p
last Easter Monday. I always thought they kept it locked; let's go a bit
of the way up, and see what it's like.'

'Oh, no, Jack,' said Sally; 'it looks so dark in there.'

'Don't be a silly baby, Sally,' he said. 'Poppy isn't afraid; are you,
Poppy?'

'No,' said Poppy, in a trembling voice; 'no, I'm not frightened, Jack.'

'Come in then, quick,' said the boy; 'I'll go first, and you can follow
me.'

'But isn't it tea-time?' said Poppy.

Jack did not stop to answer her; he led the way up the steep, winding
stone steps, and the two little girls followed.

'Jack, Jack, stop a minute!' said Poppy, when they had wound round and
round three or four times; 'I don't think we ought to go.'

'I believe you're frightened now, Poppy,' he said; 'I thought you'd more
pluck than that! We won't go far. I just want to get to that place on
the roof where we see the people stand when they're going up; it's only
about half way to the top; come on, we shall soon be there!'

It took a longer time than Jack expected, however, for the steps were
very steep, winding round and round like a corkscrew, and the children
were tired, and could not climb quickly. They stood for a few moments on
the roof outside and looked down into the city, but they could not see
much, for it was getting very dark, and even Jack was willing to own
that it was time to go home.

It did not take them quite so long to go down the steps as it had taken
them to go up, but they were slippery and much worn in places, and the
little girls felt very much afraid of falling, and were very glad when
Jack, who was going first, said they were near the bottom.

But Poppy and Sally a moment afterwards were very much startled, for
Jack gave a sudden cry of horror as he reached the bottom step.

The little door through which they had come was closed. Jack shook it,
and hammered it with his fists, but he could not open it; it was locked,
and they were prisoners in the tower. The verger who had the charge of
the door had remembered that he had left it unfastened, and had turned
the key in the lock soon after the children had entered the tower. No
one had been near when they had crept inside, and so the verger had no
idea that any one had gone up the steps.

'Oh! Jack, Jack, Jack, what shall we do?' said Poppy.

CHAPTER IV.

A LONG NIGHT.

Yes, they were locked in, there was no doubt about it!

'But don't cry, Poppy,' said Jack, as she burst into tears, 'we'