"Now, to rescue the imprisoned maidens," he laughed, turning to the engineer.
It took but a few moments for the little party to reach the third floor. Then from above came a plaintive voice.
"If you'll just touch George Washington on the left-hand side of the—the frame—he'll move—and——"
For a moment, John Westley, staring at the panel, wondered if he were crazy or if Gyp and Jerry——
"We got in—that way," the voice explained. "You can't open the other door! And please hurry—it's dreadfully dark and——"
The truth flashed over Graham. "Of all things! A secret door!" he shouted. He put his shoulder to the huge box of books that had been shoved close to the picture, until it could be unpacked. "Give a hand here!" he commanded excitedly.
They all obeyed him—even Barbara Lee, next to Uncle Johnny, shoved with all the strength of her muscular arms. And Uncle Johnny commenced to chuckle softly.
"The imps," he muttered. "Trapped in their lair."
The box well out of the way, Graham pressed the left-hand side of the panel picture and it swung out under his amazed eyes, revealing a white-faced Gyp standing in the narrow aperture, and Jerry close behind. Their big, frightened eyes blinked in the flashlight.
Uncle Johnny managed to embrace both at once. He wisely asked no explanations, for he could see that tears were not far away. Barbara Lee hugged them, too, and the assistant janitor, who had a girl of his own and at the suggestion of dragging the lake, had been startled "out of a year's growth" as he said afterwards (though he was six feet tall, then), beamed on them as though he would like to caress them, too. Graham was excitedly swinging the panel back and forth and peering longingly up the dark, narrow stairway.