The girls were most relieved to hear the boys and Timmy coming back. 'What happened? Why are you so late?' said George. 'Timmy found you all right, of course?'

'Couldn't have come at a better moment,' said Julian, grinning in the light of George's torch. 'I suppose you sent him after us?'

'We did,' said George. 'He wanted to go, anyway. He kept whining and whining as if you needed help - so we sent him off.'

'And we did need help!' said d.i.c.k, flinging himself down in the heather. 'Listen to our tale!' He and Julian told it, and the girls listened, astonished.'What has been going on down there?' said George, puzzled. 'What has Will Janes been up to with those fellows? How can we find out?'

'He won't talk,' said Julian. 'n.o.body can make him, either. But I think maybe if we went down tomorrow morning and found that he'd gone out, we might persuade old Mrs Janes to tell us a few secrets.'

'Yes - that's a good idea,' said George. 'She must know what her son has been up to - especially if he has been hiding people there. She would have to feed them, of course. Yes - old Mrs Janes could tell you - if she would!'

'But now,' said Julian, snuggling down in the heather on his rug, now, you two gabblers, I want to go to sleep. Good night!'

'Well! Who's been doing the gabbling!' said George. 'We have hardly been able to get a word in! Come on, Anne - we can go to sleep all right now. I wonder if Toby's home safely, and fast asleep in bed!'

Yes, Toby was home, but he wasn't asleep! He was still brooding over his Cousin Jeff. If only he could do something - but he couldn't. Cousin Jeff had disappeared, and he, and he only, could clear himself of the hateful charge of traitor ... but people said he was drowned.

Next morning the Five awoke late, even Timmy. There wasn't a great deal left in the larder, and Julian hoped that Toby would bring up some more food. If not, they must certainly go down to Billyc.o.c.k Farm and get some. They breakfasted on bread and b.u.t.ter and cheese, with water to wash it down and a humbug from the tin to follow!

'We'll go straight down to the b.u.t.terfly Farm, I think,' said Julian, taking the leaders.h.i.+p as he always did when there was any quick decision to be made. 'd.i.c.k, you'd better take on the asking of questions - the old lady was so touched when you gave her that five s.h.i.+llings! She's probably got a soft spot for you now.'

'Right,' said d.i.c.k. 'Well, are we ready?'

They set off to the b.u.t.terfly Farm, Timmy at their heels. When they came near, they slowed their steps, not wanting to run into Will Janes. But there did not seem to be anybody about at all, not even the b.u.t.terfly Men themselves. 'They've probably gone off b.u.t.terfly-hunting, I should think,' said d.i.c.k. 'Look - there's poor old Mrs Janes trying to peg up her was.h.i.+ng - dropping half of it on the ground. Go and help her, Anne.'

Anne ran over to the little woman. 'I'll peg up the things for you,' she said. 'Here, let me have them.' Mrs Janes turned to her and Anne was shocked to see that her right eye was black and bruised.

'However did you get that black eye?' she began. 'Here, give me the whole basket.

Gracious, what a lot of was.h.i.+ng!'

Mrs Janes seemed a little dazed. She let Anne peg up the things without a word - she just stood and watched her. 'Where are Mr Gringle and Mr Brent?' asked Anne as she pegged.

Mrs Janes mumbled something. Anne made out with some difhculty that they had gone b.u.t.terflyhunting. 'And where is your son, Will?' she asked, having been prompted to ask this by signs from Julian.

To her dismay Mrs Janes began to sob. The old woman lifted her dirty ap.r.o.n and covered her head with it, and then, half-blinded by it, she stumbled towards the kitchen door, her arms stretched out in front of her.

'Gracious - whatever's the matter with her this morning?' said Anne to the others.

d.i.c.k ran to the kitchen door and guided the old lady in, sitting her down in her rocking-chair. Her ap.r.o.n slid down from her head and she looked at him.

'You're the one that give me five s.h.i.+llin',' she mumbled, and patted his hand.

'Kind, you are. n.o.body's kind to me now. My son, he's cruel. He hits me.'

'Did he give you that black eye?' asked d.i.c.k, gently. 'When? Today?'

'Yes. He wanted money - he allus wants money,' wept Mrs Janes. 'And I weren't going to give him that five s.h.i.+llin'. And he hit me. And then the police came and took him away.'

'What! The police took him - this morning do you mean?' asked d.i.c.k, astonished.

The others came a little closer, astonished, too. Why - it was only last night that Will Janes had captured two of them!

'They do say he thieved,' sobbed Mrs Janes. 'Robbed old Farmer Darvil of his ducks. But it's those bad men that changed my son. He were a good son once.'

'What men?' asked d.i.c.k, patting the skinny old hand. 'You tell us everything. We understand. We'll help you.' 'You're the one that give me five s.h.i.+llin', aren't you?' she said once more. 'You'll help a pore old woman, won't you? It was those men, I tell you, that changed my son.'

