Dollops disappeared forthwith, and it was but a moment or two later that he returned in company with the Superintendent looking a little round-eyed and scared until he saw Cleek standing in the shadow of the big gate, and going up to him flung an arm about his shoulders.
"You've frightened me into forty fits and out of 'em again," he cried with a little sigh of relief, "for I'd made up my mind that something had happened, and was on the way down here to see if you'd kept your appointment, and if you hadn't--well, every man-jack of 'em at the house would have made an all-night search for you, till we'd found you, Cleek."
"And now that you have, you bundle of fussydom, you see I am still all of a piece and, as Dollops says, as large as life and twice as natural," returned Cleek with a smile. "Gad, but there's not much moon about now, is there? And it will be dark work climbing----"
"But you intend to do this mad thing, Cleek?"
"Certainly, my friend. And it's not the maddest I've done this night--by a long chalk. I'll tell you all about it later on, when there's more time and less chance of being overheard. Now, then, step softly, you two. If there's any one there, we don't want to let 'em think an army's approaching. You gave Inspector Petrie the word if we needed him? That I'd ring Rhea's bell in case of immediate help required?"
"Of course. And that one toll would mean one man, and _two_ tolls, three; and three tolls, as many as they could spare from the duty of guarding the house and letting no one go out or in."
"And they've already let almost every inmate of the place roam about at their leisure this night--to prove their trustworthiness!" threw in Cleek, with a short laugh. "A fine lot of disciplinarians up in this part of the world, I must say--though of course the country's difficult, and you want about fifty men up here to one in London. I'll have a word with the Inspector before I leave--with your permission, Mr. Narkom."
"We'll get along now, Dollops. You stand here under the gate, and keep watch _toward_ the Castle; Mr. Narkom, you stand here, and guard the road-end, and make the usual signal of a night owl's hoot if you see any one approaching. I'll slip on my rubber sand-shoes to grip with, and shin up in a moment."