g-place, and recovered his missing property; but they
soon made up their minds that this could not be the case, when the old
man continued to meet them every day without any signs of anger. For
when Barton suspected that they had been in mischief, he did not
hesitate to scold them severely himself, and also complain to their
father. They often got into trouble this way when he found them
hunting the pigs too vigorously, or playing tricks with the milk-pails.
He would certainly have made a great fuss about their borrowing his
ropes without leave, and knotting them all over. So, as he said
nothing, it was pretty certain that he knew nothing.

But though Lewis Brand was now completely cut off from the Eagle's
Nest, being on a lower level by about a dozen feet than the children
who were sitting in it, he contrived to tell them a wonderful number of
stories about himself and the bad treatment which he suffered, speaking
all the while in a loud whisper that was very impressive. In this way
they heard, among other curious facts, that the gray-bearded man was
the jailer of whose cruelties Lewis had already told them. The
children were surprised at this, for the gray-bearded man had not
looked either very powerful or very savage. But they accepted from
Lewis the explanation that he was a hypocrite.

CHAPTER XII.

A NEW LADDER.

John and Betty started rather unwillingly on their task. It seemed
sadly dull to walk across several fields under a burning sun merely to
deliver a message for Madge, while she was enjoying an afternoon among
the Churchbury shops. Of course they were at perfect liberty to stay
playing in the Eagle's Nest as long as they liked. But somehow they
did not care to linger there by themselves. Without Madge's
substantial protection the shade of the spreading beech-trees seemed
more gloomy, and the distance from the house greater, even than usual.
Besides, when Madge was not present to remind them of the laws of
trespass, they could not help feeling as if Mrs. Howard might pounce
upon them at any moment and drag them over the wall to her darkest
cellars. So they only intended just to give their message to Lewis if
he appeared, and then to hurry back to those little gardens of which
they were so fond, where there was always something to be done, and no
fear of being kidnapped.

However, everything turned out as differently as possible to what they
had expected. No sooner had they climbed on