“Rock Armitage,” says Pekoe.
“Huh!” says Mark in a sort of disappointed tone. Then in a second he says: “What made you come back again? And how did the Man With the Black Gloves know you was comin’ so as to l-l-lay for you?”
“I come back because—”
Just then Rock began to cough like the mischief, and we dassent stop, but rushed right to the stairs. Rock looked up and motioned us back, and we could hear Jethro coming up the stairs from the ground floor. Rock hadn’t signaled us quick enough so we could get down, and there we were, caught on the top floor of that house without any chance I could see but what we’d be caught by Jethro, and then there’d be a fine mess of fish.
But Mark he never stopped to think. He just grabbed my arm and hauled me back along the hall. We stopped back from the stairs and heard Jethro ask Rock what he was doing there, and Rock said he was just going to his room for something. And then Jethro started up to the third floor.
Well, if he got to the top of those stairs he’d see us, for there wasn’t anything to hide us. Mark reached out quick and tried a door. It wasn’t locked, thank goodness, and he jerked it open and in we popped. It was a stairway leading up to the attic or something, and you’d better believe we went up some fast and considerable quiet.
“Huh!” I whispered when we were up there. “We’re in a lovely boat now. Four stories up.”
“I dunno,” says Mark. “It might be worse.”
“Yes,” says I, “we might be up eight stories.”
“Anyhow,” says he, “we’re in the h-h-house.”