Then a voice answered—a voice which wasn’t that of Danny—it was the voice of the church sexton, Mr. Shull. Bert remembered this voice very well.
“Good gracious!” exclaimed Mr. Shull. “What’s that? Is any one here in the basement?” he asked.
Bert saw the light coming nearer and then he knew the sexton was moving about with one of those small electric flashlights.
“Is anybody here?” asked the sexton again.
“Yes, I am,” answered Bert, but his voice was so weak that the man, as well as he knew Bert, did not recognize the tones.
“Who are you?” called Mr. Shull, coming nearer with the light.
“Bert Bobbsey,” was the answer.
“Good gracious! how did you get here? Why, you’re hurt!” the man cried, as he flashed the light on Bert. “How did it happen?”
He saw Bert lying huddled on a pile of bags and old pieces of carpet just beneath the open trapdoor. But for the moment the sexton did not think of the opening in the floor above. So Bert said:
“I came in here——” He was going to tell why he entered, then he happened to think perhaps this would not be wise. He did not want to mention Danny Rugg. “I saw the door open and I came in,” went on Bert. “It was dark, and I walked across the vestibule, and then I fell down the trapdoor. I guess I’ve been here a long while.”