Part 23 (2/2)

Amused by what he took to be his daughter's whimsy, Mr. Parker returned the diagram to her.

”Do I have your permission to leave the house?” she asked anxiously.

”Yes, you may go,” he agreed. ”But mind, no late hours. And no more tall tales about falling into wells!”

Louise was waiting for Penny in the Sidell yard and the girls went as quickly as they could to the Marborough estate. The house was completely dark, leading them to believe that the widow might have absented herself for the evening.

”We'll have to be especially careful,” Louise warned as they approached the old wis.h.i.+ng well. ”She might return at any moment and find us.”

Penny had brought the silken ladder, extra rope, a flashlight and a suit of warm coveralls which her father used when he worked on the car.

Donning the bulky garment, she prepared to descend a few feet into the well.

”Do be careful,” Louise said anxiously. ”If you should fall you might kill yourself.”

”You think of the most cheerful things,” Penny muttered, climbing nimbly down the swaying ladder. ”I'm not taking any chances though. I'll tie myself to the ladder with this extra piece of rope.”

After she had gained the position she desired, Louise handed down the flashlight. Penny carefully inspected the brick wall.

”I believe it is an opening!” she reported jubilantly. ”I really do.

Here, take this flash. I can't work and hold it.”

While Louise directed the beam from above, Penny tugged at the bricks.

Unable to move them, she called for a tool which she had brought with her. By means of it, she easily pried one of the bricks loose. Pus.h.i.+ng her arm through the opening, she encountered only empty s.p.a.ce.

”It's a little tunnel I think!” she shouted to Louise. ”Take this brick, and I'll try to pry out others!”

Within ten minutes Penny had handed up enough of them to make a large pile beside the flagstones.

”Do you realize you're practically destroying Mrs. Marborough's well!”

Louise said uneasily. ”How will we ever explain this?”

”I can put the bricks back again,” Penny a.s.sured her. ”They were meant to come out. Now, the flashlight again.”

Balancing herself precariously on the ladder, she directed the light through the opening she had created. A long narrow tunnel which she judged to be about five feet below the ground, extended as far as she could see.

”I'm going to try to get in there!” she called to Louise. ”Toss me a life preserver if I fail!”

Calculating the s.p.a.ce, Penny swung her feet from the ladder to the ledge.

Retaining an arm hold on the ropes, she edged herself backwards into the hole.

”It's much easier than it looks,” she called encouragingly to her chum.

”Come on, if you want to explore.”

Louise hesitated, and then daringly climbed down into the well. Penny helped her from the ladder into the tunnel.

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