CHAPTER XI--THE SIMPLETON
Billie did not cry out. She was either too frightened or too brave. Butthe next minute Teddy's arm had reached out and caught her to himreassuringly.
"It's all right," he whispered in her ear. "Just hold tight and keepstill. I'll do the talking."
Cautiously he drew her to the back of the cave, and there they turnedand waited for whatever was to happen. They did not have to wait long.
Some one or something was coming into the cave. There was a growling andmuttering in the tunnel-like entrance and the sounds increased as theintruder came slowly nearer.
Then there came a stumbling sound, followed by a coarse oath that madeBillie clap her hands to her ears.
"It's a man, anyway," Teddy whispered, adding maliciously: "Stubbed histoe on that old pitcher, I guess. Glad of it."
"Oh, Teddy, hush," whispered Billie frantically. "He'll hear you."
Evidently the intruder had heard them. He stopped short as thoughlistening. Billie and Teddy could distinctly hear his heavy breathingwhile they held their own.
Then a hoarse, strident voice challenged them.
"Who are ye?" it cried, menacingly. "Whoever y'are ye've got to git out.I'll teach ye to go breakin' into my cave and meddlin' with my things.Come out o'thet, will ye?"
For answer, Teddy lighted a match, holding it high above his head whilehe studied the intruder. The latter, evidently startled by the suddenlight, staggered back a little and flung his hand before his eyes.
The advantage was all Teddy's, and for a moment it looked as though hewould fling himself upon the little man who stood cowering there. But hehesitated, and while he hesitated the match burned out in his fingersand they were left in the dark once more.
"Light another match, Teddy--quick," whispered Billie, and he did.
This time the man lowered his hands from before his eyes and stoodblinking at them foolishly. He was so small and so slight and so punylooking in every way that the gruff voice with which he had greeted themin the beginning seemed little short of ridiculous.
And while they stared at the little man and the little man stared atthem, Teddy's third match went out.
"Gosh," said he, groping in his pocket for another. "I only hope theyhold out, that's all. I'd hate to be left in the dark."
He found a match and lit it rather shakily, for the whole thing wasbeginning to get on his nerves. And as the uncertain light flared outonce more he saw that their queer new friend was holding something outto him.
"Don't touch it," whispered Billie at his elbow. "It might be----"
"But it's only a candle, Billie, and----" Teddy was beginning when thelittle fellow himself interrupted impatiently.
"Light it, light it," he commanded, glancing nervously over his shoulderinto the spooky corners of the cave. "Your match will be burnt out andwe will be left in the dark. The dark. I'm afraid of the dark. Hurry,hurry!"
To Teddy and Billie at the same instant came the startling thought thatthe man was a lunatic. His looks, his voice, his manner, were all proofof it.
And while Teddy lighted the candle with his one remaining match, Billiebegan to shiver wretchedly. If only they had not found the old caveeverything would have been all right. They might even have been home bythis time. For the moment she had forgotten how cold it was outside andthat neither she nor Teddy knew the way home.
While Teddy glanced about for some place to set the lighted candle, shefurtively studied the simpleton, into whose hiding-place they had beenunlucky enough to stumble.
He was about twenty-one, she guessed, scarcely more than a boy. Hisfeatures were as small as his body, his eyes little and red-rimmed andshifty, with an expression of vacancy that made Billie's blood run cold.His hair, as nearly as she could tell in the flickering light, was red.
And while Billie watched him, he watched Teddy, and she was surprised tosee his vacant eyes suddenly fill with terror. Then, when Teddy turnedback, after setting the candle on a projecting piece of rock, thesimpleton came close to him, holding out shaking, imploring hands.
"Have you come to take me away? Have you?" he asked wildly, and then asTeddy still continued to stare at him, he fell to the ground, grovelingin the dirt at the boy's feet.
It was not a pretty sight, and with a little exclamation of disgust,Teddy reached down, gripped the fellow's collar and jerked him to hisfeet.
