- Review
- Example work flow
- Explore your data tables
- Arrange and filter data
- Join two tables together - by one or more variables
- Add a new column calculated from other columns
- Save data
- Make heatmaps to find the Electro-storm
c()
data frame
or tibble
.
read_csv()
ggplot()
function from the ggplot2 packageHere’s an example air monitoring project from start to finish.
Imagine we just received 3 years worth of ozone monitoring data to summarize. Fun! Below is an example workflow we might follow using R.
Let’s be creative and name our project: "2019_Ozone"
library(readr)
# Read a file from the web
air_data <- read_csv("https://itep-r.netlify.com/data/OZONE_samples_demo.csv")
| SITE | Date | OZONE | TEMP_F |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27-137-7001 | 2017-04-15 | 10 | 30.2 |
| 27-137-7001 | 2016-10-24 | 13 | 59.0 |
| 27-137-7554 | 2017-06-22 | 7 | 56.6 |
| 27-137-7554 | 2018-09-01 | 9 | 68.0 |
| 27-137-7554 | 2017-08-12 | 23 | 75.2 |
library(janitor)
# Capital letters and spaces make things more difficult
# Let's clean them out
air_data <- clean_names(air_data)
library(ggplot2)
ggplot(air_data, aes(x = temp_f, y = ozone)) +
geom_point(alpha = 0.2) +
geom_smooth(method = "lm")
library(dplyr)
# Drop values out of range
air_data <- air_data %>% filter(ozone > 0, temp_f < 199)
# Convert all samples to PPB
air_data <- air_data %>%
mutate(OZONE = ifelse(units == "PPM", ozone * 1000,
ozone))
ggplot(air_data, aes(x = temp_f, y = ozone)) +
geom_point(alpha = 0.2, size = 3) +
geom_smooth(method = "lm") +
facet_wrap(~site) +
labs(title = "Ozone increases with temperature",
subtitle = "Observations from 2015-2017")
air_data <- air_data %>%
group_by(site, year) %>%
summarize(avg_ozone = mean(ozone) %>% round(2),
avg_temp = mean(temp_f) %>% round(2))
| site | year | avg_ozone | avg_temp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27-137-7001 | 2016 | 11.01 | 60.74 |
| 27-137-7001 | 2017 | 11.26 | 60.66 |
| 27-137-7001 | 2018 | 11.54 | 60.59 |
| 27-137-7554 | 2016 | 12.23 | 61.23 |
| 27-137-7554 | 2017 | 11.81 | 60.98 |
| 27-137-7554 | 2018 | 12.87 | 61.02 |
Save the final data table
air_data %>% write_csv("results/2015-17_ozone_summary.csv")
Save the site plot to PDF
ggsave("results/2015-2017 - Ozone vs Temp.pdf")
Having an exact record of what you did can be great documentation for yourself and others. It’s also handy when you want to repeat the same analysis on new data. Then you only need to copy the script, update the read data line, and push run to get a whole new set of fancy charts.
Any questions? Any questions at all. No matter how large or terribly small… Last chance, we are about to move on…
It’s time to jump back in to where we left off on Day 1.
# Read in scrap data and set name to "scrap"
scrap <- read_csv("https://itep-r.netlify.com/data/starwars_scrap_jakku.csv")
Last time we made a column plot showing the amount of scrap coming from each town.
library(ggplot2)
ggplot(scrap, aes(y = amount, x = origin)) +
geom_col() +
theme_gray()
The dplyr package is our go-to tool for exploring, re-arranging, and summarizing data. Use install.packages("dplyr")
to add dplyr to your library.
| Function | Information |
|---|---|
names(scrap) |
column names |
nrow(...) |
number of rows |
ncol(...) |
number of columns |
summary(...) |
summary of all column values (ex. max, mean, median) |
glimpse(...) |
column names + a glimpse of first values (requires dplyr package) |
glimpse()
the columnsUse the glimpse()
function to find out what type and how much data you have.
Use the summary()
function to get a quick report on your numeric data.
library(dplyr)
library(readr)
scrap <- read_csv("https://itep-r.netlify.com/data/starwars_scrap_jakku.csv")
# View your whole dataframe and the types of data it contains
glimpse(scrap)
## Observations: 1,132
## Variables: 7
## $ receipt_date <chr> "4/1/2013", "4/2/2013", "4/3/2013", "4/4/2013"...
## $ item <chr> "Flight recorder", "Proximity sensor", "Vitus-...
## $ origin <chr> "Outskirts", "Outskirts", "Reestki", "Tuanul",...
## $ destination <chr> "Niima Outpost", "Raiders", "Raiders", "Raider...
## $ amount <dbl> 887, 7081, 4901, 707, 107, 32109, 862, 13944, ...
## $ units <chr> "Tons", "Tons", "Tons", "Tons", "Tons", "Tons"...
## $ price_per_pound <dbl> 590.93, 1229.03, 225.54, 145.27, 188.28, 1229....
# Use the summary function to get a quick of idea of means and maxima for your numeric data
summary(scrap)
## receipt_date item origin
## Length:1132 Length:1132 Length:1132
## Class :character Class :character Class :character
## Mode :character Mode :character Mode :character
##
##
##
##
## destination amount units
## Length:1132 Min. : 65 Length:1132
## Class :character 1st Qu.: 1544 Class :character
## Mode :character Median : 4099 Mode :character
## Mean : 18751
## 3rd Qu.: 7475
## Max. :2971601
## NA's :910
## price_per_pound
## Min. : 145.3
## 1st Qu.: 259.6
## Median : 790.7
## Mean : 3811.7
## 3rd Qu.: 1496.7
## Max. :579215.3
## NA's :910
# Try the rest on your own, I dare you!
nrow()
ncol()
names()
Dplyr is our go-to package for most analysis tasks. With the six functions below you can accomplish just about anything you’d want to do with data.
Your new analysis toolbox
Function Job select()
Select individual columns to drop or keep arrange()
Sort a table top-to-bottom based on the values of a column filter()
Keep only a subset of rows depending on the values of a column mutate()
Add new columns or update existing columns summarize()
Calculate a single summary for an entire table group_by()
Sort data into groups based on the values of a column
A poggle of porgs has volunteered to help us demo the dplyr
functions.
select()
Use the select()
function to:
-column_name
library(dplyr)
library(readr)
scrap <- read_csv("https://itep-r.netlify.com/data/starwars_scrap_jakku.csv")
# Drop the destination column
select(scrap, -destination)
## # A tibble: 1,132 x 6
## receipt_date item origin amount units price_per_pound
## <chr> <chr> <chr> <dbl> <chr> <dbl>
## 1 4/1/2013 Flight recorder Outskir~ 887 Tons 591.
## 2 4/2/2013 Proximity sensor Outskir~ 7081 Tons 1229.
## 3 4/3/2013 Vitus-Series Attitud~ Reestki 4901 Tons 226.
## 4 4/4/2013 Aural sensor Tuanul 707 Tons 145.
## 5 4/5/2013 Electromagnetic disc~ Tuanul 107 Tons 188.
## 6 4/6/2013 Proximity sensor Tuanul 32109 Tons 1229.
## 7 4/7/2013 Hyperdrive motivator Tuanul 862 Tons 1485.
## 8 4/8/2013 Landing jet Reestki 13944 Tons 1497.
## 9 4/9/2013 Electromagnetic disc~ Cratert~ 7788 Tons 188.
## 10 4/10/2013 Sublight engine Outskir~ 10642 Tons 7211.
## # ... with 1,122 more rows
# Keep the item, amount and price_per_pound columns
select(scrap, c(item, amount, price_per_pound))
## # A tibble: 1,132 x 3
## item amount price_per_pound
## <chr> <dbl> <dbl>
## 1 Flight recorder 887 591.
## 2 Proximity sensor 7081 1229.
## 3 Vitus-Series Attitude Thrusters 4901 226.
## 4 Aural sensor 707 145.
## 5 Electromagnetic discharge filter 107 188.
## 6 Proximity sensor 32109 1229.
## 7 Hyperdrive motivator 862 1485.
## 8 Landing jet 13944 1497.
## 9 Electromagnetic discharge filter 7788 188.
## 10 Sublight engine 10642 7211.
## # ... with 1,122 more rows
everything()
select()
also works to change the order of columns. The code below puts the item
column first and then moves the units
and amount
columns directly after item
. We then keep everything()
else the same.
# Make the `item`, `units`, and `amount` columns the first three columns
# Leave `everything()` else in the same order
select(scrap, item, units, amount, everything()) %>% head()
## # A tibble: 6 x 7
## item units amount receipt_date origin destination price_per_pound
## <chr> <chr> <dbl> <chr> <chr> <chr> <dbl>
## 1 Flight rec~ Tons 887 4/1/2013 Outski~ Niima Outp~ 591.
## 2 Proximity ~ Tons 7081 4/2/2013 Outski~ Raiders 1229.
## 3 Vitus-Seri~ Tons 4901 4/3/2013 Reestki Raiders 226.
## 4 Aural sens~ Tons 707 4/4/2013 Tuanul Raiders 145.
## 5 Electromag~ Tons 107 4/5/2013 Tuanul Niima Outp~ 188.
## 6 Proximity ~ Tons 32109 4/6/2013 Tuanul Trade cara~ 1229.
arrange()
Rey wants to know what the highest priced items are. Use arrange()
to find the highest priced scrap item and see which origins might have a lot of them.
# Arrange scrap items by price
scrap <- arrange(scrap, price_per_pound)
# View the top 6 rows
head(scrap)
## # A tibble: 6 x 7
## receipt_date item origin destination amount units price_per_pound
## <chr> <chr> <chr> <chr> <dbl> <chr> <dbl>
## 1 4/4/2013 Aural se~ Tuanul Raiders 707 Tons 145.
## 2 5/22/2013 Aural se~ Outskirts Niima Outp~ 3005 Tons 145.
## 3 5/23/2013 Aural se~ Tuanul Raiders 6204 Tons 145.
## 4 6/4/2013 Aural se~ Tuanul Raiders 3120 Tons 145.
## 5 6/10/2013 Aural se~ Blowback~ Niima Outp~ 2312 Tons 145.
## 6 6/20/2013 Aural se~ Outskirts Trade cara~ 6272 Tons 145.
145 credits
! That’s not very much at all, oh wait…desc()
To arrange a column in descending order with the biggest numbers on top, we use: desc(price_per_pound)
# Put most expensive items on top
scrap <- arrange(scrap, desc(price_per_pound))
# View the top 8 rows
head(scrap, 8)
## # A tibble: 8 x 7
## receipt_date item origin destination amount units price_per_pound
## <chr> <chr> <chr> <chr> <dbl> <chr> <dbl>
## 1 12/31/2016 Total All All 2.97e6 Tons 579215.
## 2 4/10/2013 Sublight~ Outskirts Niima Outp~ 1.06e4 Tons 7211.
## 3 4/14/2013 Sublight~ Outskirts Raiders 2.38e3 Tons 7211.
## 4 4/15/2013 Sublight~ Craterto~ Raiders 6.31e3 Tons 7211.
## 5 4/16/2013 Sublight~ Tuanul Trade cara~ 3.98e3 Tons 7211.
## 6 5/14/2013 Sublight~ Craterto~ Raiders 2.99e2 Tons 7211.
## 7 6/14/2013 Sublight~ Blowback~ Raiders 8.58e3 Tons 7211.
## 8 8/6/2013 Sublight~ Craterto~ Raiders 1.77e3 Tons 7211.
Try arranging by more than one column, such as price_per_pound
and amount
. What happens?
