While Carl opened both doors, Matt ran the Red Flier into its temporary garage. Just as they had closed the doors and were about to start for the house, Ferral ran up to them out of the darkness.
"Here's a go!" he exclaimed. "I pounded on the front door till I was blue in the face, and no one showed up."
"There's some one in the house, all right," declared Matt. "Carl and I heard them."
"Sure ve dit," struck in Carl, "so blain as anyt'ing. Und dare vas a lighdt, Verral—ve all saw der lighdt."
"Well, there's no noise inside the house now, and no light, either," replied the perplexed Ferral. "What sort of a blooming place is it? As soon as I began pounding on the door, the voices died out and the light vanished from the window."
"Are you positive this is La Vita Place?" asked Matt, with a sudden thought that they might have made a mistake.
Ferral himself had said that he had never been to the ranch before, and it was very possible he had gone wrong in following directions.
"Call me a lubber if I ain't," answered Ferral decidedly. "Come around front and I'll show you."
Together the three boys made their way back through the gloomy grove, turned the corner of the building and brought up at the front door. The house continued dark and silent.
Ferral scratched a match and held the flickering taper at arm's length over his head.