chapter 22 an exciting finish

they awoke to hear timmy barking. it was daylight already. julian leapt up the steps to see what wasthe matter. he saw maggie not very far away.

'why do you keep such a fierce dog?' she called. 'i just came to see if you wanted to take any foodwith you. we'll give you some if you like.'

'it's too kind of you, all of a sudden!' said julian. how anxious maggie was to get rid of them!

she would even give them food to get rid of them quickly. but julian didn't want any food frommaggie or dirty dick!

'do you want some, then?' asked the woman. she couldn't make julian out. he looked a youngster,and yet his manner was anything but childish. she was rather afraid of him.

'no thanks,' said julian. 'we're just about to go. got to get back to school today, you know.'

'well, you'd better hurry then,' said the woman. 'it's going to rain.'

julian turned on his heel, grinning. it wasn't going to rain. maggie would say anything to hurry themaway! still, that was just what julian wanted - to get away as quickly as possible!

in ten minutes' time the four children were ready to go. each had rucksack and mac on their back- and each had jewels worth thousands of pounds in their charge! what a very extraordinary thing.

'it will be a lovely walk across the moors,' said anne, as they went along. 'i feel like singing noweverything's turned out all right. the only thing is - nobody at school will believe george or me whenwe tell them what's happened.'

'we shall probably be set a composition to do - ''what did you do on your half-term?'' ' said george.

'and miss peters will read ours and say ''quite well written, but rather far-fetched, don't you think?' '

everyone laughed. timmy looked round with his tongue out and what george called 'his smilingface'. then his 'smile' vanished, and he began to bark, facing to the rear of the children.

they looked round, startled. 'gosh - it's maggie and dirty dick - rushing along like fury!' said dick.

'what's up? are they sorry we've gone and want us back again?'

'they're trying to cut us off,' said julian. 'look - they've left the path and they're going to take a shortcut to come across us. there is marshland all round, so we can't leave our own path. what 90idiots they are! unless they know this bit of marsh-moor country they'll get bogged.'

maggie and dirty dick were yelling and shouting in a fury. dirty dick shook his fists, and leapt fromtuft to tuft like a goat.

'they look as if they have gone quite mad,' said anne, suddenly afraid. 'what's the matter with them?'

'i know!' said george. 'they've been into our cellar room - and they've found that waterproofcovering and all those empty boxes. they've found out that we've got the goods!'

'of course!' said julian. 'we should have thrown all the boxes into the cellars beyond. no wonderthey're in a fury. they've lost a fortune to us four!'

'what do they think they can do now, though?' said dick. 'we've got timmy. he'll certainly fly atthem if they come too near. but dirty dick looks mad enough to fight even timmy. honestly, i thinkhe's gone off his head.'

'i think he has,' said julian, startled by the man's mad shouts and behaviour.

he looked at anne, who had gone white. julian felt sure that timmy would go for dirty dick andbring him to the ground, and he didn't want anne to see dog and man fighting savagely.

there was no doubt that dirty dick was quite out of his mind with rage and disappointment.

timmy began to bark fiercely. he snarled, and looked very savage. he could see that the man wasspoiling for a fight with someone. all right - timmy didn't mind!

'let's hurry on,' said julian. 'but no short cuts for us, mind - we'll keep strictly to the path.

maggie is in difficulties already.'

so she was. she was floundering ankle deep in marshy ground, yelling to dirty dick to help her.

but he was too intent on cutting right across the children's path.

and then he got into difficulties too! he suddenly sank up to his knees! he tried to clamber out andreach a tuft of some sort. he missed his footing and went down again. he gave an anguished yell.

'my ankle! i've broken it! maggie, come over here!'

but maggie was having her own difficulties and paid no attention. the children stopped and looked atdirty dick. he was sitting on a tuft, nursing his foot, and even from where the children stood theycould see that his face was deathly white. he certainly had done something to his ankle.

'ought we to help him?' said anne, trembling.

'good gracious no!' said julian. 'he may be pretending for all we know - though i don't think so.

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the chase is over, anyway. and if, as i think, dirty dick really has injured his ankle, he won't be ableto get far out of that marsh - and nor will maggie by the look of her - down she goes again, look! itmay be that the police will find it very easy to pick up that unpleasant couple when they come alongto look for them.'

'nicely embedded in the marsh,' said dick. 'well, personally, i don't feel sorry for either of them.

they're bad lots.'

they went on their way again, timmy gloomy because he hadn't had a fight with dirty dick after all.

they walked all the way to reebles. it took them two hours.

'we'll go to the post-office, and telephone from there,' said julian.

the old man was pleased to see them again. 'had a nice time?' he said. 'did you find two-trees?'

julian left him talking to the others while he went to look up mr. gaston's telephone number. hefound it - and hoping devoutly that mr. gaston wouldn't mind giving his help, he rang him up.

mr. gaston answered the telephone himself. 'hallo? who? oh, yes, of course i remember you.

you want a bit of help? well, what can i do for you?'

julian told him. mr. gaston listened in amazement.