HINT: You can view the entire table by clicking on it in the upper-right Environment tab.
When you save an arranged data table it maintains its order. This is perfect for sending people a quick Top 10 list of pollutants or sites.
filter()
The filter()
function creates a subset of the data based on the value of one or more columns. Let’s take a look at the records with the origin "All"
.
filter(scrap, origin == "All")
## # A tibble: 1 x 7
## receipt_date item origin destination amount units price_per_pound
## <chr> <chr> <chr> <chr> <dbl> <chr> <dbl>
## 1 12/31/2016 Total All All 2971601 Tons 579215.
Use a ==
(double equals sign) for comparing values. A ==
makes the comparison “is it equal to?” and returns a True or False answer. So the code above returns all the rows where the condition origin == "All"
is TRUE.
A single equals sign =
is used within functions to set options, for example read_csv(file = "starwars_scrap_jakku.csv")
. Don’t worry too much. If you use the wrong symbol R is often helpful and will let you know which one is needed.
Processing data requires many types of filtering. You’ll want to know how to select observations in your table by making various comparisons.
Key comparison operators
| Symbol | Comparison |
|---|---|
> |
greater than |
>= |
greater than or equal to |
< |
less than |
<= |
less than or equal to |
== |
equal to |
!= |
NOT equal to |
%in% |
is value in a list: X %in% c(1,3,5) |
is.na(...) |
Is the value missing? |
Try comparing some things in the console and see if you get what you’d expect. R doesn’t always think like we do.
4 != 5
4 == 4
4 < 3
4 > c(1, 3, 5)
5 == c(1, 3, 5)
5 %in% c(1, 3, 5)
2 %in% c(1, 3, 5)
2 == NA
Let’s look at the data without that pesky All category. Look in the comparison table above to find the NOT
operator. We’re going to filter the data to keep only the origins that are NOT equal to
“All”.
scrap <- filter(scrap, origin != "All")
We can arrange the data in ascending order by item
to confirm that the “All” category is gone.
# Arrange data
scrap <- arrange(scrap, item)
head(scrap)
## # A tibble: 6 x 7
## receipt_date item origin destination amount units price_per_pound
## <chr> <chr> <chr> <chr> <dbl> <chr> <dbl>
## 1 4/4/2013 Aural se~ Tuanul Raiders 707 Tons 145.
## 2 5/22/2013 Aural se~ Outskirts Niima Outp~ 3005 Tons 145.
## 3 5/23/2013 Aural se~ Tuanul Raiders 6204 Tons 145.
## 4 6/4/2013 Aural se~ Tuanul Raiders 3120 Tons 145.
## 5 6/10/2013 Aural se~ Blowback~ Niima Outp~ 2312 Tons 145.
## 6 6/20/2013 Aural se~ Outskirts Trade cara~ 6272 Tons 145.
Now let’s take another look at that bar chart. Is there anything else that is less than perfect with our data?
library(ggplot2)
ggplot(scrap, aes(x = origin, y = amount)) + geom_col()
We can add multiple comparisons to filter()
to further restrict the data we pull from a larger data set. Only the records that pass the conditions of all the comparisons will be pulled into the new data frame.
The code below filters the data to only scrap records with an origin of Outskirts
AND a destination of Niima Outpost
.
outskirts_to_niima <- filter(scrap,
origin == "Outskirts",
destination == "Niima Outpost")
Are you the best Jedi detective out there? Let’s play a game to find out.
Guess what else comes with the dplyr
package? A Star Wars data set.
You can open the data set with the following steps:
dplyr
package from your library()
library(dplyr)
starwars_data <- starwars
sample_n(starwars_data, 1)
to choose your character at random.)filter()
function and narrow down the potential characters your neighbor may have picked.For example: Here’s a filter()
statement that filters the data to the character Plo Koon.
mr_koon <- filter(starwars_data,
mass < 100,
eye_color != "blue",
gender == "male",
homeworld == "Dorin",
birth_year > 20)
Elusive answers are allowed. For example, if someone asks: What is your character’s mass?
Sometimes a character will not have a specific attribute. We learned earlier how R stores nulls as NA
. If your character has a missing value for hair color, one of your filter statements could be is.na(hair_color)
.
WINNER!
The winner is the first to guess their neighbor’s character.
WINNERS Click here!
How about make it best of 3 games? Or switch partners and try again.
An unknown someone was sent to Jakku to deliver Rey a message, but unfortunately we only have a few clues about what they look like. Work with your partner and the starwars data to find the messenger’s name. And with that, BB8 can track down where our messenger is.
Are you ready? The clock starts… ticking… now.
Back to Jakku
Let’s calculate some new columns to help focus Rey’s scavenging work.
mutate()
mutate()
can edit existing columns in a data frame or add new columns calculated from neighboring columns.
First, let’s add a column with our names. That way Rey can thank us personally when her ship is finally up and running.
# Add your name as a column
scrap <- mutate(scrap, scrap_finder = "BB8")
Let’s also add a new column to document the data measurement method.
# Add your name as a column and
# some information about the method
scrap <- mutate(scrap,
scrap_finder = "BB8",
measure_method = "REM-24")
## REM = Republic Equivalent Method
Remember how the units of Tons was written two ways: “TONS” and “Tons”? We can use mutate()
together with tolower()
to make sure all of the scrap units are written in lower case. This will help prevent them from getting grouped separately in our plots and summaries.
# Set units to all lower-case
scrap <- mutate(scrap, units = tolower(units))
# toupper() changes all of the letters to upper-case.
In our work we often use mutate
to convert units for measurements. In this case, let’s estimate the total pounds for the scrap items that are reported in tons.
to
Pounds conversionWe can use mutate()
to convert the amount
column to pounds. Multiply the amount
column by 2000 to get new values for a column named amount_lbs
.
scrap_pounds <- mutate(scrap, amount_lbs = amount * 2000)
It’s time to get off this dusty planet and Rey needs an Ion engine
. Let’s filter the data to only that type of item.
Show code
# Grab only the items named "Ion engine"
scrap_pounds <- filter(scrap_pounds, item == "Ion engine")
Arrange the data in descending order of pounds so Rey knows where the highest amount of scrap comes from. Then she can go there, trade for some discounted parts and we’re free to FLY TO ENDOR!
# Arrange data
scrap_pounds <- arrange(scrap_pounds, desc(amount_lbs))
# Return the origin of the highest amount_lbs of scrap
head(scrap_pounds, 1)
# Plot the total amount_lbs by origin
ggplot(scrap_pounds, aes(x = origin, y = amount_lbs)) +
geom_col()
For the item Ion engine
, which origin has the highest amount_lbs
?
Tuanul
Cratertown
Outskirts
Reestki
Show solution
Cratertown
Yes!! You receive the ship parts to repair Rey’s Millennium Falcon. Onward!
You can’t break your original dataset if you always name it something else. Let’s use the readr
package to save our new CSV with the tons converted to pounds.
# Save data as a CSV file
write_csv(scrap_pounds, "scrap_in_pounds.csv")
Where did R save the file?
Let’s create a new results/
folder to keep our processed data separate from any raw data we receive.
# Save data as a CSV file to results folder
write_csv(scrap_pounds, "results/scrap_in_pounds.csv")
BB8 just received new data suggesting there was a large magnetic storm right before Site 1 burned down on Endor. Sounds like we’re going to be STORM CHASERS!
Get the dataset
While we’re relaxing and flying to Endor let’s get set up with our new data.
DOWNLOAD - Endor Air data
endor_air.R
Now we can read in the data from the data folder with our favorite read_csv
function.
library(readr)
library(dplyr)
library(janitor)
air_endor <- read_csv("data/air_endor.csv")
names(air_endor)
# Clean the column names
air_endor <- clean_names(air_endor)
names(air_endor)
## [1] "analyte" "lab_code" "units" "start_run_date"
## [5] "site_name" "long_site_name" "planet" "result"
NOTE
When your project is open, RStudio sets the working directory to your project folder. When reading files from a folder outside of your project, you’ll need to use the full file path location.
For example: X://Programs/Air_Quality/Ozone_data.csv
Let’s get acquainted with our new Endor data set.
Remember the different ways?
Hint: summary()
, glimpse()
, nrow()
, distinct
glimpse(air_endor)
## Observations: 1,190
## Variables: 8
## $ analyte <chr> "1-Methylnaphthalene", "1-Methylnaphthalene", "...
## $ lab_code <chr> "HV-403", "HV-408", "HV-411", "HV-415", "HV-418...
## $ units <chr> "ng/m3", "ng/m3", "ng/m3", "ng/m3", "ng/m3", "n...
## $ start_run_date <chr> "7/11/2016", "7/23/2016", "8/5/2016", "8/16/201...
## $ site_name <chr> "battlesite1", "battlesite1", "battlesite1", "b...
## $ long_site_name <chr> "Endor_Tana_forestmoon_battlesite1", "Endor_Tan...
## $ planet <chr> "Endor", "Endor", "Endor", "Endor", "Endor", "E...
## $ result <dbl> 0.00291, 0.00000, 0.00000, 0.00608, 0.00000, 0....
distinct(air_endor, analyte)
## # A tibble: 27 x 1
## analyte
## <chr>
## 1 1-Methylnaphthalene
## 2 2-Methylnaphthalene
## 3 5-Methylchrysene
## 4 Acenaphthene
## 5 Anthanthrene
## 6 Benz[a]anthracene
## 7 Benzo[a]pyrene
## 8 Benzo[c]fluorene
## 9 Benzo[e]pyrene
## 10 Benzo[g,h,i]perylene
## # ... with 17 more rows
Woah. I see that there are many more analytes than we need. Lucky for us, we only want to know about magnetic_field
data. Let’s filter the data down to only that analyte.
mag_endor <- filter(air_endor, analyte == "magnetic_field")
Boom! How many rows are left now?
With time series data it’s helpful for R to know which column is the date column. Dates come in many formats and the standard format in R is 2019-01-15
, also referred to as Year-Month-Day format.
We’ll use the lubridate
package to help modify and format dates.
lubridate
packageIt’s about time! Lubridate makes working with dates easier.
We can find how much time has elapsed, add or subtract days, and find seasonal and day of the week averages.
| Function | Order of date elements |
|---|---|
mdy() |
Month-Day-Year :: 05-18-2019 or 05/18/2019 |
dmy() |
Day-Month-Year (Euro dates) :: 18-05-2019 or 18/05/2019 |
ymd() |
Year-Month-Day (science dates) :: 2019-05-18 or 2019/05/18 |
ymd_hm() |
Year-Month-Day Hour:Minutes :: 2019-05-18 8:35 AM |
ymd_hms() |
Year-Month-Day Hour:Minutes:Seconds :: 2019-05-18 8:35:22 AM |
| Function | Date element |
|---|---|
year() |
Year |
month() |
Month as 1,2,3; For Jan, Feb, Mar use label=TRUE |
day() |
Day of the month |
wday() |
Day of the week as 1,2,3; For Sun, Mon, Tue use label=TRUE |
| - Time - | |
hour() |
Hour of the day (24hr) |
minute() |
Minutes |
second() |
Seconds |
tz() |
Time zone |
lubridate
First, type or copy and paste install.packages("lubridate")
into RStudio.
