"We can't tell any one," said Daisy.
"I should think not!" said Larry. "Whatever in the world shall we do about it? "
"We must find out how it was that Mr. Hick got on the London train that night," said Fatty. "Look - we're near the railway line here. The London trains always come by
here, and there's one due. Let's see what happens."
The children climbed on to the fence by the railway and sat there, waiting. Soon they saw a cloud of smoke in the distance. The train was coming. It came roaring along -but when it reached one portion of the line, it slowed down, and finally it stopped.
"It always stops there," said Bets. "I've noticed that. Perhaps it gets water or something."
It was too far away to see why it had stopped. Anyway it soon started up again, and puffed by the five children. Buster ran away behind a bush when it came. He was afraid of the noise.
Fatty was again thinking very deeply. So was Larry. "Listen," said Fatty. "Is it possible for any one at night to wait for the train just there, and hop into an empty carriage, do you think? Then, at Peterswood Station, if he had a season ticket, people would never know he hadn't come all the way from London."
"Fatty, I believe you're right!" said Larry. "I was just thinking the very same thing myself. I believe Hiccup could have done it. Pretended to go to London - slipped back - hid in the ditch, leaving those few footprints behind him - fired the cottage - slipped back to the railway line just there - waited till the train stopped, as it always does - hopped into an empty carriage in the dark - and then got out as cool as a cucumber, to be met by his car and chauffeur at the station!"
The more the children thought about this, the more certain they felt that Mr. Hick might have done it. "After all," said Bets, "A man that could break his faithful promise could do anything, simply anything."