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my dear. You"ve lost your way, I suppose?"
    Dick nodded.
    „Well, you can"t stay here," said the old woman. „My son won"t have no one here at al .
    You"d best be gone before he comes. He have a nasty temper, he have."
    Dick shook his head. Then he pointed out to the dark rainy night, then pointed to Anne"s wet shoes and clothes. The old woman knew what he meant.
    „You"ve lost your way, you"re wet and tired, and you don"t want me to turn you out," she said. „But there"s my son, you see. He don"t like strangers here."
    Dick pointed to Anne, and then to a sofa in a corner of the room. Then he pointed to himself, and then outside, Again the old woman understood at once.
    „You want me to give your sister shelter, but you"l go out into the night?" she said. Dick nodded. He thought he could easily find some shed or barn for himself. But Anne real y must be indoors.
    „My son mustn"t see either of you," said the old woman, and she pul ed Anne to what the girl thought was a cupboard. But when the door opened, she saw a very smal , steep wooden staircase leading upwards into the roof.
    „You go up there," said the old woman to Anne. „And don"t you come down til I cal you in the morning. I"l get into trouble if my son knows you"re here."

    „Go up, Anne," said Dick, rather troubled. „I don"t know what you"l find there. If it"s too bad, come down. See if there"s a window or something you can cal out from, and then I"l know if you"re all right."
    „Yes," said Anne, in rather a trembling voice, and she went up the steep, dirty wooden stairs. They led straight into a little loft. There was a mattress there, fairly clean, and a chair.
    A rug was folded up on the chair and a jug of water stood on a shelf, Otherwise the room was bare.
    A tiny window opened out of one side. Anne went to it and cal ed out. „Dick! Are you there? Dick!"
    „Yes, I"m here," said Dick. „What"s it like, Anne? Is it all right? Listen, I"l find somewhere nearby to shelter in - and you can always call me if you want me!"

Chapter Six
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

    „It"s not bad," said Anne. „There"s a fairly clean mattress and a rug. I"l be all right. But what about if the others come, Dick? Wil you look out for them? I almost think George wil have to sleep in a barn with you and Julian if she comes. That old woman won"t let anyone else in, I"m sure!"
    „I"l look out for them and arrange something," said Dick. „You eat the rest of your sandwiches and your cake, and see if you can dry your wet feet and make yourself real y comfortable. There"s a shed or something out here. I shal be quite al right. Yell for me if you want me."
    Anne went back into the room. She felt wet and tired, hungry and thirsty. She ate all her food, and had a drink from the jug. Then she felt sleepy and lay down on the mattress, throwing the rug over her. She meant to listen for the others to come, but she was too tired. She fel fast asleep!
    Dick was prowling about down below. He was careful because he didn"t want to run into the old woman"s son. He didn"t like the sound of him somehow! He came to a smal barn with piles of straw in one corner. He flashed his torch cautiously round.
    „This wil do for me," he thought. „I can be quite comfortable here in that straw. Poor Anne!
    I wish old George was with her. I"d better wait about and watch for the other two, or I"l fall asleep and miss them, once I bed down in that straw! It"s only about six o"clock too -
    but we"ve had a long day. I wonder how Timmy is. I wish he was here!"
    Dick thought that probably George and Julian would come in through the same gate as he and Anne had used. He found a broken-down shed near the gate and sat down on a box there, waiting for them to come.
    He ate his sandwiches while he waited. They were very comforting! He ate every one and then the cake. He yawned. He felt very sleepy indeed, and his feet were wet and tired.
    No one arrived at all - not even the old woman"s son. She could stil be