yard were the two sled horses puffing warm clouds of steam over the stable door and stamping their feet. The bell was ringing out the alarm in a small tower on the roof above them.
    Copper walked round the yard and was surprised to see a large black-back gull standing on the roof, tugging at the bell rope with its beak.
    How clever. I wonder where the fire is.
    Soon the others came in under the archway and Robin whistled a signal and the seagull stopped, called out to them, then flew away.
    "Is everything all right?" Copper asked.
    "Yes, don't worry," said Oriole, going back into the house. "Come back into the warm. We've put out the fire. It was only tiny."
    "You'll have to tell her," said Questrid as they trooped back into the kitchen.
    "Tell me what?"
    "About the Rockers," said Questrid.
    "Our neighbors up in the hills who are not very friendly," said Oriole, darting a warning look at Questrid. "The Rockers, we call them. They shot these." She held out three arrows with blackened tips. "These were on fire when they shot them at the house and as you can imagine, with a wooden house we have to be careful."
    "But the birds are on guard all day," said Robin, gently lifting a sparrow off his chair. "And they plucked them out of the roof and dropped them into the snow."
    "But why do these Rocker people do that? They must hate you."
    "The Rockers live in the Rock, up in the mountains. And, yes, they do seem to hate the inhabitants of Spindle House and have for years."
    "Why?"
    "Now, now," Oriole interrupted, "that's all over and done with, isn't it? That's just the past, that is. Questrid, are you going to take Copper to look round?"
    "Sure," said Questrid. "Come on, Copper. I'll give you a guided tour." He