Let’s use the mdy()
function to turn the start_run_date
column into a nicely formatted date.
library(lubridate)
mag_endor <- mutate(mag_endor, date = mdy(start_run_date),
year = year(date))
According to the request we received, the Resistance is only interested in observations from the year 2017
. So let’s filter the data down to only dates within that year.
mag_endor <- filter(mag_endor, year == "2017")
ggplot(mag_endor, aes(x = date, y = result)) +
geom_line(size = 2, color = "tomato") +
geom_point(size = 5, alpha = 0.5) # alpha changes transparency
Looks like the measurements definitely picked up a signal towards the end of the year. Let’s make a different chart to show when this occurred.
Sometimes with air data we want to know if there is seasonality in the data, this is also true for magnetic storm data from Endor. Calendar plots are great for this.
We will use ggplot()
and bring out the geom_tile()
to organize our data by dates and find when and if that storm happened.
First, we’ll pull more information out of the dates.
mag_endor <- mutate(mag_endor,
day_of_week = wday(date, label = TRUE),
day_of_month = mday(date),
week_of_month = day(date)/7,
month = month(date, label = TRUE))
ggplot(mag_endor, aes(x = day_of_week, y = desc(week_of_month), fill = result)) +
geom_tile(color = "gray") +
geom_label(aes(label = day_of_month), size = 8, color = "white") +
facet_wrap("month")
Aha! There really were high magnetic field readings in November. Hopefully, the Resistance will reward us handsomely for this information.
Now you can!
We use the %>%
to chain functions together and make our scripts more streamlined. We call it the pipe.
Here are 2 examples of how the %>%
operator is helpful.
#1:
It eliminates the need for nested parentheses.
Say you wanted to take the sum of 3 numbers and then take the log and then round the final result.
round(log(sum(c(10,20,30,40))))
The code doesn’t look much like the words we used to describe it. Let’s pipe it so we can read the code from left to right.
c(10,20,30,50) %>% sum() %>% log10() %>% round()
#2:
We can combine many processing steps into one cohesive chunk.
Here are some of the functions we’ve applied to the scrap data so far:
scrap <- arrange(scrap, desc(price_per_pound))
scrap <- filter(scrap, origin != "All")
scrap <- mutate(scrap,
scrap_finder = "BB8",
measure_method = "REM-24")
We can use the %>%
operator and write it this way.
scrap <- scrap %>%
arrange(desc(price_per_pound)) %>%
filter(origin != "All") %>%
mutate(scrap_finder = "BB8",
measure_method = "REM-24")
Similar to above, use the %>%
to combine the two Endor lines below.
mag_endor <- filter(air_endor, analyte == "magnetic_field")
mag_endor <- mutate(mag_endor, date = mdy(start_run_date))


followed. It wasn't nice to think that George was going to get into such
trouble.
They
came to the house and went up the path.
Mr.
Roland saw them from the window and opened the door. He glanced at George.
'Your
father wants to see you in the study,' said the
tutor.
Then he turned to the others, looking annoyed.
'Why
did you go out without me? I meant to go with you.'
'Oh
did you, sir? I'm sorry,' said Julian, politely, not looking at Mr. Roland. 'We
just went out on the cliff a little way.'
'Georgina,
did you go into the study last night?' asked Mr. Roland, watching George as she
took off her hat and coat.
Til
answer my father's questions, not yours,' said George.
'What
you want is a good spanking,' said Mr. Roland. 'And if I were your father I'd
give it to you!'
'You're
not my father,' answered George. She went to the study door and opened it.
There was no one there.
'Father
isn't here,' said George.
'He'll
be there in a minute,' said Mr. Roland. 'Go in and wait. And you others, go up
and wash for lunch.'
The
other three children felt almost as if they were deserting George as they went
up the stairs. They could hear Timmy whining from the yard outside. He knew his
little mistress was in trouble, and he wanted to be with her.
George
sat down on a chair, and gazed at the fire, remembering how she had sat on the
rug there with Tim last night, rubbing his hairy chest. How silly of her to
have forgotten the bottle of oil!
Her
father came into the room, frowning and angry. He looked sternly at George.
'Were
you in here last night, George ?' he asked.
'Yes,
I was,' answered George at once.
'What
were you doing in here?' asked her father. 'You know you children are forbidden
to come into my study.'
'I
know,' said George. 'But you see Timmy had a dreadful cough, and I couldn't
bear it. So I crept down about one o'clock and let him in. This was the only
room that was really warm, so I sat here and rubbed his chest with the oil
Mother uses when she has a cold.'
'Rubbed
the dog's chest with camphorated oil!' exclaimed her father, in amazement.
'What a mad thing to do! As if it would do him any good.'
'It
didn't seem mad to me,' said George. 'It seemed sensible. And Timmy's cough is
much better today. I'm sorry for coming into the study. I didn't touch a thing,
of course.'
'George,
something very serious has happened,' said her father, looking gravely at her.
'Some of my test-tubes with which I was doing an important experiment, have
been broken - and, worse than that, three pages of my book have gone. Tell me
on your honour that you know nothing of these things.'
'I
know nothing of them,' said George, looking her father straight in the eyes.
Her own eyes shone very blue and clear as she gazed at him. He felt quite
certain that George was speaking the truth. She could know nothing of the
damage done. Then where were those pages ?
'George,
last night when I went to bed at eleven o'clock, everything was in order,' he
said. 'I read over those three important pages and checked them once more
myself. This morning they are gone.'
'Then
they must have been taken between eleven o'clock and one o'clock,' said George.
'I was here from that time until six.'
'But
who could have taken them?' said her father. 'The window was fastened, as far
as I know. And nobody knows that those three pages were so important but
myself. It is most extraordinary.'
'Mr.
Roland probably knew,' said George, slowly.
'Don't
be absurd,' said her father. 'Even if he did realize they were important, he
would not have taken them. He's a very decent fellow. And that reminds me -why
were you not at lessons this morning, George ?'
'I'm
not going to do lessons any more with Mr. Roland,' said George. 'I simply hate
him!'
'George!
I will not have you talking like this!' said her father. 'Do you want me to say
you are to lose Tim altogether?'
'No,'
said George, feeling shaky about the knees. 'And I don't think it's fair to
keep trying to force me to do things by threatening me with losing Timothy. If
- if -you do a thing like that - I'll - I'll run away or something!'
There
were no tears in George's eyes. She sat bolt upright on her chair, gazing
defiantly at her father. How difficult she was! Her father sighed, and
remembered that he too in his own childhood had been called 'difficult'.
Perhaps George took after him. She could be so good and sweet - and here she
was being perfectly impossible!
Her
father did not know what to do with George. He thought he had better have a
word with his wife. He got up and went to the door.
'Stay
here. I shall be back in a moment. I want to speak to your mother about you.'
'Don't
speak to Mr. Roland about me, will you ?' said George, who felt quite certain
that the tutor would urge terrible punishments for her and Timmy. 'Oh, Father,
if only Timothy had been in the house last night, sleeping in my room as usual,
he would have heard whoever it was that stole your secret - and he would have
barked and roused the house!'
Her
father said nothing, but he knew that what George had said was true. Timmy
wouldn't have let anyone get into the study. It was funny he hadn't barked in
the night, if anyone from outside had climbed in at the study window. Still, it
was the other side of the house. Maybe he had heard nothing.
The
door closed. George sat still on her chair, gazing up at the mantelpiece, where
a clock ticked away the time. She felt very miserable. Everything was going
wrong, every single thing!
As
she gazed at the panelled overmantel, she counted the wooden panels. There were
eight. Now, where had she heard of eight panels before? Of course - in that
Secret Way. There were eight panels marked on the roll of linen. What a pity
there had not been eight panels in a wooden over-mantel at Kirrin Farm-house!
George
glanced out of the window, and wondered if it faced «ast. She looked to see
where the sun was - it was not shining into the room - but it did in the early
morning - so it must face east. Fancy - her-e was a room facing east and with
eight wooden panels. She wondered if it had a stone floor.
The
floor was covered with a large thick carpet. George got up and went to the
wall. She pulled up the edge of the carpet there - and saw that the floor
underneath was made of large flat stones. The study had a stone floor too!
She
sat down again and gazed at the wooden panels, trying to remember which one in
the roll of linen was marked with a cross. But of course it couldn't be a room
in Kirrin Cottage - it must be in Kirrin Farm-house where the Secret Way began.
But
just suppose it was Kirrin Cottage! Certainly the directions had been found in
Kirrin Farm-house - but that was not to say that the Secret Way had to begin
there, even though Mrs. Sanders seemed to think it did.
George
was feeling excited. 'I must tap round about those eight panels and try to find
the one that is marked on the linen roll,' she thought. 'It may slide back or
something, and I shall suddenly see the entrance opening!'
She
got up to try her luck - but at that moment the door opened again and her
father came in. He looked very grave.
'I
have been talking to your mother,' he said. 'She agrees with me that you have
been very disobedient, rude and defiant. We can't let behaviour like that pass,
George. You will have to be punished.'
George
looked anxiously at her father. If only her punishment had nothing to do with
Timothy! But, of course, it had.
'You
will go to bed for the rest of the day, and you will not see Timothy for three
days,' said her father. 'I will get Julian to feed him and take him for a walk.
If you persist in being defiant, Timothy will have to go away
altogether.
I am afraid, queer as it may seem, that thai, dog has a bad influence on you.'
'He
hasn't, he hasn't!' cried George. 'Oh, he'll be so miserable if I don't see him
for three whole days.'
'There's
nothing more to be said,' said her father. 'Go straight upstairs to bed, and
think over all I have said to you, George. I am very disappointed in your
behaviour these holidays. I really did think the influence of your three
cousins had made you into a normal, sensible girl. Now you are worse than you
have ever been.'
He
held open the door and George walked out, holding her head high. She heard the
others having their dinner in the dining-room. She went straight upstairs and
undressed. She got into bed and thought miserably of not seeing Tim for three
days. She couldn't bear it! Nobody could possibly know how much she loved
Timothy!
Joanna
came up with a tray of dinner. 'Well, Miss, it's a pity to see you in bed,' she
said cheerfully. 'Now you be a sensible girl and behave properly and you'll
soon be downstairs again.'
George
picked at her dinner. She did not feel at all hungry. She lay back on the bed,
thinking of Tim and thinking of the eight panels over the mantelpiece. Could
they possibly be the ones shown in the Secret Way directions? She gazed out of
the window and thought hard.
'Golly,
it's snowing!' she said suddenly, sitting up. T thought it would when I saw
that leaden sky this morning. It's snowing hard! It will be quite thick by
tonight - inches deep. Oh, poor Timothy. I hope Julian will see that his kennel
is kept clear of the drifting snow.'
George
had plenty of time to think as she lay in bed.
Joanna
came and took the tray away. No one else came to see her. George felt sure the
other children had been forbidden to go up and speak to her. She felt lonely
and left-out.
She
thought of her father's lost pages. Could Mr. Roland have taken them? After
all, he was very interested in her father's work and seemed to understand it.
The thief must have been someone who knew which were the important pages.
Surely Timothy would have barked if a thief had come in from outside, even
though the study was the other side of the house. Timmy had such sharp ears.
'I
think it must have been someone mside the house,' said George. 'None of us
children, that's certain - and not Mother or Joanna. So that only leaves Mr.
Roland. And I did find him in the study that other night when Timmy woke me by
growling.'
She
sat up in bed suddenly. 'I believe Mr. Roland had Timothy put out of the house
because he wanted to go poking round the study again and was afraid Tim would
bark!' she thought. 'He was so very insistent that Tim should go out of doors -
even when everyone else begged for me to have him indoors. I believe -1 really
do believe - that Mr. Roland is the thief!'
The
little girl felt very excited. Could it be that the tutor had stolen the pages
- and broken those important test-tubes? How she wished that the others would
come and see her, so that she could talk things over with them!
