“It would have to-night if we hadn't stopped up the hole. Something's been helping it to gnaw through.”
“Has it?” said Wag. “My word! that looks bad. What was it made the hole?”
Some called out, “A bat,” and some “A rat.”
“It doesn't matter much for that,” said Slim, “so long as it's safe now. Where is it?”
“Gone down to the bottom and saying awful things,” Red answered.
“Well, I am obliged to you,” I said. “Anything else?”
“There's a lot of this stuff under the floor,” said Dart, pointing with his foot at a half-crown which lay on the table.
“Is there? Whereabouts?” said I. “Oh, but I was forgetting; I can look after that myself.”
“Yes, of course you can,” they said; “and lots of things happened here before you came. We were watching. The old man and the woman, they were the worst, weren't they, Red?”
“Do you mean you've been here before?” I asked.