[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
paw, picked them up in his mouth and carried them round to the other side of the tree and dropped
them there.
"But they must be out of sight, Wrolf," said Maria.
"I hate litter." And she gave them a vigorous push beneath a root. To her surprise, as she pushed the
ground gave way beneath her hand and she nearly fell forward.
"Look, Robin!" she cried. "It's just space down below!"
Robin came and knelt beside her and peering down they saw that there was a great hollow beneath
the pine tree. It would be quite possible for a small person to push his or her way between the roots
and creep inside it.
154
"Well!" said Robin. "One could live down there and nobody would know where one was. Now we'd
better go on again, Wrolf seems ready."
So they went on as before, Wrolf leading, on and on into the dark depths of the wood, that got
deeper and darker the further they penetrated, until at last it was so dark that they could hardly see
their way at all. And then it got lighter and at last Robin said, "Look, Maria!"
They had come to the edge of a clearing in the wood, a desolate place like a quarry strewn with
boulders, with stagnant pools of water between the rocks. On three sides the rock rose up sheer like
a wall and crowning the wall the way they were facing was a castle built foursquare like a tower, so
old that it looked like part of the rock upon which it was built. Upon each side of it, except just this
side where its great gate looked down upon the clearing, the pine trees closed about it with the
darkness of night. It was a terrifying castle. The only way to reach it, as far as Maria could see, was
to climb up the flight of steps that had been cut in the cliff beneath; and to do that they would have
to leave the shelter of the pine trees and cross the clearing under the eyes of whoever might be
looking out of that window above the gate.
"There's another way," whispered Robin. "Wrolf showed it to me when we were here before. Look,
he's leading us that way now."
They went back among the pine trees, turned to their left in a wide half-circle and began to climb
steeply upwards, climbing over the rocks that had pushed themselves out of the ground between the
pine trees, and pushing their way through thickets of bramble bushes. Maria had to dismount and
lead Periwinkle, and Robin carried Zachariah and Wiggins, one under each arm, so that their thick
fur should not catch in the brambles. Then they swerved round to the right again, and they had come
right round to the back of the castle. Its frowning walls rose sheer up above them. But there was no
door here. No window even. Nothing but the great high wall, as high as the tallest pine tree, with
battlements along the top.
"We climb up the tallest tree, and then onto the battlements," explained Robin airily. "I tried it the
other day to see if it could be done, and it's quite easy."
"I don't believe Wrolf will find it easy," said Maria.
"Oh, the animals won't be able to get up," said Robin cheerfully. "We'll have to go alone."
155
Go inside there without Wrolf? Maria's heart sank right down into her shoes. But she didn't say a
word. She just tucked up her habit and prepared to follow Robin up the pine tree. The branches
grew low down on the trunk and if she put her feet where Robin told her it would not be difficult.
But Wiggins wasn't going to be left behind with Wrolf, not if he knew it. Wrolf might eat him.
Before Maria was two feet off the ground he stood up on his hind legs against the tree and began to
whimper pitifully.
"Robin," said Maria, "I can't leave Wiggins behind. He always goes where I go."
"Pass him up to me then," said Robin good-humoredly. "I can hold him with one hand and climb
with the other quite easily."
So they descended, picked up Wiggins, and started once again. When they were halfway up Maria,
feeling safer, dared to look down. Wrolf and Periwinkle and Serena were standing side by side at
the foot of the pine tree with expressions of bland satisfaction and approval upon their furry faces.
But Zachariah, Maria was astonished to see, was climbing up the tree just behind her. He was
coming too. Somehow the presence of Zachariah made Maria feel much safer. He might be only a
cat, but he was no ordinary cat.
The topmost branch of the pine tree stretched like a bridge from the tree trunk to the battlements
and had it not been for the awful drop below it would have been perfectly easy to wriggle along it.
Had there only been a few feet between the branch and the ground Maria would have thought
nothing of it. As it was, Robin seemed to think nothing of it. He wriggled across, with Wiggins
under one arm, in the most carefree manner possible. But when it came to Maria's turn she felt that
she just simply could not do it. There seemed miles and miles of space beneath her. She just could [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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paw, picked them up in his mouth and carried them round to the other side of the tree and dropped
them there.
