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　　To Borken Castle again!
　　Jack¹ clambered through the round hole at the other end of the little cellar. He was now in the verynarrow, low-roofed passage he remembered so well, because he had had to walk through it withhis head well bent². He led Bill and Ronnie up the steeply sloping way, lit by Bill’s powerful torch.
　　Jack stopped when they came to the top of the long, sloping passage. ‘We’re very near the roomwhere the spyhole is,’ he whispered. ‘If there is a conference being held – or some sort of meeting– we’ll be able to look through the hole at it – or you will, Bill, because as far as I know there’sonly one hole.’
　　‘Let me know when we come to it,’ whispered Bill, and they went on again. In a short whileJack saw a little beam of light coming from the side of the right-hand wall – that must be thespyhole!
　　He whispered to Bill. Bill saw the beam of light and nodded. There was not room for him to getin front of Jack, so the boy went on past the little spyhole, and let Bill stand by it behind him.
　　Ronnie was by Bill, quite silent. Kiki had been tapped on the beak³, so she knew she was to bequiet too.
　　Bill glued his eye to the spyhole. He saw the same room that Jack had seen – a room with around table, chairs pulled up to it, and writing materials on the table.
　　But now there were lights blazing in the room – and every chair at the table was filled. At thetop sat Count Paritolen. Beside him sat his sister, Madame Tatiosa. On his other side sat someoneelse, whom Bill knew from photographs – the Prime Minister, husband of Madame Tatiosa. Helooked ill at ease and grave. Men in military uniform were also round the table.
　　At the bottom of the table stood a tall man, with a great likeness⁴ to Gussy – his uncle, the King!
　　Bill heaved a sigh of relief. So he hadn’t been killed. Well, that was one good thing at any rate. Ifonly he could be got away, things could be put right very quickly, and civil war would be avoided.
　　Bill strained his ears to hear what was going on. He could not hear very well, behind thewooden panelling, but he heard enough to know what was happening.
　　The King was being urged to

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