"It'll never
do to awake old Rose. He'd smell a rat in no time."
"I have it," said Pietrie. "I've got an old nail, with which I believe I
can open the lock quite simply. Let's try."
"Quietly and quick, then," said Eric.
In ten minutes he had silently shot back the lock with the old nail, and
the boys were on the landing. They carried their shoes in their hands,
ran noiselessly down stairs, and went to the same window at which Eric
and Wildney had got out before. Wildney had taken care beforehand to
break the pane and move away the glass, so they had only to loosen the
bar and slip through one by one.
It was cold and very dark, and as on the March morning they stood out
in the playground, all four would rather have been safe and harmlessly
in bed. But the novelty and the excitement of the enterprise bore them
up, and they started off quickly for the house at which Mr. Gordon and
his pupils lived, which was about half a mile from the school. They went
arm in arm to assure each other a little, for at first in their fright
they were inclined to take every post and tree for a man in ambush, and
to hear a recalling voice in every sound of wind and wave.
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