"Stuff and nonsense! A pack of old women's tales!" said Ned. "If no one saw him come out of the cave, it was because he knew of some underground passage that would lead him to the top of the cliff. I have been thinking there might be something of the kind, and I mean to find out one of these days."
They had gained the top of the path, and were but a few yards from the old tower, when they were startled by the sound of a fierce bark, and a large dog sprang towards them from among the bushes. Convinced that their guilty plans had been found out they fled in desperate haste, tumbling over each other as they ran down the slope, pursued by the angry dog, till at last he was recalled by a whistle from above.
Mr. Fletcher with his dog had lingered till a late hour on the cliff to watch the grandeur of the storm. He had noted the light shining in the tower of Egloshayle House, but having so recently come into the neighbourhood he was unaware that it was unusual.
He wondered what the men were about whom his dog had disturbed. The haste with which they fled seemed to suggest that they were there for no good purpose. After waiting for some minutes to see if they would return, he walked away, resolved to give Mrs. Bryden a warning on the following day.
Ere dawn the gale had subsided, though the day proved wet and rough. About noon the rain ceased. Mr. Fletcher took a stroll with his pupil, but saw nothing of the boys and their mother. Later in the afternoon he went out again, and was entering the glen, when he saw Mrs. Bryden running down the steep path from the house, and hastened to join her, for her appearance instantly conveyed to him the idea that something was wrong.
"Oh, Mr. Fletcher," she cried breathlessly, "have you seen my boys?"
"No," he said; "have you lost them? Oh, do not look so distressed. They cannot be far off. Where did they go?"
"I wish I knew," she said. "This morning, as it was wet, I let them go and play in the old, unused part of the house. I was very busy all the morning, and I left them to themselves till dinner-time. Then I went to call them, but there was no response to my call. Thinking they were hiding for fun, I went into all the rooms and up to the tower, searching in every nook and corner; but could find them nowhere. Since then we have looked in every possible place. Oh, you cannot think how frightened I am!"
"Oh, but you must not give way to fear," he said. "Depend on it, they grew tired of being indoors, and, when they saw the rain was over, they went out. But we shall come upon them somewhere presently."
"How could they get out?" she asked. "The door below the tower, which opens on to the down, we found bolted."