We'll meet again

I didn't think me and Bert could do it on our own, so I said to him: 'You wait 'ere and watch. If you see 'em get into a car, take the number... just like they do in the pictures. I'm going to Constable Darkin. He's not far off."“

“That was very ingenious of you, Charley,” said Violetta.

"What, Miss?”

"Very clever. Very resourceful to go to Constable Darkin.”

"He was just going to have his tea. I said, 'I've come to report a burglary." He wasn't that shook up, was he? He said, 'Oh yes, son.” Just as if I was a little boy playing a game. Then I said, 'At Captain Brent's place ... that Riverside Cottage." It was different then. He left his tea and said, 'You'd better get back home, son." Then he got onto the telephone and I couldn't hear what he said, 'cos Mrs. Darkin was talking and taking us to the door. She said, 'You've done well, and now it's time you was home." So I went to find Bert. He was still there watching. He hadn't seen no more lights in the house. Then we heard the cars and two men came running out. We couldn't see them very well. They got away though before the police got there It wasn't half something, wasn't it, Bert?”

Bert agreed that it was.

I was thinking of James and wondering how the thieves had known he and Joe would be away at that time and what they could have hoped to steal in a cottage furnished for summer visitors.

Later on Constable Darkin came to Tregarland to tell the boys they had done very well. It was just an ordinary break-in, and the thieves had escaped before they could be caught.

"You did the right thing, son," said Constable Darkin to Charley.

"Always let us know if you see anything fishy round here.”

Then he roared with laughter.

"That be a good 'un," he said, in case any of us failed to catch the aptness of the allusion.

And so it all ended happily and Nanny Crabtree withdrew her disapproval of the boys and their bicycles. In fact, she was rather proud of her protégés.

Kidnapped

It was only two weeks later when there was another alarm. This was a very serious one.

Again it started when Violetta and I returned from the Priory. If Nanny Crabtree had been in "a state" because the boys had not come home, now she was in a panic.

And so were we all.

Tristan was missing. He had been having his nap after he had had his meal, and Nanny herself liked to doze off at that time. It gave her a chance, as she said, to put her feet up. She would lie on her bed, which was the only way to rest properly, and she would leave open her bedroom door, which led into Tristan's room.

He had been a little lively during the morning and did not drop off as quickly as he usually did, so that made it a little late and it must have been after three when Nanny settled down. She did not awaken until just on five, and was amazed when she did. It was not like her to sleep so long. She was usually a light sleeper. She would have expected Tristan to waken her before that. But when she went into his room she saw that he was not in his bed. She had been surprised, but not then unduly alarmed. He must have wandered downstairs, she thought. But Tristan was nowhere to be found. We were all very worried by this time. We had hunted everywhere. Tregarland's was a very large house and there were all sorts of places where he could hide.

We searched and searched. Nanny kept moaning: "I can't believe this. I'm a light sleeper, I am. I've always been ready to wake at the slightest sound from any of my children. And there he is.

getting out of bed... going off like that. Where is he? Where is my baby?"In the first few moments it did not occur to me that there could be anything seriously wrong. It was only as the time began to pass and there was no sign of Tristan that we grew seriously alarmed and decided to call the police.

Constable Darkin paid another visit to Tregarland's and this was a very somber one. The house and grounds were searched. The great fear was the sea. Suppose Tristan had gone into the garden, wandered down to the beach and thought he would paddle? Suppose he had been carried out to sea on the waves? Unbearable possibilities came crowding into my mind.

Violetta and I went on searching, and the servants joined in. Gordon was very practical. He arranged search parties, discussed with the police what was best to be done; but as the night came on we were desperate.

I felt sick with horror. My darling child, who was learning to love me, to forgive me for my indifference, now loved me as much as he did Violetta and Nanny Crabtree, no, even more, because I was his mother.

Where was he now? Crying for me. I could hear the satisfaction in his voice when he had said: "Got Mummy.”

This was too cruel. I did not deserve this. And what was happening to Tristan? Once before he might have died at the hands of a murderess, but for the vigilance of my sister and Nanny Crabtree. Not again, I thought, oh, not again.