Chapter 10 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
'What is it, Dick? What can you see?' cried George, putting down her cards as soon as she heardDick's call. Julian rushed to stand beside him at once, imagining all sorts of things. Anne went too,with Timmy leaping excitedly. They all stared out of the window, Anne half fearfully.
'It's gone!' cried Dick, in disappointment.
'But what was it?' asked George.
'I don't know. It was over there - on the opposite slope, where Old Towers is,' said Dick. 'I don't knowhow to describe it - it was like a - like a rainbow - no, not quite like that - how can I describe it?'
'Try,' said Julian, excited.
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'Well - let me think - you know how, on a very hot day, all the air shimmers¹, don't you!' said Dick.
'Well that's what I saw on the hill over there - rising high into the sky and then disappearing. Ashimmering!'
'What colour?' asked Anne, amazed.
'I don't know - all colours it seemed,' said Dick. 'I don't quite know how to explain - it's somethingI've never seen before. It just came suddenly - and the shimmering² rose all the way up into the sky,and then disappeared. That's all.'
'Well - that's what Aily's mother said - mists - and shimmerings,' said Julian, remembering. 'Gosh- so that wasn't just a tale she told us. There was some truth in it. But what in the wide world can thisshimmering be?'
'Had we better go back to the farm and tell them there?' asked Anne, hopefully, not at all wanting tospend the night in the hut now.
'No! They've probably heard the tale already,' said Julian. 'Besides - this is exciting. We might be ableto find out something more about it. We can easily watch Old Towers from here - it's one of the veryfew places where anyone can look straight across at it. As the crow flies, it's less than a mile away -though it's many miles by the road.'
They all gazed towards the opposite hill again, though they couldn't see it, of course, hopingsomething would happen. But nothing did happen. The sky was pitch black, for heavy clouds hadcome up - and the distant hill couldn't be seen.
'Well - I'm tired of looking out into the darkness,' said Anne, turning away. 'Let's go on with ourgame.'
'Right,' said Julian, and they all sat down again, Dick watching the others play, but occasionallyglancing out of the window into the black darkness there.
Anne was out of the game next, and she got up and went to the food cupboard.
'I think I'll start preparing a meal,' she said. 'We'll have boiled eggs, shall we, to begin with - and I'llboil a kettle too and make some cocoa - or would you rather have tea?'
'Cocoa,' said everyone, and Anne got out the tin.

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