Chapter
Thirteen
JULIAN
HAS A SURPRISE
THE
three children downstairs felt very sorry for George. Uncle Quentin had
forbidden them to go up and see her.
'A
little time for thinking out things all alone may do George good,' he said.
'Poor
old George,' said Julian. 'It's too bad, isn't it? I say - look at the snow!'
The
snow was falling very thickly. Julian went to the window and looked out. 'I
shall have to go and see that Timmy's kennel is all right,' he said.  I expect he is wondering what the
snow is!'
Timothy
was certainly very puzzled to see everywhere covered with soft white stuff. He
sat in his kennel and stared out at the falling flakes, his big brown eyes
following them as they fell to the ground. He was puzzled and unhappy. Why was
he living out here by himself in the cold? Why didn't George come to him?
Didn't she love him any more? The big dog was very miserable, as miserable as
George!
He
was delighted to see Julian. He jumped up at the boy and licked his face. 'Good
old Tim!' said Julian. 'Are you all right? Let me sweep away some of this snow
and swing your kennel round a bit so that no flakes fly inside. There - that's
better. No, we're not going for a walk, old thing - not now.'
The
boy patted the dog and fussed him a bit, then went indoors. The others met him
at the sitting-room door.
'Julian!
Mr. Roland is going out for a walk by himself. Aunt Fanny is lying down, and
Uncle Quentin is in his study. Can't we go up and see George ?'
'We
were forbidden to,' said Julian, doubtfully.
T
know,' said Dick. 'But I don't mind risking it for the sake of making George
feel a bit happier. It must be so awful for her, lying up there all alone,
knowing she can't see Tim for days.'
'Well
- let me go up, as I'm the eldest,' said Julian. 'You two stay down here in the
sitting-room and talk. Then Uncle Quentin will think we're all here. I'll slip
up and see George for a few minutes.'
'All
right,' said Dick. 'Give her our love and tell her we'll look after Timmy.'
Julian
slipped quietly up the stairs. He opened George's door and crept inside. He
shut the door, and saw George sitting up in bed, looking at him in delight.
'Sh!'
said Julian. 'I'm not supposed to be here!'
'Oh
Julian!' said George joyfully. 'How good of you to come. I was so lonely. Come
this side of the bed. Then if anyone comes in suddenly, you can duck down and
hide.'
Julian
went to the other side of the bed. George began to pour out to him all she had
been thinking of.
'I
believe Mr. Roland is the thief, I really do!' she said. 'I'm not saying that
because I hate him, Julian, really I'm not. After all, I did find him snooping
round the study one afternoon - and again in the middle of the night. He may
have got to hear of my father's work, and come to see if he could steal it. It
was just lucky for him that we needed a tutor. I'm sure he stole those pages,
and I'm sure he wanted Timmy out of the house so that he could do his stealing
without Tim hearing him and growling.'
'Oh,
George - I don't think so,' said Julian, who really could not approve of the
idea of the tutor doing such a thing. 'It all sounds so far-fetched and
unbelievable.'
'Lot's
of unbelievable things happen,' said George. 'Lots. And this is one of them.'
'Well,
if Mr. Roland did steal the pages, they must be somewhere in the house,' said
Julian. 'He hasn't been out all day. They must be somewhere in his bedroom.'
'Of
course!' said George, looking thrilled. T wish he'd go out! Then I'd search his
room.'
'George,
you can't do things like that,' said Julian, quite shocked.
'You
simply don't know what things I can do, if I really want to,' said George,
setting her mouth in a firm line. 'Oh - what's that noise ?'
There
was the bang of a door. Julian went cautiously to the window and peeped out.
The snow had stopped falling for a time, and Mr. Roland had taken the chance of
going out.
'It's
Mr. Roland,' said Julian.
'Oooh
- I could search his room now, if you'll keep watch at the window and tell me
if he comes back,' said George, throwing back the bedclothes at once.
'No,
George, don't,' said Julian. 'Honestly and truly, it's awful to search
somebody's room like that. And
anyway,
I dare say he's got the pages with him. He may even be going to give them to
somebody!'
'I
never thought of that,' said George, and she looked at Julian with wide eyes.
'Isn't that sickening ? Of course he may be doing that. He knows those two
artists at Kirrin Farm-house, for instance. They may be in the plot too.'
'Oh,
George, don't be silly,' said Julian. 'You are making a mountain out of a
mole-hill, talking of plots and goodness knows what! Anyone would think we were
in the middle of a big adventure.'
'Well,
I think we are,' said George, unexpectedly, and she looked rather solemn. 'I
sort of feel it all round me -a Big Adventure!'
Julian
stared at his cousin thoughtfully. Could there possibly be anything in what she
said ?
'Julian,
will you do something for me?' said George.
'Of
course,' said the boy, at once.
'Go
out and follow Mr. Roland,' said George. 'Don't let him see you. There's a
white mackintosh cloak in the hall cupboard. Put it on and you won't be easily
seen against the snow. Follow him and see if he meets anyone and gives them
anything that looks like the pages of my father's book - you know those big
pages he writes on. They're very large.'
'All
right,' said Julian. 'But if I do, promise you won't go and search his room.
You can't do things like that, George.'
'I
can,' said George. 'But I won't, if you'll just follow Mr. Roland for me. I'm
sure he's going to hand over what he has stolen to others who are in the plot!
And
I
bet those others will be the two artists at Kirrin Farmhouse that he pretended
not to know!'
'You'll
find you're quite wrong,' said Julian, going to the door. 'I'm sure I shan't be
able to follow Mr. Roland, anyway - he's been gone five minutes now!'
'Yes,
you will, silly - he'll have left his footmarks in the snow,' said George.  Oh dear, there
isn't time now. I'll tell you when you come back, if you can come up again
then. It's about the Secret Way.'
'Really?'
said Julian, in delight. It had been a great disappointment to him that all
their hunting and searching had come to nothing. 'All right - I'll try and
creep up again later. If I don't come, you'll know I can't, and you must wait
till bed-time.'
 He slipped downstairs, popped his head
into the sitting-room and whispered to the others that he was going out after
the tutor.
'Tell
you why, later,' he said. He put the white mac-«-kintosh cloak around him and
went out into the garden. Snow was beginning to fall again, but not yet heavily
enough to hide Mr. Roland's deep footsteps. He had had big Wellington boots on,
and the footmarks showed up well in the six-inch-deep snow.
The
boy followed them quickly. The countryside was | very wintry-looking now. The
sky was low and leaden, and he could see there was much more snow to come. He
hurried on after Mr. Roland, though he could not see ; a sign of the tutor.
Down
the lane, and over the path that led across
the
common went the double row of footmarks. Julian stumbled on, his eyes glued to
the foot-prints. Suddenly he heard the sound of voices and stopped. A big gorse
bush lay to the right and the voices came from there. The boy went nearer to
the bush. He heard his tutor's voice, talking in low tones. He could not hear a
word that was said.
'Whoever
can he be talking to?' he wondered. He crept up closer to the bush. There was a
hollow space inside. Julian thought he could creep right into it, though it
would be very prickly, and peer out of the other side. Carefully the boy crept
into the prickly hollow, where the branches were bare and brown.
He
parted the prickly branches slowly and cautiously -and to his amazement he saw
Mr. Roland talking to the two artists from Kirrin Farm-house - Mr. Thomas and
Mr. Wilton! So George was right. The tutor had met them - and, as Julian
watched, Mr. Roland handed over to Mr. Thomas a doubled up sheaf of papers.
'They
look just like pages from Uncle Quentin's book,' said Julian to himself. 'I say
- this is mighty queer. It does begin to look like a plot - with Mr. Roland as
the centre of it!'
Mr.
Thomas put the papers into the pocket of his overcoat. The men muttered a few
more words, which even Julian's sharp ears could not catch, and then parted.
The artists went off towards Kirrin Farm-house, and Mr. Roland took the path
back over the common. Julian crouched down in the hollow of the prickly gorse
bush, hoping the tutor would not turn and see him. Luckily he didn't. He went
straight on and disappeared into
the
snow, which was now falling thickly. It was also beginning to get dark and
Julian, unable to see the path very clearly, hurried after Mr. Roland,
half-afraid of being lost in the snow-storm.
Mr.
Roland was not anxious to be out longer than he could help, either. He almost
ran back to Kirrin Cottage. He came to the gate at last, and Julian watched him
go into the house. He gave him a little time to take off his things and then,
giving Timothy a pat as he went by, he went to the garden door. He took off his
mackintosh cloak, changed his boots, and slipped into the sitting-room before
Mr. Roland had come down from his bedroom.
'What's
happened?' asked Dick and Anne, seeing that Julian was in a great state of
excitement. But he could not tell them, for at that moment Joanna came in to
lay the tea.
Much
to Julian's disappointment, he could not say a word to the others all that
evening, because one or other of the grown-ups was always in the room. Neither
could he go up to see George. He could hardly wait to tell his news, but it was
no good, he had to.
'Is
it still snowing, Aunt Fanny ?' asked Anne.
Her
aunt went to the front door and looked out. The snow was piled high against the
step!
'Yes,'
she said, when she came back. 'It is snowing fast and thickly. If it goes on
like this we shall be completely snowed up, as we were two winters ago! We
couldn't get out of the house for five days then. The milkman couldn't get to
us, nor the baker. Fortunately we had plenty of tinned milk, and I can bake
my-own
bread.
Poor children - you will not be able to go out tomorrow - the snow will be too
thick!'
'Will
Kirrin Farm-house be snowed up too?' asked Mr. Roland.
'Oh
yes - worse than we shall be,' said Aunt Fanny. 'But they won't mind! They have
plenty of food there. They will be prisoners just as much, and more, as we
shall.'
Julian
wondered why Mr. Roland had asked that question. Was he afraid that his friends
would not be able to send those pages away by the post - or take them anywhere
by bus or car? The boy felt certain this was the reason for the question. How
he longed to be able to talk over everything with the others.
'I'm
tired!' he said, about eight o'clock. 'Let's go to bed.'
Dick
and Anne stared at him in astonishment. Usually, as he was the eldest, he went
to bed last of all. Tonight he was actually asking to go! Julian winked quickly
at them, and they backed him up at once.
Dick
yawned widely, and so did Anne. Their aunt put down the sewing she was doing.
'You do sound tired!' she said.  I asked Julian. His aunt nodded.
The boy put on his rubber boots and coat, and slipped out through the garden
door into the yard. It was very deep in snow, too. Tim's kennel was half-hidden
in it. The dog had trampled a | space in front of the kennel door, and stood
there, looking for Julian as he came out of the house.
'Poor
old boy, out here in the snow all alone,' said
Julian.
He patted the dog, and Timmy whined. He was asking to go back with the boy. *
'I
wish I could take you back with me,' said Julian. 'Never mind, Timothy. I'll
come and see you tomorrow.'
He
went indoors again. The children said good night to their aunt and Mr. Roland,
and went upstairs.
'Undress
quickly, put on dressing-gowns and meet in George's room,' whispered Julian to
the others. 'Don't make a sound or we'll have Aunt Fanny up. Quick now!'
In
less than three minutes the children were undressed, and were sitting on
George's bed. She was very pleased to see them. Anne slipped into bed with her,
because her feet were cold.
'Julian!
Did you follow Mr. Roland all right?' whispered George. *
'Why
did he follow him ?' asked Dick, who had been dying to know.
