“Not now. You can do your talking after I have put you in the hands of the law!” And then the old man seemed to walk to another part of the mansion.
“We have got to get out somehow!” said Andy in a low voice.
“I’ve got an idea!” answered Pepper. “Let us examine the floor. Maybe some of the boards are loose.”
Both boys got down and lit matches and examined the floor with care. Pepper moved the old ice-box in doing this, and a long ice-pick fell from it.
“Hurrah, I can use this as a pry!” said the cadet. “Wait till I find a board that looks a little loose.”
Presently he found a board that looked inviting and he managed to get the ice-pick in the crack beside it. By working with care he loosened one end of the board and it came up several inches.
“A coal cellar below,” he said, as he caught sight of some shiny pieces of coal.
“Well, if we can get into that cellar I guess we can get out of the house,” answered his chum.
Making as little noise as possible, the two cadets raised up the board and then took up that next to it. This left an opening just wide enough for them to squeeze through. They looked down and saw that the coal was but a few feet beneath them.
“Here goes!” said Pepper and let himself down with care. As his feet touched the coal some of it slid away, making considerable noise.