'Where are they now? Did he hide them here?' asked d.i.c.k. Mrs Janes clung to his hand and pulled him closer.

'There was four men,' she mumbled, in such a low voice that d.i.c.k could hardly hear. 'And my son, he was promised money if he hid them here, on Billyc.o.c.k Hill.

They all had a secret, see? And they only talked about it when they was hid up in my bedroom there - but I listened and I heard.'

'What was the secret?' asked d.i.c.k, his heart beating fast. Now perhaps he would hear what all this mystery was about.

'They was watching something,' whispered Mrs Janes. 'Watching something out on the hills. Sometimes day-time, sometimes night-time, always watching. And they hid up there in my little old room, and cook for them I did, and got nothing for it. Bad men they were.'

She sobbed again, and the four children felt sad and embarra.s.sed. 'Don't worry her any more,' said Anne.

Then there came the sound of feet outside and Mr Gringle walked by the window.

He looked in and was astounded to see such a crowd in the little kitchen.

'What! You again!' he cried, as he saw Julian and d.i.c.k. 'You just look out! I told the police about you when they fetched Will Janes this morning. They'll be after you next, and you'll be punished for prowling round here at night and smas.h.i.+ng my gla.s.s-house! How dare you come here again?'

Chapter Eighteen

n.o.bODY KNOWS WHERE TO LOOK

'Let's go,' said George. 'We can't find out any more from the poor old woman.

I'm glad that son of hers has been arrested for thieving. At least he won't be here to knock her about any more!'

Mr Gringle began to talk angrily again, but the Five had had enough. Timmy growled and made him retreat. 'We're going, Mr Gringle,' said Julian coldly. 'We shall be very glad to see the police, if you have really sent them after us. Quite a lot has been going on here that you don't know anything about. You've noticed nothing but your b.u.t.terflies and moths.'

'Anything wrong in that, you uncivil boy?' shouted Mr Gringle.

'Well, it would have been a good thing if you had noticed how that fellow Janes knocked his poor mother about,' said Julian. 'I suppose you haven't even seen the bruised black eye she has this morning? No? I thought not. Well, maybe the police will be asking you a few questions soon - about the four strangers that have been hiding in that little bedroom up there!'

'What? What's that you say? What do you mean?' stammered Mr Gringle, astonished. 'Men? Where from? Who?'

'I've no idea,' said Julian. 'I wish I had.' And then the Five walked off together, leaving a very puzzled and worried Mr Gringle behind them.

'It serves him right,' said Julian. 'To think that he could make that miserable little woman slave for him, and never even notice how frightened and unhappy she was - or even see that she had a black eye from that scoundrel of a son. Let him get back to his b.u.t.terflies!'

'What did Mrs Janes mean - mumbling about men hidden in that room - four of them she said,' wondered Anne. 'And why did they go and watch on the hill-side?

What for? That must have been one of them you saw that night of the storm, Julian - the one you spotted with the b.u.t.terfly net, who said he was Mr Brent. I suppose he pretended to be him, so that n.o.body would ask him why he was prowling out there!'

'Yes, you're right,' said Julian. 'Of course, they may have been watching the airfield, you know - yes, of course that's what they were doing! Why didn't I think of that before? They were watching it night and day - two by day, I suppose, and two by night - and paid Janes to keep them hidden in that room. What were they up to?'

'Julian - could it - could it possibly be anything to do with the stolen aeroplanes?'

asked George, with sudden excitement in her voice.

'It might. It certainly might,' said Julian. 'But I don't know how it ties up with Jeff Thomas and Ray Wells flying them away. That doesn't seem to fit, somehow. You know - I do really believe we are on to something here! Let's go down to Billyc.o.c.k Farm and see if Mr Thomas, Toby's father, is about. I think we ought to tell him all we know.' 'Yes, that's a fine idea,' said Anne, pleased. 'We do want a bit of help over this now.'

'Well, come on then,' said Julian, and off they went at top speed down the hill, taking the path to Billyc.o.c.k Farm. They soon came to the farm-yard and called Toby.

'Toby! Where are you? We've got a bit of news.'

Toby appeared at the barn-door, looking rather pale, for he had had a bad night.

'Oh, hallo - what news? The only news I want to hear is about Jeff. I can't get it out of my mind.'

'Where's your father?' asked Julian. 'We think he ought to hear what we've got to say. He'll know what to do. I'm afraid we don't - it's a puzzle we can't seem to fit together!'

'I'll call Dad,' said Toby at once, and sent a shout over the field where red-and- white cows were grazing. 'Da-ad! Da-ad! You're WANTED!'

His father came hurrying over the field. 'What is it? I'm busy.'

