The House of Arden · Chapter 4 (2/2)

And as the children ran towards the house they knew that every man in that crowd would now be ready to risk his life to save from the sea those Frenchies whom they had sat up all night to kill with swords and scythes and bills and meat-choppers. Men are queer creatures!

To get out of it⁠—back to the safe quiet of a life without shipwrecks and witches⁠—that was all Elfrida wanted. Holding the mole in one hand and dragging Edred by the other, she got back to the castle and in at the open front door, up the stairs, and straight to a door⁠—she knew it would be the right one, and it was.

There was the large attic with the beams, and the long, wonderful row of chests under the sloping roof. And the moment the door was shut, the raging noise of the winds ceased, as the flaring noise of gas ceases when you turn it off. And now once more the golden light filtered through the chinks of the tiles, and outside was the “tick, tick” of moving pigeon feet, the rustling of pigeon feathers, and the cooroocoo of pigeon voices.

On the ground lay their own clothes. “Change,” said the white mole, a little out of breath because it had been held very tight and carried very fast.

And the moment they began to put on their own clothes it seemed that the pigeon noises came closer and closer, and somehow helped them out of the prickly clothes of 1807 and back into the comfortable sailor suits of 1907.

“Did ye find the treasure?” the mole asked, and the children answered⁠—

“Why no; we never thought of it.”

“It don’t make no odds,” said the mole. “ ’Twaren’t dere.”

“There?” said Elfrida. “Then we’re here? We’re now again, I mean? We’re not then?”

“Oh, you’re now, sure enough,” said the mole, “and won’t you catch it! Dame Honeysett’s been raising the countryside arter ye. Next time ye go gallivantin’ into old ancient days you’d best set the clock back. Young folks don’t know everything. Get along down and take your scolding.

“What must be must.

If you can’t get crumb, you must put up with crust.

Goodbye.”

It ran under one of the chests, and Edred and Elfrida were left looking at each other in the attic between the rows of chests.

“Do you like adventures?” said Edred slowly.

“Yes,” said Elfrida firmly; “and so do you. Come along down.”