Chapter Twelve

OUT ON THE HILLS

Timmy didn’t find skiing any fun at all, because, not being fitted with skis, he couldn’t keep up with the others, when they tore down the hill at top speed!
At first he plunged after them, but when he jumped into a great soft heap of snow, and buried himself completely, he decided that this kind of winter sport was not for him! He clambered out of the snow-heap, shook the snow off his coat, and stared forlornly after the shouting children.
They had skied before, and were quite good at it. The hill down which they went was very long, and had a fine slope. It ran smoothly into the upward slope of the next hill, on which Old Towers house had been built.
Julian did a marvellous run down, and went swinging on up the opposite hill. He called to the others.
“I say - what about going up to the top of this hill, because we’re already part of the way up - and ski-ing down, and partly up our own slope again. It would save time, and give us a jolly good second ski-run.”
All but Anne thought this was a very good idea. She said nothing, and Dick looked at her.
“She’s scared of going up Old Towers Hill!” he said. “Are you afraid of the big, big dog, Anne, who lies under it and growls at night, or of the lank-haired witches that sit on the hill and make their smoky spells?”
“Don’t be silly,” said Anne, cross with Dick for reading her thoughts. She didn’t believe in either dog or witches, but somehow she did not like that hill! “I’m coming too, of course!”
So she toiled up the opposite hill with the others, quite ready to enjoy the lovely run down, and to end half-way up their own hill.
“Look - you can see Old Towers quite clearly now,” said George to Julian. She was right. There, not far off, was the great old house, set with towers, built cosily into the side of the steep hill.
They stood still and looked at it. “We can even see down into a few of the rooms,” said Julian. “I wonder if the old lady is still there - Mrs. Thomas - the one that Aily’s mother used to go and work for?”
“Poor old thing - I’m sorry for her if she is,” said George. “Seeing nobody - keeping out all her friends! I wish we could go and enquire at the house for something - pretend we’ve lost our way, and snoop round a bit. But there’s that fierce dog.”
“Yes - we don’t want any more fights,” said Julian. “Now - we’re almost at the top. We’ll wait for the others and then have a race. What a wonderful slope!”
“Julian - look - is that someone at one of the tower windows - the one to the right?” said George suddenly, as they stood waiting, looking down at the big old house some way off below them. Julian looked at the tower at once, just in time to see someone disappear.
“Yes. It was someone! ” he said. “Someone staring at us, I think. I expect no one ever comes near this hill, and it must have been a surprise to look out and see us! Did you make out if it was a man or a woman?”
“A woman, I think,” said George. “Could it have been old Mrs. Thomas, do you think? Oh, Ju - you don’t suppose she’s being kept prisoner in that tower, do you - while her horrid son and his friends gradually steal everything? You know we heard that vans went up to the house in the middle of the night.”
“Hallo, you two!” said Dick, labouring up with Anne. “What a climb! Still, the run down will be worth it. I simply must have a rest first, though!”
“Dick, George and I thought we saw someone at the tower window there - the one on the right,” said Julian. “When we get back we’ll get our field-glasses and train them on to that window. We might possibly see some sign of anyone there!”
Dick and Anne stared hard at the tower window - and as they looked, someone drew the curtains swiftly across!
“There - we’ve been seen - and we’re not going to be encouraged to look at the old place!” said Julian. “No wonder there are queer stories about it! Come on, now - let’s start our run down!”
They set off together, each taking a different line. Whooooooosh! The wind blew in their faces as they flew down the white slope, gasping in delight at their speed. Julian and Anne slid swiftly all the way down the first slope and half-way up the next - but Dick and George were not so fortunate. They both caught their skis in something, and shot into the air and then down into the soft snow. They lay there breathless, almost dazed with the sudden stoppage.
“Whew!” said Dick, at last. “What a shock! Is that you, George? Are you all right?”
“I think so,” said George. “One ankle feels a bit queer - no, I think it’s all right! Hallo, here’s Tim! He must have seen us fall, and come rushing down to help. It’s all right, Tim. We’re not hurt. It’s all part of the fun!”
As they lay there, getting their breath, half-way down the first slope, a loud voice shouted in the distance.
“Hey there! You keep off this slope!”
Dick sat up straight at once. He saw a tall fellow wading through the snow towards them, from the direction of Old Towers, looking angry.
“We’re only skiing!” shouted back Dick. “And we’re not doing any harm! Who are you?”