"But they must be out of sight, Wrolf," said Maria.
"I hate litter." And she gave them a vigorous push beneath a root. To her surprise, as she pushed the
ground gave way beneath her hand and she nearly fell forward.
"Look, Robin!" she cried. "It's just space down below!"
Robin came and knelt beside her and peering down they saw that there was a great hollow beneath
the pine tree. It would be quite possible for a small person to push his or her way between the roots
and creep inside it.
154
"Well!" said Robin. "One could live down there and nobody would know where one was. Now we'd
better go on again, Wrolf seems ready."
So they went on as before, Wrolf leading, on and on into the dark depths of the wood, that got
deeper and darker the further they penetrated, until at last it was so dark that they could hardly see
their way at all. And then it got lighter and at last Robin said, "Look, Maria!"
They had come to the edge of a clearing in the wood, a desolate place like a quarry strewn with
boulders, with stagnant pools of water between the rocks. On three sides the rock rose up sheer like
a wall and crowning the wall the way they were facing was a castle built foursquare like a tower, so
old that it looked like part of the rock upon which it was built. Upon each side of it, except just this
side where its great gate looked down upon the clearing, the pine trees closed about it with the
darkness of night. It was a terrifying castle. The only way to reach it, as far as Maria could see, was
to climb up the flight of steps that had been cut in the cliff beneath; and to do that they would have
to leave the shelter of the pine trees and cross the clearing under the eyes of whoever might be
looking out of that window above the gate.
"There's another way," whispered Robin. "Wrolf showed it to me when we were here before. Look,
he's leading us that way now."
They went back among the pine trees, turned to their left in a wide half-circle and began to climb
steeply upwards, climbing over the rocks that had pushed themselves out of the ground between the
pine trees, and pushing their way through thickets of bramble bushes. Maria had to dismount and
lead Periwinkle, and Robin carried Zachariah and Wiggins, one under each arm, so that their thick
fur should not catch in the brambles. Then they swerved round to the right again, and they had come
right round to the back of the castle. Its frowning walls rose sheer up above them. But there was no
door here. No window even. Nothing but the great high wall, as high as the tallest pine tree, with
battlements along the top.
"We climb up the tallest tree, and then onto the battlements," explained Robin airily. "I tried it the
other day to see if it could be done, and it's quite easy."
"I don't believe Wrolf will find it easy," said Maria.
"Oh, the animals won't be able to get up," said Robin cheerfully. "We'll have to go alone."
155
Go inside there without Wrolf? Maria's heart sank right down into her shoes. But she didn't say a
word. She just tucked up her habit and prepared to follow Robin up the pine tree. The branches
grew low down on the trunk and if she put her feet where Robin told her it would not be difficult.
But Wiggins wasn't going to be left behind with Wrolf, not if he knew it. Wrolf might eat him.
Before Maria was two feet off the ground he stood up on his hind legs against the tree and began to
whimper pitifully.
"Robin," said Maria, "I can't leave Wiggins behind. He always goes where I go."
"Pass him up to me then," said Robin good-humoredly. "I can hold him with one hand and climb
with the other quite easily."
So they descended, picked up Wiggins, and started once again. When they were halfway up Maria,
feeling safer, dared to look down. Wrolf and Periwinkle and Serena were standing side by side at
the foot of the pine tree with expressions of bland satisfaction and approval upon their furry faces.
But Zachariah, Maria was astonished to see, was climbing up the tree just behind her. He was
coming too. Somehow the presence of Zachariah made Maria feel much safer. He might be only a
cat, but he was no ordinary cat.
The topmost branch of the pine tree stretched like a bridge from the tree trunk to the battlements
and had it not been for the awful drop below it would have been perfectly easy to wriggle along it.
Had there only been a few feet between the branch and the ground Maria would have thought
nothing of it. As it was, Robin seemed to think nothing of it. He wriggled across, with Wiggins
under one arm, in the most carefree manner possible. But when it came to Maria's turn she felt that
she just simply could not do it. There seemed miles and miles of space beneath her. She just could [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]