Chapter 16 LOOKING THROUGH WINDOWS
The three tiptoed quietly up to the cottage. 'Don't go too near when you look in,' whispered Julian.
'Keep a little distance away. We shall be able to see who is in the rooms, but they mustn't be able tosee us outside. I sincerely hope they won't!'
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'Look in the downstairs rooms,' said Dick. 'See, that's the kitchen window over there. Old Mrs.
Janes may be there, if she's still up.'
They crept to the uncurtained window. The room was lighted by only a candle, and was full ofshadows. The boys gazed in.
Old Mrs. Janes was there, sitting up in a brown rocking-chair, clad in a dirty dressing-gown. Sherocked herself to and fro, and although the boys could not see her face, they sensed that the oldwoman was frightened and unhappy. Her head sank on her chest, and when she put her wispy¹ hairback from her face, her hand shook.
'She's no witch, poor old thing!' whispered Dick, feeling quite sad to see her rocking to and fro all byherself so late at night. 'She's just a poor, frightened old woman.'
'Why is she up so late?' wondered Julian. 'She must be waiting for someone.'
'Yes. She might be. We'd better look out then,' said Toby at once, looking behind him as if heexpected to see someone creeping up.
'Now let's go round to the front,' said Dick. So they tiptoed there, and saw another lighted window -much more brightly lighted than the kitchen window had been.
They kept a little way from the pane², afraid of being seen. They looked in and saw two men there,sitting at a table, poring over some papers.
'Mr. Gringle!' said Julian, in a low voice. 'No doubt about that - and the other one must be his friend,Mr. Brent, I suppose. Certainly he isn't wearing dark glasses, as that man was we gave the butterfly toand who gave us five shillings. He isn't a bit like him!'
They all looked intently at the 'friend'. He was a perfectly³ ordinary man, with a small moustache,dark hair and a rather big nose. Not in the least like the 'Mr. Brent' they had seen the day before.
'What are they doing?' whispered Toby.
'It looks as if they're making lists of something - probably making out bills for their customers,'
said Julian. 'Anyway - I must say they look perfectly ordinary sitting there, doing a perfectly ordinaryjob. I think Mr. Gringle was speaking the truth when he said that it wasn't Mr. Brent who gave us thefive shillings and it certainly wasn't him either that I saw on the hill-side last night with a butterflynet.'

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