“I’m the caretaker,” shouted the man, nodding his head towards Old Towers. “This field belongs to the house. So keep off it! ”
“We’ll come and ask permission of the owners,” yelled Dick, standing up, thinking this might be a good way of having a look at the house.
“You can’t. There’s no one else here but me!” shouted back the man. “I’m the caretaker, I tell you. I’ll set my dog on you all, if you don’t do what I say!”
“That’s funny,” said Dick to George, as the man waded back through the snow. “He says he’s the only one in the house - and yet we saw someone in the right-hand tower only a few minutes ago! The caretaker wouldn’t have had time to have got here from the tower - so he isn’t the only one in the house. There is someone in the tower as well. Queer, isn’t it?”
George had held Timmy by the collar all the time the man was speaking. Timmy had growled at the man’s angry voice, and George was afraid he might fly at him. Then, if the other dog appeared, there might be a fight! That would be dreadful! Timmy might get bitten again.
She and Dick tried their skis to see if they were still properly fixed, after their fall - and then went smoothly gliding off again. The others were waiting at the top of the hill for them.
“Who was that man? What was he shouting about?” demanded Julian. “Did he actually come from Old Towers?”
“Yes - and a surly fellow he was, too,” said Dick. “He ordered us to keep off that slope - said it belonged to Old Towers and he was the caretaker - and when we said we’d go and ask permission from the owners, he said he was the only one in the house! But we know different.”
“Yes. We do,” said Julian, puzzled. “Why should it matter to anyone if we ski down that particular slope? Are they afraid we might see something in the house - as we did! And why tell a lie and say there was no one else there? Did he sound like a caretaker?”
“Well - he didn’t sound Welsh!” said George. “And I should have thought that any owners would have chosen someone trustworthy from the village, someone Welsh, wouldn’t you? This is all rather mysterious!”
“And if you add to it all the strange noises and things, it’s extremely curious,” said Dick. “In fact, I feel it might be worth enquiring into!”
“No,” said Anne. “Don’t let’s spoil our holiday. It’s such a short one.”
“Well - I don’t see how we can enquire into the matter,” said George. “I’m certainly not going to that house while the dog is there - and there’s no other way of making enquiries - even if they would get us anywhere, which I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t!”
“I say - do you know that it’s almost one o’clock?” said Anne, pleased to change the subject. “Isn’t anybody hungry?”
“Yes - I’m ravenous!” said Julian. “But as I thought it was only about half-past eleven, I didn’t like to mention it! Let’s go in and have dinner. I vote we finish up that ham!”
They went to the hut, and there, standing in the snow outside it, were two quart bottles of milk, and a large parcel which Timmy at once went to, wagging his tail eagerly. He gave a little bark.
“He says it’s meat, so it must be for him,” said George with a laugh.
Julian tore off the paper and laughed too. “Well, Timmy’s right,” he said. “ It’s a big piece of cold roast pork. No ham for me, then. I’ll have some of this!”
“Pity we haven’t any apple sauce,” said Dick. “I love it with pork.”
“Well, if you like to wait while I make some on the stove, with a few of the apples we brought...” began Anne. But the others refused at once. No one was going to wait one minute longer for their meal than they could help, apple sauce or not!
It was a merry meal, and certainly the pork was good. Timmy had a piece and thought that George was very mean not to give him the rest of the joint when they had finished with it.
“Oh no, Tim!” said George, as he put an enquiring paw on her knee. “Certainly not. We’re going to finish it up tomorrow! You shall have the bone then.”
“There’s more snow coming,” said Julian, looking out of the window. “I say - who brought the meat and the milk here, do you think?”
“The shepherd, I should imagine, on his way back,” said Dick. “Jolly nice of him. I wonder where that kid Aily is? I’d be scared of her getting caught in the snow, and having to sleep on the hills in it.”
“I expect she’ll look after herself all right and her lamb and dog!” said Julian. “I’d like to see her again - but unless she’s hungry, I don’t expect we shall!”
“Talk of an angel and hear the rustle of her wings!” said Anne. “Here she is!” And sure enough, there was Aily, looking in at the window, holding up her lamb for him to take a peep too!
“Let’s get her in and feed her - and ask her if she knows who lives in Old Towers,” said George. “She might have seen someone in that right-hand tower too, as we did!”
“Right. I’ll call her in,” said Julian, going to the door. “She might know something - always scouring round about the countryside!”
He was right! Aily did know something - something that interested everyone very much!