Harry stopped speaking, and we all three gazed at the far-away ties and handkerchiefs.
“Father will be awfully angry,” said Harry; “and, by Jove! Jack, you’ll get it for coming up when he told you not to.”
Jack was looking exceedingly troubled at this piece of information, when a voice in our rear observed:
“Well, young gentlemen, this is a pretty piece of work!”
We turned round quickly, and perceived that a grimy head, clad in a rough tweed cap, had been poked through the trapdoor which led onto the top of the tower, and that a pair of brown eyes belonging to the same was watching us with considerable interest.
“Oh, Tom, is that you?” exclaimed Harry. “This is the[{52}] very man I was telling you about,” he continued, turning to me.
Tom Cartwright, after showing us his head, next proceeded to manifest that he possessed a body and a complete set of limbs, by hoisting himself through the trap and standing upright on the roof.
“I’ve been mending a window,” he explained, “and saw you go up the staircase, although you didn’t see me.”
“How are we to get it down?” asked Harry despondingly, pointing to his flag.
Tom jerked and pulled the ropes for some little time, and at length gave it as his opinion that nothing short of “climbin’ would do it.”