Chapter 5 ANNE AND DICK
　　It began to get dark very suddenly. The sun had gone, and a big black cloud slid smoothly¹ over thesky. 'It's going to rain,' said Dick. 'Blow! I thought it was going to be a lovely evening.'
　　'We'd better hurry,' said Anne. 'I hate sheltering under a hedge in the pouring rain, with drips downmy neck, and puddles³ round my feet!'
　　They hurried. They went up the road that led out of the village and then came to a turning on theright. This must be the one the man had meant. They stopped and looked down it. It seemed to be likeone of the sunken lanes they had walked down in the morning, and it looked rather dark and tunnel-like now, in the twilight⁴.
　　'I hope it's right,' said Dick. 'We'll ask the very first person we meet.'
　　'If we do meet anyone!' said Anne, feeling that they never would in this curious deep lane. They 18went up it. It wound round and about and then went downhill into a very muddy bit indeed. Annefound herself sloshing about in thick mud.
　　'A stream or something must run across the lane here,' she said. 'Ugh! The water's got into my shoes!
　　I'm sure we don't go this way, Dick. The water's quite deep farther on, I'm certain. I was up to myankles just now.'
　　Dick looked about in the deepening twilight. He made out something above him in the high hedgethat grew on the steep bank each side.
　　'Look - is that a stile?' he said, 'Where's my torch? At the bottom of my rucksack, of course! Can youget it out, Anne, to save me taking the thing off?'
　　Anne found the torch and gave it to Dick. He switched it on, and immediately the shadows roundthem grew blacker, and the lane seemed more tunnel-like than ever. Dick flashed the torch upwardsto what he had thought was a stile.
　　'Yes - it is a stile,' he said. 'I expect that leads up to the farm-house - a short cut, probably. I've nodoubt this lane is the one used by the farm-carts, and probably goes right round to the farm - but ifthis is a short cut we might as well take it. It must lead somewhere, anyway!'
　　They scrambled⁵ up the bank to the stile. Dick helped Anne over, and they found themselves in a widefield. In front of them was a narrow path, running between crops of some sort.
　　'Yes - this is obviously a short cut,' said Dick, pleased. 'I expect we'll see the lights of the farmhousein a minute.'

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