Julian
told them everything as quickly as he could -all that George suspected - and
how he had followed the tutor - and what he had seen. When George heard how
Julian had watched him giving a sheaf of papers to the two artists, her eyes
gleamed angrily.
'The
thief! They must have been the lost pages! And to think my father has been so
friendly to him. Oh, what can we do? Those men will get the papers away as
quickly as they can, and the secret Father has been working on for ages will be
used by someone else - for some other country, probably!'
'They
can't get the papers away,' said Julian. 'You've no idea how thick the snow is
now, George. We shall
be
prisoners here for a few days, if this snow goes on, and so will the people in
Kirrin Farm-house. If they want to hide the papers, they will have to hide them
in the farmhouse! If only we could get over there and hunt round!' "
'Well,
we can't,' said Dick. 'That's quite certain. We'd be up to our necks in snow!'
The
four children looked gloomily at one another. Dick and Anne could hardly
believe that the jolly Mr. Roland was a thief - a spy perhaps, trying to steal
a valuable secret from a friendly scientist. And they couldn't stop it.
'We'd
better tell your father,' said Julian at last.
'No,'
said Anne. 'He wouldn't believe it, would he, George ?'
'He'd
laugh at us and go straight and tell Mr. Roland,' said George. 'That would warn
him, and he mustn't be warned. He mustn't know that we guess anything.'
'Sh!
Aunt Fanny's coming!' whispered Dick, suddenly. The boys slipped out of the
room and into bed. Anne hopped across to her own little bed. All was peace and
quiet when the children's aunt came into the bedroom.
She
said good night and tucked them up. As soon as she had gone down, the four
children met together again in George's room.
'George,
tell me now what you were going to say about the Secret Way,' said Julian.
'Oh
yes,' said George. 'Well, there may be nothing in my idea at all - but in the
study downstairs, there are eight wooden panels over the mantelpiece - and the
floor
is
of stone - and the room faces east! A bit queer, isn't it ? Just what the
directions said.'
'Is
there a cupboard there too ?' asked Julian.
'No.
But there is everything else,' said George. 'And I was just wondering if by any
chance the entrance to the Secret Way is in this house, not in the farm-house.
After all, they both belonged to my family at one time, you know. The people
living in the farm-house years ago must have known all about this cottage.'
'Golly,
George - suppose the entrance was here!' said Dick. 'Wouldn't it be simply
marvellous! Let's go straight down and look!'
'Don't
be silly,' said Julian. 'Go down to the study when Uncle Quentin is there? I'd
rather meet twenty lions than face Uncle! Especially after what has happened!'
'Well,
we simply MUST find out if George's idea is right; we simply must,' said Dick,
forgetting to whisper.
'Shut
up, idiot!' said Julian, giving him a punch. 'Do you want to bring the whole household
up here ?'
'Sorry!'
said Dick. 'But, oh golly, this is exciting. It's an Adventure again.'
'Just
what I said,' said George, eagerly. 'Listen, shall we wait till midnight, and
then creep down to the study when everyone is asleep, and try our luck ? There
may be nothing in my idea at all - but we'll have to find out now. I don't
believe I could go to sleep till I've tried one of those panels over the
mantelpiece to see if something happens.'
'Well,
I know I can't sleep a wink either,' said Dick. 'Listen - is that someone
coming up? We'd better go.
Come
on, Julian! Meet in George's room at midnight - and we'll creep down and try
out George's idea!'
The
two boys went off to their own room. Neither of them could sleep a wink. Nor
could George. She lay awake, and went over and over in her mind all that had
happened those holidays. 'It's like a jigsaw puzzle,' she thought. 'I couldn't
understand a lot of things at first -but now they are fitting together, and
making a picture.'
Anne
was fast asleep. She had to be awakened at midnight. 'Come on!' whispered
Julian, shaking her. 'Don't you want to share in this adventure ?'
Chapter
Fourteen
THE
SECRET WAY AT LAST!
THE
four children crept downstairs through the dark and silent night. Nobody made a
sound at all. They made their way to the study. George softly closed the door
and then switched on the light.
The
children stared at the eight panels over the mantelpiece. Yes - there were
exactly eight, four in one row and four in the row above. Julian spread the
linen roll out on the table, and the children pored over it.
'The
cross is in the middle of the second panel in the top row,' said Julian, in a
low voice. Til try pressing it. Watch, all of you!'
He
went to the fireplace. The others followed him, their hearts beating fast with
excitement. Julian stood on tiptoe and began to press hard in the middle of the
second panel. Nothing happened.
'Press
harder! Tap it!'said Dick.
'I
daren't make too much noise,' said Julian, feeling all over the panel to see if
there was any roughness that might tell of a hidden spring or lever.
Suddenly,
under his hands, the panel slid silently back, just as the one had done at
Kirrin Farm-house in the hall! The children stared at the space behind,
thrilled.
'It's
not big enough to get into,' said George. 'It can't be the entrance to the
Secret Way.'
Julian
got out his torch from his dressing-gown pocket. 146
He
put it inside the opening, and gave a low exclamation.
'There's
a sort of handle here - with strong wire or something attached to it. I'll pull
it and see what happens.'
He
pulled - but he was not strong enough to move the handle that seemed to be
embedded in the wall.
'It's
moving - it's giving way a bit,' panted Julian. 'Go on, Dick, pull hard!'
The
handle suddenly came away from the wall, and behind it came thick wire, rusty
and old. At the same time a curious grating noise came from below the hearthrug
in front of the fireplace, and Anne almost fell.
'Julian!
Something is moving under the rug!' she said, frightened. 'I felt it. Under the
rug, quick!'
The
handle could not be pulled out any farther. The boys let go, and looked down.
To the right of the fireplace, under the rug, something had moved. There was no
doubt of that. The rug sagged down instead of being flat and straight.
'A
stone has moved in the floor,' said Julian, his voice shaking with excitement.
'This handle works a lever, which is attached to this wire. Quick - pull up the
rug, and roll back the carpet.'
With
trembling hands the children pulled back the rug and the carpet and then
stood staring at a very strange thing. A big flat stone laid in the floor had
slipped downwards, pulled in some manner by the wire attached to the handle
hidden behind the panel! There was now a black space where the stone had been.
'Look
at that!' said George, in a thrilling whisper. 'The entrance to the Secret
Way!'
'It's
here after all!' said Julian.
'Let's
go down!' said Dick.
'No!'
said Anne, shivering at the thought of disappearing into the black hole.
Julian
flashed his torch into the black space. The stone had slid down and then
sideways. Below was a space just big enough to take a man, bending down.
'I
expect there's a passage or something leading from here, under the house, and
out,' said Julian. 'Golly, I wonder where it leads to ?'
'We
simply must find out,' said George.
'Not
now,' said Dick. 'It's dark and cold. I don't fancy going along the Secret Way
at midnight. I don't mind just hopping down to see what it's like - but don't
let's go along any passage till tomorrow.'
'Uncle
Quentin will be working here tomorrow,' said Julian.
'He
said he was going to sweep the snow away from the front door in the morning,'
said George. 'We could slip into the study then. It's Saturday. There may be no
lessons.'
'All
right,' said Julian, who badly wanted to explore everything then and there.
'But for goodness sake let's have a look and see if there is a passage down
there. At present all we can see is a hole!'
Til
help you down,' said Dick. So he gave his brother a hand and the boy dropped
lightly down into the black space, holding his torch. He gave a loud
exclamation.
'It's
the entrance to the Secret Way all right! There's
a
passage leading from here under the house - awfully low and narrow but I can
see it's a passage. I do wonder where it leads to!'
He
shivered. It was cold and damp down there. 'Give me a hand up, Dirk,' he said.
He was soon out of the hole and in the warm study again.
The
children looked at one another in the greatest joy and excitement. This was an
Adventure, a real Adventure. It was a pity they couldn't go on with it now.
'We'll
try and take Timmy with us tomorrow,' said George.  'Noi can we
leave the panel vopen.'
'We'll
see if we can get the stone back,' said Julian. He stood on tiptoe and felt
about inside the panel. His hand closed on a kind of knob, set deep in a stone.
He pulled it, and at once the handle slid back, pulled by the wire. At the same
time the sunk stone glided to the surface of the floor again, making a slight
grating sound as it did so.
'Well,
it's like magic!' said Dick. 'It really is! Fancy the mechanism working so smoothly
after years of not being used. This is the most exciting thing I've evei seen!'
There
was a noise in the bedroom above. The children stood still and listened.
'It's
Mr. Roland!' whispered Dick. 'He's heard us. Quick, slip upstairs before he
comes down.'
They
switched out the light and opened the study door softly. Up the stairs they
fled, as quietly as Indians, their hearts thumping so loudly that it seemed as
if everyone in the house must hear the beat.
The
girls got safely to their rooms and Dick was able to slip into his. But Julian
was seen by Mr. Roland as he came out of his room with a torch.
'What
are you doing, Julian?' asked the tutor, in surprise. 'Did you hear a noise
downstairs? I thought I did.'
'Yes
- I heard quite a lot of noise downstairs,' said Julian, truthfully. 'But
perhaps it's snow falling off the roof, landing with a plop on the ground, sir.
Do you think that's it?'
'I
don't know,' said the tutor doubtfully. 'We'll go down and see.'
They
went down, but of course, there was nothing to be seen. Julian was glad they
had been able to shut the panel and make the stone come back to its proper
place again. Mr. Roland was the very last person he wanted to tell his secret
to.
They
went upstairs and Julian slipped into his room. 'Is it all right ?' whispered
Dick.
'Yes,'
said Julian. 'Don't let's talk. Mr. Roland's awake, and I don't want him to
suspect anything.'
The
boys fell asleep. When they awoke in the morning, there was a completely white
world outside. Snow covered everything and covered it deeply. Timothy's kennel
could not be seen! But there were footmarks round about it.
George
gave a squeal when she saw how deep the
snow
was. 'Poor Timothy! I'm going to get him in.  I
won't let him be buried in the snow!'
She
dressed and tore downstairs. She went out to the kennel, floundering knee deep
in the snow. But there was no Timmy there!
A
loud bark from the kitchen made her jump. Joanna the cook knocked on the
kitchen window. 'It's all right! I couldn't bear the dog out there in the snow,
so I fetched him in, poor thing. Your mother says I can have him in the kitchen
but you're not to come and see him.'
'Oh,
good - Timmy's in the warmth!' said George, gladly. She yelled to Joanna,
'Thanks awfully! You are kind!'
She
went indoors and told the others. They were very glad. 'And I've got a bit of
news for you' said Dick. 'Mr. Roland is in bed with a bad cold, so there are to
be no lessons today. Cheers!'
'Golly,
that is good news,' said George, cheering up tremendously. 'Timmy in the warm
kitchen and Mr. Roland kept in bed. I do feel pleased!'
'We
shall be able to explore the Secret Way safely now,' said Julian. 'Aunt Fanny
is going to do something in the kitchen this morning with Joanna, and Uncle is
going to tackle the snow. I vote we say we'll do lessons by ourselves in the
sitting-room, and then, when everything is safe, we'll explore the Secret Way!'
'But
why must we do lessons?' asked George in dismay.
'Because
if we don't, silly, we'll have to help your father dig away the snow,' said
Julian.
So,
to his uncle's surprise, Julian suggested that the four children should do
lessons by themselves in the sitting-room. 'Well, I thought you'd like to come
and help dig away the snow,' said Uncle Quentin. 'But perhaps you had better
get on with your work.'