'Dad - Julian and d.i.c.k have got something to tell you,' said Toby. 'It won't take very long - but they're a bit worried.'

'Oh - well, what is it, lads''' said Mr Thomas, turning his kindly brown face to the boys. 'Got into any trouble?'

'Oh no, sir - not exactly,' said Julian. 'I'll tell you as shortly as I can.' And he began to tell him the tale of the b.u.t.terfly Farm - and of the man he had seen at night on the hill - of the old woman at the b.u.t.terfly Farm, and of Will Janes, who treated her so badly. The farmer nodded at that.

'Ay!' he said. 'Will's changed this last year. Got into bad company, of course.'

'We've met some of the "bad company",' said Julian, and told of their adventure the night before - and then ended by telling Mr Thomas what the old woman had said to them that morning.

'Now what has Will Janes been up to?' said the farmer. 'Bad enough to get into ill company - but worse to ill-treat his poor old mother! He'll have to say who these men are that he's been harbouring up there at b.u.t.terfly Farm - and why they go out at night - watching the airfield, as you say, I don't doubt. Why, maybe they've even had a hand in the stealing of those planes!' Toby became very excited at this and his face grew crimson. 'Dad! Maybe it was those men who took the planes! There were four, weren't there? They would be strong enough to capture Jeff and Ray and take them off somewhere - and then two of them could fly off the planes, and the other two watch poor Jeff and Ray, wherever they are!'

'You know - you may be right, young Toby,' said his father. 'This is a matter for the police - and at once, too. They must get on to Will, and get everything out of him - make him confess. If Jeff and Ray are held prisoner anywhere, they must be freed.'

Toby was dancing round in excitement. 'I knew it wasn't Jeff! I knew he couldn't do a thing like that! I'm sure it was two of those men. Dad, get on to the police at once.'

Mr Thomas hurried indoors to the telephone, and was soon telling the police all he knew. They listened in astonishment, and at once saw the tremendous importance of the information the children had given.

'We'll question Will Janes at once,' they said. 'He's held on a matter of thieving, so we've got him under our hands. We'll call you back, sir - in about half an hour.'

That half-hour was the very longest the children had ever known. Julian looked at his watch a score of times, and n.o.body could sit still, least of all Toby. Anne was fidgety, too, and thought she would play with Benny. But neither Benny nor the pigling were there, so she had to wait in patience.

When the telephone bell at last shrilled out everyone jumped violently. Mr Thomas ran to it. 'Yes - yes - that's the police speaking, is it? Yes, I'm listening. What's the news? Oh... yes... yes...'

The farmer held the telephone close to his ear, nodding as he listened intently. The children watched him just as intently, trying to glean something from his few words, and from his face.

'I see. Well - that's very disappointing,' they heard Mr Thomas say, and their hearts sank. 'Thank you. Yes, very worrying indeed. Good-bye!'

He put down the receiver and faced the children. Toby called out to him. 'Was it Jeff who stole the plane, Dad? Was it?'

'No,' said his father, and Toby gave a wild yell of joy, and leapt into the air.

'Then nothing else matters!' he cried. 'Oh, I knew it wasn't Jeff!' 'Wait a minute, wait a minute,' said Mr Thomas. 'There's something very worrying.'

'What?' said Toby, startled.

'Will Janes has confessed that those four men were sent to steal those two planes,'

he said. 'Two of them were first-cla.s.s pilots - foreign, of course. The other two were thugs - bullies - sent to capture Jeff and Ray that night in the storm. They knocked them out and dragged them away from the airfield, and hid them somewhere. Then the pilots got out the two planes, and flew them away. When the alarm was raised, it was too late.'

'So - when the planes crashed into the sea, it was the foreign pilots who were drowned, not Jeff and Ray?' said Julian.

'Yes. But here's the worrying part. The other two men, the ones who captured Jeff and Ray, have hidden them away, but didn't tell Janes where!' said Mr Thomas.

'They refused to pay him any money for his help, because the planes had crashed and their plans had failed - and they also refused to tell him where Jeff and Ray were hidden...'

'And now I suppose the two thugs have left the district - made their escape - and left Jeff and Ray to starve in some place where they may never be found!' said Toby, sitting down heavily and looking suddenly subdued.

'Exactly,' said Mr Thomas. 'And unless we find out where they are pretty quickly, things will go hard with them - they're probably bound hand and foot - and are dependent on the two bullies for food and water. Once the men are gone, there is no one to bring them anything!'

'Oh, I say!' said Toby, horrified. 'Dad, we must find them, we must!'

'That's what the police think,' said his father. 'And what I think, too. But n.o.body knows where to look!'

'n.o.body knows where to look!' The words repeated themselves in everyone's mind. n.o.body knows where to look!

Chapter Nineteen