SOMEONE was up there on the attic floor with Dot and Mr Mouse… but who? And was that person the one who’d been making all the spooky sights and sounds round Dendringham Hall? How to find out?
“I just felt like exploring a bit” said Dot. “I couldn’t sleep and I thought… I thought… ”
“Well it was VERY NAUGHTY” said Miss Walsingham severely, looking down at Dot. “And as a punishment, you are to write out 100 times: “I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.” Come along now!”
She turned her back on Dot and walked over to her desk in the schoolroom, sat down and started tidying some school books. She looked up. “Off you go, Dorothea!” she said, frowning. “And after lunch we shall do our mathematics!”
A HUNDRED TIMES! thought Dot. Not FAIR!!!
Well, actually it was really, she had to admit to herself. Wandering around a strange house in her nightdress in the middle of the night, that wasn’t the sort of thing a well-brought up Victorian girl (or “gel”!) did, after all.
And at least Miss Walsingham hadn’t questioned her any further about what she’d been doing. She hated lying, and she’d already nearly lied. More or less.
Dot sighed to herself and took out some of the heavy cream schoolroom paper from the drawer in her desk. And the horrible scratchy pen with its metal nib and wooden handle. Who’d’ve thought she’d ever find herself longing for an ordinary biro – let alone her latest fave pen which had a little fish floating inside it, four colours and a little torch too.
Sigh… again…
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
It was really BOR-ing, but it gave Dot some time to think. Why had Laetitia told a fib to help her last night? It seemed so strange. She’d always been a bit stand-offish with Dot – polite, but not friendly really. And she always seemed angry about something. Especially when her cousin was around!
Mind you, Herbert was enough to annoy anybody – what a silly boy he was!
He reminded Dot of Dean, in her class – who was always doing such STUPID things, like piling up all the recycling bins so no-one could use them.
And saying them too. Like when he discovered the word “rudder”, the bit you steer a boat with, and went round calling Mrs Rudman “Fat Rudder”. He got detention for that when she heard – St Mary’s head teacher did not allow stuff like that to go on in her school!
Mum always said he was the kind of boy who could go either way – he’d either grow up OK, or he’d be in trouble all his life.
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
So… could all the spooky happenings just be Herbert playing a joke? It would be just like him.
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
But no, it couldn’t be – he’d been in the house when the spooky noises happened last time. AND he’d been away at the fox hunt when the lawn was damaged.
She peeped out of the window – Miss Walsingham was doing some embroidery now, and didn’t see – and there was Mr Cottingham, the Head Gardener, and five “under-gardeners” (including Thomas, the one who’d chatted with her), all working away at the lawn. They were having to dig up a HUGE amount of grass up to get rid of the ugly scorching that had spelt out the words ‘YOU – WILL – PAY’. It’ll take them AGES, thought Dot, they’ll have to –
“Dorothea!” said Miss Walsingham sharply. “Please continue with your lines! If I find you not working again, you will have to do 150 lines, not just a hundred!”
Dot bent her head to her work again. She felt a bit hurt by Miss Walsingham’s very strict attitude, but she had to do it – she couldn’t give herself away. Anyway, she had to be strong if she was going to be Mr Holmes’ assistant!
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
“I must not leave my room in the middle of the night.”
That was 50. Only another 50 to go…
She still couldn’t understand what Laetitia had done. Why had she helped her? And there was something else. It was niggling away at her…
THAT was it! How could Laetitia have known Dot was out of her room if she hadn’t known she was on the attic floor!!
Of COURSE! Now she REALLY had something to tell Mr Holmes!
If ONLY she hadn’t got to finish these lines!!