The
children sat themselves down as good as gold in the sitting-room, their books
before them. They heard Mr. Roland coughing in his room. They heard their aunt
go into the kitchen and talk to Joanna. They heard Timmy scratching at the
kitchen door - then paws pattering down the passage - then a big, inquiring
nose came round the door, and there was old Timmy, looking anxiously for his
beloved mistress!
'Timmy!'
squealed George, and ran to him. She flung her arms round his neck and hugged
him.
'You
act as if you hadn't seen Tim for a year,' said Julian.
'It
seems like a year,' said George. 'I say, there's my father digging away like
mad. Can't we go to the study now ? We ought to be safe for a good while.'
They
left the sitting-room and went to the study. Julian was soon pulling the handle
behind the secret panel. George had already turned back the rug and the carpet.
The stone slid downward and sideways. The Secret Way was open!
'Come
on!' said Julian. 'Hurry!'
He
jumped down itito the hole. Dick followed, then Anne, then George. Julian
pushed them all into the narrow, low passage. Then he looked up. Perhaps he had
better pull the carpet and rug over the hole, in case anyone came into the room
and looked around. It took
him
a few seconds to do it. Then he bent down and joined the others in the passage.
They were going to explore the Secret Way at last!
Chapter
Fifteen
AN
EXCITING JOURNEY AND HUNT
TIMOTHY
had leapt down into the hole when George had jumped. He now ran ahead of the
children, puzzled at their wanting to explore such a cold, dark place. Both
Julian and Dick had torches, which threw broad beams before them.
There
was not much to be seen. The Secret Way under the old house was narrow and low,
so that the children were forced to go in single file, and to stoop almost
double. It was a great relief to them when the passage became a little wider,
and the room a little higher. It was very tiring to stoop all the time. v
'Have
you any idea where the Secret Way is going?' Dick asked Julian. 'I mean - is it
going towards the sea, or away from it ?'
'Oh,
not towards the sea!' said Julian, who had a very good sense of direction. 'As
far as I can make out the passage is going towards the common. Look at the
walls - they are rather sandy in places, and we know the common has sandy soil.
I hope we shan't find that the passage has fallen in anywhere.'
They
went on and on. The Secret Way was very straight, though occasionally it wound
round a rocky part in a curve.
'Isn't
it dark and cold,' said Anne, shivering. 'I wish I had put on a coat. How many
miles have we come, Julian ?'
'Not
even one, silly!' said Julian. 'Hallo - look here -the passage has fallen in a
bit thei e!'
Two
bright torches shone in front of them and the children saw that the sandy roof
had fallen in. Julian kicked at the pile of sandy soil with his foot.
'It's
all right,' he said. 'We can force our way through easily. It isn't much of a
fall, and it's mostly sand. I'll do a bit of kicking!'
After
some trampling and kicking, the roof-fall no longer blocked the way. There was
now enough room for the children to climb over it, bending their heads low to
avoid knocking them against the top of the passage. Julian shone his torch
forward, and saw that the way was clear.
'The
Secret Way is very wide just here!' he said suddenly, and flashed his torch
around to show the others.
'It's
been widened out to make a sort of little room,' said George. 'Look, there's a
kind of bench at the back, made out of the rock. I believe it's a
resting-place.'
George
was right. It was very tiring to creep along the narrow passage for so long.
The little wide place with its rocky bench, made a very good resting-place. The
four tired children, cold but excited, huddled together on the queer seat and
took a welcome rest. Timmy put his head on George's knee. He was delighted to
be with her again.
'Well,
come on,' said Julian, after a few minutes. 'I'm getting awfully cold. I do
wonder where this passage comes out!'
'Julian
- do you think it could come out at Kirrin Farm-house?' asked George, suddenly.
'You know what Mrs. Sanders said - that there was a secret passage leading from
the Farm-house somewhere. Well, this may be the one - and it leads to Kirrin
Cottage!'
'George,
I believe you're right!' said Julian. 'Yes -the two houses belonged to your
family years ago! And in the old days there were often secret passages joining
houses, so it's quite plain this secret way joins them up together! Why didn't
I think of that before ?'
1
say!' squealed Anne, in a high, excited voice, 'I say! I've thought of
something too!'
'What
?' asked everyone.
'Well
- if those two artists have got Uncle's papers, we may be able to get them away
before the men can send them off by post, or take them away themselves!' squeaked
Anne, so thrilled with her idea that she could hardly get the words out quickly
enough. 'They're prisoners at the Farm-house because of the snow, just as we
were at the Cottage.'
'Anne!
You're right!' said Julian.
'Clever
girl!' said Dick.
'I
say - if we could get those papers again - how wonderful it would be!' cried
George. Timmy joined in the general excitement, and jumped up and down in joy.
Something had pleased the children, so he was pleased too!
'Come
on!' said Julian, taking Anne's hand. 'This is thrilling. If George is right,
and this Secret Way comes out at Kirrin Farm-house somewhere, we'll somehow
hunt through those men's rooms and find the papers.'
'You
said that searching people's rooms was a shocking thing to do,' said George.
'Well,
I didn't know then all I know now,' said Julian. 'We're doing this for your
father - and maybe for our country too, if his secret formula is valuable.
We've got to set our wits to work now, to outwit dangerous enemies.'
'Do
you really think they are dangerous ?' asked Anne, rather afraid.
'Yes,
I should think so,' said Julian. 'But you needn't worry, Anne, You've got me
and Dick and Tim to protect you.'
'I
can protect her too,' said George, indignantly. Tm as good as a boy any day!'
'Yes,
you are, really,' said Dick. 'In fact, you're fiercer than any boy I know!'
'Come
on,' said Julian, impatiently. Tm longing to get to the end of this passage.'
They
all went on again, Anne following behind Julian, and Dick behind George. Timmy
ran up and down the line, squeezing by them whenever he wanted to. He thought
it was a very peculiar way to spend a morning!
Julian
stopped suddenly, after they had gone a good way. 'What's up?' asked Dick, from
the back. 'Not another roof-fall, I hope!'
'No
- but I think we've come to the end of the passage!' said Julian, thrilled. The
others crowded as close to him as they could. The passage certainly had come to
an end. There was a rocky wall in front of them, and set firmly in it were iron
staples intended for footholds. These went up the wall and when Julian turned
his torch
upwards,
the children saw that there was a square opening in the roof of the passage.
 I'll go first.
You wait here, everyone, and I'll come back and tell you what I've seen.'
The
boy put his torch befween his teeth, and then pulled himself up by the iron
staples set in the wall. He set his feet on them, and then climbed up through
the square dark hole, feeling for the staples as he went.
He
went up for a good way. It was almost like going up a chimney shaft, he
thought. It was cold and smelt musty.
Suddenly
he came to a ledge, and he stepped on to it. He took his torch from his teeth
and flashed it around him.
There
was stone wall behind him, at the side of him and stone above him.  Julian shone his torch in front
of him, and a shock of surprise went through him.
 A
handle was set about waist-high, Julian turned it with trembling fingers. What
was he going to see ?
The
door opened outwards, over the ledge, and it was difficult to get round it
without falling back into the hole. Julian managed to open it wide, squeezed
round it without losing his footing, and stepped beyond it, expecting to find
himself in a room.
 He
shone
his torch round, and found that he was up against what looked like yet another
door. Under his searching fingers it suddenly moved sideways, and slid silently
away!
And
then Julian knew where he was! 'I'm in the cupboard at Kirrin Farm-house - the
one that has a false back!' he thought. 'The Secret Way comes up behind it! How
clever! Little did we* know when we played about in this cupboard that not only
did it have a sliding back, but that it was the entrance to the Secret Way,
hidden behind it!'
The
cupboard was now full of clothes belonging to the artists. Julian stood and
listened. There was no sound of anyone in the room. Should he just take a quick
look round, and see if those lost papers were anywhere about ?
Then
he remembered the other four, waiting patiently below in the cold. He had
better go and tell them what had happened. They could all come and help in the
search.
He
stepped into the space behind the sliding back. The sliding door slipped across
again, and Julian was left standing on the narrow ledge, with the old oak door
wide open to one side of him. He did not bother to shut it. He felt about with
his feet, and found the iron staples in the hole below him. Down he went,
clinging with his hands and feet, his torch in his teeth again.
'Julian!
What a time you've been! Quick, tell us all about it!' cried George.
'It's
most terribly thrilling,' said Julian. 'Absolutely super! Where do you suppose
all this leads to? Into the
cupboard
at Kirrin Farm-house - the one that's got a false back!'
'Golly!
'said Dick.
'I
say I' said George.

'I
climbed as far as I could and came to a big oak door,' said Julian. 'It has a
handle this side, so I swung it wide open. Then I saw another wooden door in
front of me - at least, I thought it was a door,' I didn't know it was just the
false back of that cupboard. It was quite easy to slide back and I stepped
through, and found my-self among a whole lot of clothes hanging in the
cup-board ! Then I hurried back to tell you.'
'Julian!
We can hunt for those papers now,' said George, eagerly. 'Was there anyone in
the room ?'
'I
couldn't hear anyone,' said Julian. 'Now what I propose is this - we'll all go
up, and have a hunt round those two rooms. The men have the room next to the
cupboard one too.'
'Oh
good ! ' said Dick, thrilled at the thought of such an adventure. 'Let's go
now. You go first, Ju. Then Anne, then George and then me.'
'What
about Tim ?' asked George.
'He
can't climb, silly,' said Julian. 'He's a simply marvellous dog, but he
certainly can't climb, George. We'll hav<? to leave him down here.'
'He
won't like that,' said George.
'Well,
we can't carry him up,' said Dick.  But, as he saw the four children
mysteriously
disappearing up the wall, he put his big tail down at once. What! Going without
him? How could they ?
He
jumped up at the wall, and fell back. He jumped again and whined. George called
down to him in a low voice.
'Be
quiet, Tim dear! We shan't be long.'
Tim
stopped whining. He lay down at the bottom of the wall, his ears well-cocked.
This adventure was becoming more and more peculiar!
Soon
the children were on the narrow ledge. The old oak door was still wide open.
Julian shone his torch and the others saw the false back of the cupboard.
Julian put his hands on it and it slid silently sideways. Then the torch shone
on coats and dressing-gowns!
The
children stood quite still, listening. There was no sound from the room. Til
open the cupboard door and peep into the room,' whispered Julian. 'Don't make a
sound!'
The
boy pushed between the clothes and felt for the outer cupboard door with his
hand. He found it, and pushed it slightly. It opened a little and a shaft of
daylight came into the cupboard. He peeped cautiously into the room.
There
was no one there at all. That was good. 'Come on!' he whispered to the others.
'The room's empty P
One
by one the children crept out of the clothes cupboard and into the room. There
was a big bed there, a wash-stand, chest of drawers, small table and two
chairs. Nothing else. It would be easy to search the whole room.
'Look,
Julian, there's a door between the two rooms,'
said
George, suddenly. 'Two of us can go and hunt there and two here and we can
lock the doors that lead on to the landing, so that no one can come in and
catch us!'
'Good
idea!' said Julian, who was afraid that at any moment someone might come in and
catch them in their search. 'Anne and I will go into the next room, and you and
Dick can search this one. Lock the door that opens on to the landing, Dick, and
I'll lock the one in the other room. We'll leave the connecting-door open, so
that we can whisper to one another.'
Quietly
the boy slipped through the connecting-door into the second room, which was very
like the first. That was empty too. Julian went over to the door that led to
the landing, and turned the key in the lock. He heard Dick doing the same to
the door in the other room. He heaved a big sigh. Now he felt safe!