'what! you've found the fallonia jewels! i can't believe it! in your rucksacks now, you say!

bless us all! you're not spoofing me, are you?'

julian assured him that he wasn't. mr. gaston could hardly believe his ears. 'right. right - of coursei'll put you in touch with the police. we'd better go to gathercombe - i know the inspector there, afine fellow. where are you? oh yes, i know it. wait there and i'll fetch you in my car - in about halfan hour, say.'

he rang off and julian went to find the others, delighted that he had thought of getting into touch withmr. gaston. some grown-ups were so jolly decent - and they knew exactly what to do. the otherthree were delighted too, when he told them.

'well, i must say that although it's nice to have things happening to us, it's a sort of safe, comfortablefeeling when we hand over to the grown-ups,' said george. 'now i only want one thing - breakfast!'

'we'd better have a mixture of breakfast and lunch,' said julian. 'it's so late.'

'oh yes - let's have brunch!' said anne, delighted. 'i love brunch.'

so they had some 'brunch' - sandwiches, buns, biscuits and ginger-beer, which they bought at a 92little shop down the road. and just as they were finishing, up swept mr. gaston in an enormous car!

the four children grinned at him with pleasure. julian introduced anne and dick. timmy wasthrilled to see him again and offered him a polite paw, which mr. gaston shook heartily.

'nice manners your dog's got,' he said, and pressed down the accelerator. whoooosh! away theywent at top speed, with timmy sticking his head out of the window as he always did in a car.

they told their extraordinary story as they went. mr. gaston was full of admiration for all they haddone. 'you're a bunch of plucky kids!' he kept saying. 'my word, i wish you were mine!'

they came to the police station. mr. gaston had already warned the inspector they were coming, andhe was waiting for them.

'come along into my private room,' he said. 'now first of all - where are these jewels? have youreally got them with you? let's have a look at them before you tell your story.'

the children undid their rucksacks - and out of the hankies inside they poured the shining, glitteringjewellery on to the oak table.

the inspector whistled and exchanged a look with mr. gaston. he picked up the diamond necklace.

'you've got them!' he said. 'the very jewels! and to think the police everywhere have been huntingfor them for months and months and months. where did you find them, youngsters?'

'it's rather a long story,' said julian. he began to tell it, and he told it well, prompted by the others,when he forgot anything. mr. gaston and the inspector listened with amazement on their faces. whenjulian came to the bit where dirty dick and maggie had been left floundering in the marshes, theinspector interrupted him.

'wait! would they still be there? they would? right. half a minute!'

he pressed a bell and a policeman appeared. 'tell johns to take his three men and the car, and go tothe green marshes, near gloomy water,' ordered the inspector. 'he's to pick up two peoplefloundering there - man and woman. our old friends dirty dick and maggie martin! look sharp!'

the policeman disappeared. anne hugged herself. now that awful couple would be put into safecustody for some time, thank goodness - till she had forgotten about them! anne hadn't liked them abit.

julian's tale came to an end. the inspector looked across at the tousle-headed, dirty, untidy group 93and smiled. he held out his hand. 'shake!' he said. 'all of you! you're the kind of kids we want in thiscountry - plucky, sensible, responsible youngsters who use your brains and never give up!

i'm proud to meet you!'

they all shook hands with him solemnly. timmy held up his paw too, and the inspector grinned andshook that too.

'and now - what's your programme?' asked mr. gaston, getting up.

'well - we're all supposed to be back at school by three o'clock,' said julian. 'but i don't think we canarrive looking like this. we'd get into awful rows! is there a hotel where we can have a bath and cleanourselves up a bit?'

'you can do that here,' said the inspector. 'and if you like i'll run you back to your schools in thepolice car. we can't do too much for people who produce the fallonia jewels out of rucksacks, youknow. bless us all - i can't believe it!'

mr. gaston said good-bye and went, saying that he was very proud to have made friends with them.

'and don't you get stuck down any more rabbit-holes!' he said to timmy, who woofed happily at him.

they bathed and washed every inch of themselves. they found their clothes neatly folded andbrushed, and felt grateful. they brushed their hairs and arrived looking very clean and tidy in theinspector's private room. he had a man there, inspecting the jewels and labelling them before he putthem away into boxes.

'you'll be interested to know that we have picked up your couple,' he told them. 'the man had abroken ankle and couldn't stir a step. the woman was thigh deep in the marsh when we found her.

they quite welcomed the police, they were so fed up with everything!'

'oh good!' said the four, and anne beamed with relief. that settled maggie and dirty dick then!

'and these are the fallonia jewels,' said the inspector. 'not that i had any doubt of it. they are nowbeing checked and labelled. i've no doubt the queen of fallonia and her titled friend will beextremely pleased to hear of your little exploit.'

a clock struck half past two. julian looked at it. half an hour only to get back in time. would they doit?

'it's all right,' said the inspector, with his wide grin. 'car's at the door. i'll come and see you off.

you'll all be back at your schools in good time - and if anyone believes your tale i'll be surprised.

come along!'

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he saw them into the car, timmy too. 'good-bye,' he said, and saluted them all smartly. i'm proud tohave met you - good luck to you, famous five!'

yes, good luck to you, famous five - and may you have many more adventures!

the end