25 At midnight
　　Jack¹ slept peacefully again for some hours. He did not wake till Bill returned in the car. With himwere four ‘friends’. Jack thought they looked pretty tough. It was plain that Bill was in authorityover them.
　　Bill came into the kitchen, leaving the men outside. ‘Hallo!’ he said. ‘Awake at last? Do youwant a meal? It’s gone one o’clock.’
　　‘Gracious, is it!’ said Jack. ‘Yes, I feel jolly hungry.’
　　‘You get up now and put some clothes on,’ said Bill, ‘and I’ll call one of my men in to fix us upa meal. I don’t expect Mrs Mannering will mind if we make free with her kitchen today.’
　　‘Are we going up to the castle soon?’ said Jack, gathering² the dressing-gown round him, andpreparing to go upstairs to his bedroom.
　　‘Not till tonight,’ said Bill. ‘The moon won’t be up till late, and we plan to go just beforemidnight, whilst it is still dark. I’ve no doubt one or other of those men keeps a lookout³ during thedaytime.’
　　‘Oh – the girls will be awfully⁴ tired of waiting for us, all day long,’ said Jack.
　　‘Can’t very well help it,’ said Bill. ‘It is most important that we get in without being seen.’
　　Jack went up and dressed. It was terribly hot, though the sun was behind sulky-looking clouds.
　　He felt out of breath, though he had done nothing at all.
　　‘Feels like a storm,’ he thought. ‘I hope it won’t come today. It might frighten the girls up thereall alone.’
　　There was a scampering⁵ of clawed feet on the stairs, and into his bedroom came Button, hisbrush waving behind him, his sharp eyes fixed⁶ on Jack as if to say ‘Well, well, how you do getabout, to be sure! I never know whether to find you up at the castle or down here – but I wish Icould find old Philip!’
　　‘Looking for Tufty, are you?’ said Jack, patting the fox

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