'Anne,
turn up the rugs and see if any papers are hidden there,' he said. 'Then look
under the chair-cushions and strip the bed to see if anything is hidden under
the mattress.'
Anne
set to work, and Julian began to hunt too. He started on the chest of drawers,
which he thought would be a very likely place to hide things in. The children's
hands were shaking, as they felt here and there for the lost papers. It was so
terribly exciting.
They
wondered where the two men were. Down in the warm kitchen, perhaps. It was cold
up here in the bedrooms, and they would not want to be away from the warmth.
They could not go out because the snow was piled in great drifts round Kirrin
Farm-house!
Dick
and George were searching hard in the other
room.
They looked in every drawer. They stripped the bed. They turned up rugs and
carpet. They even put their hands up the big chimney-place!
'Julian?
Have you found anything?' asked Dick in a low voice, appearing at the door
between the two rooms.
'Not
a thing,' said Julian, rather gloomily. They've hidden the papers well! I only
hope they haven't got them on them - in their pockets, or something!'
Dick
stared at him in dismay. He hadn't thought of that. 'That would be sickening!'
he said.
'You
go back and hunt everywhere - simply everywhere I' ordered Julian. 'Punch the
pillows to see if they've stuck them under the pillow-case!'
Dick
disappeared. Rather a lot of noise came from his room. It sounded as if he were
doing a good deal of punching!
Anne
and Julian went on hunting too. There was simply nowhere that they did not
look. They even turned the pictures round to see if the papers had been stuck
behind one of them. But there was nothing to be found. It was bitterly
disappointing.
'We
can't go without finding them,' said Julian, in desperation. 'It was such a bit
of luck to get here like this, down the Secret Way - right into the bedrooms!
We simply must find those papers!'
'I
say,' said Dick, appearing again, 'I can hear voices! Listen!'
All
four children listened. Yes - there were men's voices - just outside the
bedroom doors!
Chapter
Sixteen
THE
CHILDREN ARE DISCOVERED
'WHAT
shall we do?' whispered George. They had all tiptoed to the first room, and
were standing together, listening.
'We'd
better go down the Secret Way again,' said Julian.
'Oh
no, we ...' began George, when she heard the handle of the door being turned.
Whoever was trying to get in, could not open the door. There was an angry
exclamation, and then the children heard Mr. Wilton's voice. "Thomas! My
door seems to have stuck. Do you mind if I come through your bedroom and see
what's the matter with this handle ?'
'Come
right along!' came the voice of Mr. Thomas. There was the sound of footsteps
going to the outer door of the second room. Then there was the noise of a
handle being turned and shaken.
'What's
this!' said Mr. Wilton, in exasperation. 'This won't open, either. Can the
doors be locked ?'
'It
looks like it!' said Mr. Thomas.
There
was a pause. Then the children distinctly heard a few words uttered in a low
voice. 'Are the papers safe? Is anyone after them ?'
'They're
in your room, aren't they ?' said Mr. Thomas. There was another pause. The
children looked at one another. So the men had got the papers - and what was
more, they were in the room! The very room the children stood in! They looked
round it eagerly, racking their brains to think of some place they had not yet
explored.
'Quick!
Hunt round again whilst we've time/ whispered Julian. 'Don't make a noise.'
On
tiptoe the children began a thorough hunt once more. How they searched! They even
opened the pages of the books on the table, thinking that the papers might have
been slipped in there. But they could find nothing.
'Hie,
Mrs. Sanders!' came Mr. Wilton's voice. 'Have you by any chance locked these
two doors ? We can't get in!'
'Dear
me!' said the voice of Mrs. Sanders from the stairs. 'I'll come along and see.
I certainly haven't locked any doors!'
Once
again the handles were turned, but the doors would not open. The men began to
get very impatient.
'Do
you suppose anyone is in our rooms ?' Mr. Wilton asked Mrs. Sanders.
She
laughed.
'Well
now, sir, who would be in your rooms ? There's only me and Mr. Sanders in the
house, and you know as well as I do that no one can come in from outside, for
we're quite snowed up. I don't understand it - the locks of the doors must have
slipped.'
Anne
was lifting up the wash-stand jug to look underneath, at that moment. It was
heavier than she thought, and she had to let it down again suddenly. It struck
the
marble
wash-stand with a crash, and water slopped out all over the place!
Everyone
outside the door heard the noise. Mr. Wilton banged on the door and rattled the
handle.
'Who's
there? Let us in or you'll be sorry! What are you doing in there ?'
'Idiot,
Anne!' said Dick. 'Now they'll break the door down!'
That
was exactly what the two men intended to do! Afraid that someone was
mysteriously in their room, trying to find the stolen papers, they went quite
mad, and began to put their shoulders to the door, and heave hard. The door
shook and creaked.
'Now
you be careful what you're doing!' cried the indignant voice of Mrs. Sanders.
The men took no notice. There came a crash as they both tried out their double
strength on the door.
'Quick!
We must go!' said Julian. 'We mustn't let the men know how we got here, or we
shan't be able to come and hunt another time. Anne, George, Dick - get back to
the cupboard quickly!'
The
children raced for the clothes cupboard. Til go first and help you down,' said
Julian. He got out on to the narrow ledge and found the iron foot-holds with
his feet. Down he went, torch held between his teeth as usual.
 George is a good climber - she can easily get down herself.'
Anne
was slow at climbing down. She was terribly excited, rather frightened, and so
afraid of falling that
she
hardly dared to feel for each iron staple as she went down.
'Buck
up, Anne!' whispered Dick, above her. 'The men have almost got the door down!'
There
were tremendous sounds coming from the bedroom door. At any moment now it might
break down, and the men would come racing in. Dick was thankful when he could
begin to climb down the wall!
George
was hidden among the clothes in the cupboard, waiting her turn to climb down.
As she stood there, trying in vain to go over any likely hiding-place in her
mind, her hands felt something rustly in the pocket of a coat, she was standing
against. It was a mackintosh coat, with big pockets. The little girl's heart
gave a leap.
Suppose
the papers had been left in the pocket of the coat the man had on when he took
them from Mr. Roland? That was the only place the children had not searched -
the pockets of the coats in the cupboard! With trembling fingers the girl felt
in the pocket where the rustling was.
She
drew out a sheaf of papers. It was dark in the cupboard, and she could not see
if they were the ones she was hunting for, or not - but how she hoped they
were! She stuffed them up the front of her jersey, for she had no big pocket,
and whispered to Dick:
'Can
I come now?'
CRASH!
The door fell in with a terrific noise, and the two men leapt into the room.
They looked round. It was empty! But there was the water spilt on the wash-
stand
and on the floor. Someone must be there somewhere !
'Look
in the cupboard!' said Mr. Thomas.
George
crept out of the clothes and on to the narrow ledge, beyond the place where the
false back of the cupboard used to be. It was still hidden sideways in the
wall.  She had not enough strength to close it
completely, but she hoped that now she was safe!
The
men went to the cupboard and felt about in the clothes for anyone who might
possibly be hiding there. Mr. Wilton gave a loud cry.
'The
papers are gone! They were in this pocket! There's not a sign of them. Quick,
Thomas, we must find the thief and get them back!'
The
men did not notice that the cupboard seemed to go farther back than usual. They
stepped away from it now that they were sure no one was there, and began to
hunt round the room.
By
now all the children except George were at the bottom of the hole, standing in
the Secret Way, waiting impatiently for George to come down. Poor George was in
such a hurry to get down that she caught her skirt or\ one of the staples, and
had to stand in a very dangerous position trying to disentangle it.
'Come
on, George, for goodness sake!' said Julian.
Timothy
jumped up at the wall. He could feel the fear and excitement of the waiting
children, and it upset him. He wanted George. Why didn't she come? Why was she
up that dark hole ? Tim was unhappy about her.

'Shut
up, Tim!' said Julian.
Tim
howled again, and the weird sound echoed round and about in a queer manner.
Anne was terrified, and she began to cry. Timothy howled again and again. Once
he began to howl it was difficult to stop him.
The
men in the bedroom above heard the extraordinary noise, and stopped in
amazement.
'Whatever's
that ?' said one.
'Sounds
like a dog howling in the depths of the earth,5 said the other.
Tunny!'
said Mr. Wilton. 'It seems to be coming from the direction of that cupboard.'
He
went over to it and opened the door. Tim chose that moment to give a specially
mournful howl, and Mr. Wilton jumped. He got into the cupboard and felt about
at the back. The oak door there gave way beneath his hand, and he felt it open.
'Thomas!
There's something queer here,' called Mr. Wilton. 'Bring my torch off the
table.'
Tim
howled again and the noise made Mr. Wilton shiver! Tim had a peculiarly
horrible howl. It came echoing up the hole, and burst out into the cupboard.
Mr.
Thomas got the torch. The men shone it at the back of the cupboard, and gave an
exclamation.
'Look
at that! There's a door here! Where does it lead to?'
Mrs.
Sanders, who had been watching everything in surprise and indignation, angry
that her door should have been broken down, came up to the cupboard.
'My!'
she said. 'I knew there was a false back to that cupboard but I didn't know
there was another door behind it too! That must be the entrance to the Secret
Way that people used in the old days.'
'Where
does it lead to ?' rapped out Mr. Wilton.
'Goodness
knows!' said Mrs. Sanders. 'I never took much interest in such things.'
'Come
on, Thomas - we must go down,' said Mr. Wilton, shining his torch into the square
black hole, and seeing the iron foot-holds set in the stone. 'This is where the
thief went. He can't have got far. We'll go after him. We've got to get those
papers back!'
It
was not long before the two men had swung themselves over the narrow ledge and
down into the hole, feeling with their feet for the iron staples. Down they
went and down, wondering where they were coming to. There was no sound below
them. Clearly the thief had got away!
George
had got down at last. Tim almost knocked her over in his joy. She put her hand
on his head. 'You old silly!' she said. 'I believe you've given our secret
away! Quick, Ju we must go, because those men will be after us in a minute.
They could easily hear Tim's howling!'
Julian
took Anne's hand. 'Come along, Anne,' he said. 'You must run as fast as you
can. Hurry now! Dick, keep with George.'
The
four of them hurried down the dark, narrow passage. What a long way they had to
go home! If only the passage wasn't such a long one! The children's hearts were
beating painfully as they made haste, stumbling as they went.

Half-leading half-dragging Anne, Julian hurried along. Behind them they heard a
shout.
'Look!
There's a light ahead! That's the thief! Come on, we'll soon get him!'
Chapter
Seventeen GOOD OLD TIM!
'HURRY,
Anne, do hurry!' shouted Dick, who was just behind.
Poor
Anne was finding it very difficult to get along quickly. Pulled by Julian and
pushed by Dick, she almost fell two or three times. Her breath came in loud
pants, and she felt as if she would burst.
'Let
rne have a rest!' she panted. But there was no time for that, with the two men
hurrying after them! They came to the piece that was widened out, where the
rocky bench was, and Anne looked longingly at it. But the boys hurried her on.
Suddenly
the little girl caught her foot on a stone and fell heavily, almost dragging
Julian down with her. She tried to get up, and began to cry.
'I've
hurt my foot! I've twisted it! Oh, Julian, it hurts me to walk.'
'Well,
you've just got to come along, darling,' said Julian, sorry for his little
sister, but knowing that they would all be caught if he was not firm. 'Hurry as
much as you can.'
But
now it was impossible for Anne to go fast.  Dick cast a
look behind him and saw the light of the men's torches coming nearer and
nearer. Whatever were they to do?
