"I'm afraid the line is out of order, sir," he said. And after
fifteen minutes it was plain that he was right. The wire had
either been cut or it had fallen or been short circuited in some
other way. Dick and Jack looked at one another blankly. The same
thought had come to each of them, and at the same moment.

"They've cut the wires!" said Dick. "Now what shall we do? We
can't hear from Harry, either!"

"We might have guessed they'd do that!" said Jack. "They must
have had some one out to watch us, Dick -- perhaps they thought
they'd have a chance to catch us. They know that we've found out
something, you see! It's a good thing we stayed where we could
make people hear us if we got into any trouble."

"Oh, nonsense!" said the vicar, suddenly. "You boys are letting
your imaginations run away with you. Things like that don't
happen in England. The wire is just out of order. It happens
often enough, Jack, as you know very well!"

"Yes, sir," said Jack, doggedly. "But that's in winter, or after
a heavy storm - not in fine weather like this. I never knew the
wire to be out of order before when it was the way it is now."

"Well, there's nothing to be done, in any case," said the vicar.
"Be off to bed, and wait until morning. There's nothing you can
do now."

Dick looked as if he were about to make some protest, but a glance