"For heaven's sake, get up," he cried. "What's the matter with you,anyway? I'm not going to hurt you."
"You haven't come to take me away? You won't put me in prison?" whinedthe simpleton, shaking and trembling there before them till Billie puther hands before her eyes to shut out the sight of him. "I haven't doneanything! Truly I haven't! Don't put me in prison. Oh, I'm afraid of thedark. I'm afraid of the dark!"
There is no telling how much longer he might have gone on in that mannerhad not Teddy put a hand over his mouth and shaken him into silence.Billie, cowering back against the wall, had begun to cry.
"Now," growled Teddy, giving one extra shake to the whining wretch,"suppose you keep still for a minute and try to understand what I amgoing to tell you. We didn't come into your cave to get you, and we'renot going to hurt you if you will do what we tell you. We're lost, andwe want to get back to Three Towers Hall. Do you suppose you can tell ushow?"
The simpleton, relieved of his suspicion that they had come to do himharm, became suddenly sullen. Teddy had to repeat his question beforethe fellow answered.
"I can," he said then, "if I want to."
Teddy was about to answer angrily, but he remembered that he had heardsomewhere that the only way you can get anything out of a weak-mindedperson is to humor him.
So he controlled his temper and said that he hoped very much that thefellow would want to--and the sooner the better, or words to thateffect.
"What's your name?" asked Billie suddenly. It was the first time she hadspoken, and both Teddy and the simpleton started. The latter stared ather a moment open-mouthed, and then his manner underwent a bewilderingchange--became softer, more normal. Evidently he had not noticed beforethat she was a girl, for she had been nearly hidden behind Teddy.
"What's your name?" asked Billie again.
"Nick Budd, ma'am," answered the fellow, never taking his eyes fromBillie's pretty face. "Son of Tim Budd, the gardener up at Three TowersHall."
"Oh!" cried Billie delightedly, while Teddy himself felt immenselyrelieved. "Then you will show us the way home, won't you? We'll be everso much obliged to you."
"Yes'm," said the poor simpleton, shuffling his feet as thoughembarrassed. "I'll show you right away. But there's a powerful lot o'snow between us and the Hall," he added, as he turned to leave the cave.
Teddy started to take the candle to light them out, but the simpleton,as though he had eyes in the back of his head, turned upon Teddyfuriously.
"You let thet candle be," he cried to the astonished boy, while Billieshrank back in fresh alarm. "You let thet candle be, I tell you! It's mycandle, ain't it?"
"Whew!" whistled Teddy, feeling a wild desire to shout, yet afraid to doit for fear of angering still more this poor idiot. "Yes, it's yourcandle, old man. Be sure you take good care of it. It's very precious."
The simpleton stared at him suspiciously for a moment, then turned hisback and led the way out of the cave.
"Oh, Teddy, I'm scared to death," whispered Billie, as the boy grabbedtight hold of her hand and started to follow Nick Budd.
"You needn't be," he whispered back to her. "I could clean up thatlittle shrimp with one finger." Which observation, though extremelyslangy, was very comforting to Billie.
They found the sled outside where Teddy had dropped it when they enteredthe cave, and then there began a long, hard struggle with the snow andthe wind that the boy and girl were to remember long afterward.
They did not talk much, for they were too busy trying to keep up withNick Budd as he floundered through the snow, and breath was precious.However, Billie did find a chance
to ask the question that had beenlooming bigger and bigger with each second.
"Teddy, what do you suppose the boys and girls will think of ourdisappearing like that?" she asked him.
"I suppose they'll think we went off in an aeroplane or something," heanswered, trying to be funny and not succeeding very well.
"Well," sighed Billie, "I only hope they won't go and say anything aboutit at school--not till we get back and have a chance to explain,anyway."
Teddy glanced at her quickly.
"Nobody would be mean enough to do that," he said, decidedly.
"No-o, I guess not," agreed Billie, but in her heart she was not at allsure. She was thinking of Amanda Peabody.