'I'll
stay here with Tim and keep them off,' said George, suddenly. 'Here, take these
papers, Dick! I believe they're the ones we want, but I'm not sure till we get
a good light to see them. I found them in a pocket of one of the coats in the
cupboard.'
'Golly!'
said Dick, surprised. He took the sheaf of papers and stuffed them up his
jersey, just as George had stuffed them up hers. They were too big to go into
his trousers pockets. 'I'll stay with you, George, and let the other two go on
ahead.'
'No.
I want the papers taken to safety, in case they are my father's,' said George.
'Go on, Dick! I'll be all right here with Tim. I shall stay here just where the
passage curves round this rocky bit. I'll make Tim bark like mad.'
'Suppose
the men have got revolvers?' said Dick, doubtfully. 'They might shoot him.'
'I
bet they haven't,' said George. 'Do go, Dick! The men are almost here. There's
the light of their torch.'
Dick
sped after the stumbling Anne. He told Julian what George Jbad suggested. 'Good
for George!' said Julian. 'She really is marvellous - not afraid of anything !
She will keep the men off till I get poor old Anne back.'
George
was crouching behind the rocky bit, her hand on Tim's collar, waiting. 'Now,
Tim!' she whispered. 'Bark your loudest. Now!'
 How he barked! He had a simply enormous voice, and the barks went
echoing all down the dark and narrow
passage.
The hurrying men, who were near the rocky piece of the passage, stopped.

'It's
a child shouting,' said one man to another. 'Only a child! Come on!'
Timothy
barked again, and pulled at his collar, He was longing to get at the men. The
light of their torch shone round the bend. George let Tim go, and the big dog
sprang joyfully round the curve to meet his enemies.
They
suddenly saw him by the light of their torch, and he was a very terrifying
sight! To begin with, he was a big dog, and now that he was angry all the hairs
on the back of his neck had risen up, making him look even more enormous. His
teeth were bared and glinted in the torch-light.
The
men did not like the look of him at all. 'If you move one step nearer I'll tell
my dog to fly at you!' shouted George. 'Wait, Tim, wait! Stand there till I
give the word.'
The
dog stood in the light of the torch, growling deeply. He looked an extremely
fierce animal. The men looked at him doubtfully. One man took a step forward
and George heard him. At once she shouted to Tim.
'Go
for him, Tim, go for him!'
Tim
leapt at the man's throat. He took him completely by surprise and the man fell
to the ground with a thud, trying to beat off the dog. The other man helped.
'Call
off your dog or we'll hurt him!5 cried the second man.
'It's
much more likely he'll hurt you I' said George,
coming
out from behind the rock and enjoying the fun. 'Tim, come off.'
Tim
came away from the man he was worrying, looking up at his mistress as if to say
'I was having such a good time! Why did you spoil it ?'
'Who
are you ?' said the man on the ground.
Tm
not answering any of your questions,' said George. 'Go back to Kirrin
Farm-house, that's my advice to you.
The
men turned and went back the way they had come. They neither of them wanted to
face Tim again. George waited until she could no longer see the light of their
torch, then she bent down and patted Timothy.
'Brave,
good dog!' she said.  Come along - we'll hurry after the others now. I expect those two
men will explore this passage some time tonight, and won't they get a shock
when they find out where it leads to, and see who is waiting for them!'
George
hurried along the rest of the long passage, with Tim running beside her. She
had Dick's torch, and it did not take her long to catch the others up. She
panted out to them what had happened, and even poor Anne chuckled in delight
when she heard how Tim had flung Mr. Wilton to the ground.
'Here
we are,' said Julian, as the passage came to a stop below the hole in the study
floor, 'Hallo - what's this?'
A
bright light was shining down the hole, and the
rug
and carpet, so carefully pulled over the hole by Julian, were now pulled back
again. The children gazed up in surprise.
Uncle
Quentin was there, and Aunt Fanny, and when they saw the children's faces
looking up at them from the hole, they were so astonished that they very nearly
fell down the hole too!
'Julian!
Anne! What in the wide world are you doing down there?' cried Uncle Quentin. He
gave them each a hand up, and the four children and Timothy were at last safe
in the warm study. How good it was to feel warm again! They got as near the
fire as they could.
'Children
- what is the meaning of this?' asked Aunt Fanny. She looked white and worried.
'I came into the study to do some dusting, and when I stood on that bit of the
rug, it seemed to give way beneath me. When I pulled it up and turned back the
carpet, I saw that hole -and the hole in the panelling too! And then I found
that all of you had disappeared, and went to fetch your uncle. What has been
happening - and where does that hole lead to?'
Dick
took the sheaf of papers from under his jersey and gave them to George. She
took them and handed them to her father. 'Are these the missing pages?' she
asked.
Her
father fell on them as if they had been worth more than a hundred times their
weight in gold. 'Yes! Yes! They're the pages - all three of them! Thank
goodness they're back. They took me three years to bring to perfection, and
contained the heart of my secret formula. George, where did you get them ?'
'It's
a very long story,' said George. 'You tell it all, Julian, I feel tired.'
Julian
began to tell the tale. He left out nothing. He told how George had found Mr.
Roland snooping about the study - how she had felt sure that the tutor had not
wanted Timmy in the house because the dog gave warning of his movements at
night - how George had seen him talking to the two artists, although he had
said he did not know them. As the tale went on, Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny
looked more and more amazed. They simply could not believe it all.
But
after all, there were the missing papers, safely back. That was marvellous.
Uncle Quentin hugged the papers as if they were a precious baby. He would not
put them down for a moment.
George
told the bit about Timmy keeping the men off the escaping children. 'So you
see, although you made poor Tim live out in the cold, away from me, he really
saved us all, and your papers too,' she said to her father, fixing her
brilliant blue eyes on him.
Her
father looked most uncomfortable. He felt very guilty for having punished
George and Timothy. They had been right about Mr. Roland and he had been wiong.
'Poor
George,' he said, 'and poor Timmy. I'm sorry about all that.'
George
did not bear malice once anyone had owned themselves to be in the wrong. She
smiled at her father.
'It's
all right,' she said. 'But don't you think that as I was punished unfairly, Mr.
Roland might be punished well and truly ? He deserves it!'
'Oh,
he shall be, certainly he shall be,' promised her father. 'He's up in bed with
a cold, as you know. I hope he doesn't hear any of this, or he may try to
escape.'
'He
can't,' said George. 'We're snowed up. You could ring up the police, and
arrange for them to come here as soon as ever they can manage it, when the snow
has cleared. And I rather think those other two men will try to explore the secret
way as soon as possible, to get the papers back. Could we catch them when they
arrive, do you think?'
'Rather!'
said Uncle Quentin, though Aunt Fanny looked as if she didn't want any more
exciting things to happen! 'Now look here, you seem really frozen all of you,
and you must be hungry too, because it's almost dinner-time.
Then we'll talk about what to do.'
Nobody
said a word to Mr. Roland, of course. He lay in bed, coughing now and then.
George had slipped up and locked his door.
They
all enjoyed their hot dinner, and became warm and cosy. It was nice to sit
there together, talking over their adventure, and planning what to do.
'I
will telephone to the police, of course,' said Uncle Quentin. 'And tonight we
will put Timmy into the study to give the two artists a good welcome if they
arrive!'
Mr.
Roland was most annoyed to find his door locked that afternoon when he took it
into his head to dress and go downstairs. He banged on it indignantly. George
grinned
and went upstairs. She had told the other children how she had locked the door.
'What's
the matter, Mr. Roland?' she asked, in a polite voice.
'Oh,
it's you, George, is it?' said the tutor. 'Well, see what's the matter with my
door, will you ? I can't open it.'
George
had pocketed the key when she had locked the door. She answered Mr. Roland in a
cheerful voice.
'Oh
Mr. Roland, there's no key in your door, so I can't unlock it. I'll see if I
can find it!'
Mr.
Roland was angry and puzzled. He couldn't understand why his door was locked
and the key gone. He did not guess that everyone knew about him now. Uncle
Quentin laughed when George went down and told him about the locked door.
'He
may as well be kept a prisoner,' he said. 'He can't escape now.'
That
night, everyone went to bed early, and Timmy was left in the study, guarding
the hole. Mr. Roland had become more and more angry and puzzled when his door
was not unlocked. He had shouted for Uncle Quentin, but only George had come.
He could not understand it. George, of course, was enjoying herself. She made
Timothy bark outside Mr. Roland's door, and this puzzled him too, for he knew
that George was not supposed to see Timmy for\three days. Wild thoughts raced
through his head. Had that fierce, impossible child locked up her father and
mother and Joanna, as well as himself? He could not imagine what had happened.
In
the middle of the night Timmy awoke everyone
by
barking madly. Uncle Quentin and the children hurried downstairs, followed by
Aunt Fanny, and the amazed Joanna. A fine sight met their eyes!
Mr.
Wilton and Mr. Thomas were in the study crouching behind the sofa, terrified of
Timothy, who was barking for all he was worth! Timmy was standing by the hole
in the stone floor, so that the two men could not escape down there. Artful
Timmy! He had waited in silence until the men had crept up the hole into the
study, and were exploring it, wondering where they were - and then the dog had
leapt to the hole to guard it, preventing the men from escaping.
'Good
evening, Mr. Wilton, good evening, Mr. Thomas', said George, in a polite voice.
'Have you come to see our tutor Mr. Roland ?'
'So
this is where he lives!' said Mr. Wilton. 'Was it you in the passage today ?'
'Yes
- and my cousins,' said George. 'Have you come to look for the papers you stole
from my father?'
The
two men were silent. They knew they were caught. Mr. Wilton spoke after a
moment.
'Where's
Roland?'
'Shall
we take these men to Mr. Roland, Uncle?' asked Julian, winking at George.
'Although it's in the middle of the night I'm sure he would love to see them.'
'Yes,'
said his uncle, jumping at once to what the boy meant to do. 'Take them up.
Timmy, you go too.'
The
men followed Julian upstairs, Timmy close at their heels. George followed too,
grinning. She handed Julian the key. He unlocked the door and the men went in,
just as Julian switched on the light. Mr. Roland was
wide
awake and gave an exclamation of complete amazement when he saw his friends.
Before
they had time to say a word Julian locked the door again and threw the key to
George.
 'We will leave old Tim outside the door
to guard them. It's impossible to get out of that window, and anyway, we're
snowed up if they could escape that way.'
Everyone
went to bed again, but the children found it difficult to sleep after such an
exciting time. Anne and George whispered together and so did Julian and Dick.
There was such a lot to talk about.
Next
day there was a surprise for everyone. The police did arrive after all! The
snow did not stop them, for somewhere or other they had got skis and had come
skimming along valiantly to see the prisoners! It was a great excitement for
everyone.
'We
won't take the men away, sir, till the snow has gone,' said the Inspector.
'We'll just put the handcuffs on them, so that they don't try any funny tricks.
You keep the door locked too, and that dog outside. They'll be safe there for a
day or two. We've taken them enough food till we come back again. If they go a
bit short, it will serve them right!'
The
snow melted two days later, and the police took away Mr. Roland and the others.
The children watched them go.
'No
more lessons these holls!' said Anne gleefully.
'No
more shutting Timothy out of the house,' said George.
'You
were right and we were wrong, George,' said
Julian.
'You were fierce, weren't you -,but it's a jolly good thing you were!'
'She
is fierce, isn't she?' said Dick, giving the girl a sudden hug. 'But I rather
like her when she's fierce, don't you, Julian ? Oh George, we do have
marvellous adventures with you! I wonder if we'll have any more?'
They
will - there isn't a doubt of that!
THE
END


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