Buried Alive
ILLUSTRATIONS
How Dick Made the Pigeons Ring a Bell
As If He Did Not Know They Were There
Squashy Hat Comes Out of the Hill
The Flames Roared Past Outside
CHAPTER I
BEGINNING ALREADY
“HERE … I say … Yes … That’s me …”
Roger swallowed a bit of chocolate unsucked and unbitten. He and Titty leaned together from the doorway of the railway carriage. The train had stopped at the junction. There were ten miles more to go along the little branch line that led into the hills. Somewhere down the platform milk-cans were being shifted, making a loud clanging noise, so that, at first, they had not heard what the porter was calling out as he walked along the train, looking into one carriage after another. Now they heard it plainly.
“Mr Walker … Mr Roger Walker … Mr Walkerrr …” The porter was going from door to door all down the train.
Roger jumped from the carriage while the porter was still two doors away.
“It’s me,” he said. “I’m Roger Walker.”
The porter looked at him.
“You, is it?” he said. “Come along with me then. We’ve no time to lose, but they’ll be a minute or two yet with them cans. Eh? Eh? … It’s a basket for you. There was two, but one was for folk that come by the earlier train. We’ve to let fly before your train goes on. This way. We mun look sharp now. I’ve left it ready at end o’ t’ platform.”
Titty was just getting out when a farmer’s wife blocked the way making ready to get in.
“Here, my dear, you take a hold of this bag,” she said.
Titty took it and put it on the seat. The farmer’s wife
