THIS was afterwards put in the Golden Deed book. It ended in
Oswald and Dicky and Denny going. Denny went first because he said
he would rather-- and Oswald understood this and let him. If
Oswald had pushed first it would have been like Sir Lancelot
refusing to let a young knight win his spurs. Oswald took good
care to go second himself, though. The others never understood
this. You don't expect it from girls; but I did think father would
have understood without Oswald telling him, which of course he
never could.

We all went slowly.

At the bottom of the turret stairs we stopped short. Because the
door there was bolted fast and would not yield to shoves, however
desperate and united.

Only now somehow we felt that Mr Richard Ravenal was all right and
quiet, but that some one had done it for a lark, or perhaps not
known about anyone being up there. So we rushed up, and Oswald
told the others in a few hasty but well-chosen words, and we all
leaned over between the battlements, and shouted, 'Hi! you there!'

Then from under the arches of the quite-downstairs part of the
tower a figure came forth--and it was the sailor who had had our
milk sixpence. He looked up and he spoke to us. He did not speak
loud, but he spoke loud enough for us to hear every word quite
plainly. He said--

'Drop that.'