The ghostly sounds have come again at Dendringham Hall, where Dot’s net-voyaged back in time to the 19th century, the days of Queen Victoria. But Mr Holmes is with Dot and Wiz and the dogs of the Hall as the ghostly sounds echo over the park… and he knows just what to do!
Mr Holmes swung round, his eyes gleaming brightly.
“Ah-HA!” he said. “Now, you blackguard, I’m after you!”
And he dashed off, his big coat (Dot learned later it was called an ‘Ulster’) swirling out behind him.
Dot looked at the dogs and the dogs looked at Dot. Well, it might be something a nicely brought-up young lady wouldn’t do in Victorian times - but she wasn’t going to miss this!
“Come on!” she said. “Mr Holmes might need our help!”
And they all ran out of the stables after him, past the stalls with the horses looking at them as they went.
“Good luck!” said one – a jet black horse called Thunderer, as the four friends zoomed down the passageway, their feet rustling on the straw the grooms had put down for the night. “Teach whoever’s playing these silly games a lesson!”
“Absolutely!” said Romulus, a big shire horse, thumping his massive hooves on the floor of his stall.
Well maybe, but it looked like it would be easier said than done! When Dot and her three friends got outside the stables, they realized how dark it was – after the bright gas lights inside, there was just a lamp over the doorway, and it wasn’t very bright, just gleaming faintly with a yellowy pool of light shining down on the cobble stones of the stable yard. A wind had sprung up, making a soft whistling sound as it blew past the stables.
“This way!” said Angharad, quivering with excitement as she sniffed the cobblestones. Her Welsh Terrier tail was standing straight up (with a curve at the top!) and wagging so fast it was almost a blur.
“But… but… where’s he gone?!” said Dot, looking round. “I can’t see anything!”
“No, but we can smell lots!” said Wiz. “BarkbarkBARK! Follow us!”
And off they went, Victor cantering along with his big tail waving in the breeze, and Angharad and Wiz dashing ahead.
I MUST keep up, thought Dot, running after them as fast as she could in her heavy “sailor suit” and buttoned-up boots (she really wished she was wearing her 21st-century jeans and trainers, it would be SO much easier to run!)
Already the dogs were out away in front of the house – luckily she could see the big lolloping shape of Victor quite easily, with his white and brown coat.
Then – AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
There it was again!
BARKBARKBARK went all the dogs fiercely!
AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Once more!
Just then, the wind blew the ragged clouds away from across the moon, casting a ghostly light all across the park round the hall.
AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Dot shivered as she ran. It was all right talking about the strange, scary noises and all that inside the Hall… it wasn’t so funny when you were outside in the dark and heard them…
Now they were all stumbling over the “haha” – open ground in front of the house (they still have them in some stately homes – big rough fields for sheep and cattle, with a ditch to stop them getting into the nice gardens and messing them up!)
Still Dot kept running – she was getting quite out of breath, but she was catching the dogs up. She felt safer being near them – she knew Wizzie would never let anything bad happen to her.
They were nearly up to a gate leading into the woodlands round the house,
when –
BANG! BANG!
In the woodlands, there were two red and yellow flashes – it was a gun firing, and quite a big one too!
The dogs stopped and looked round at Dot, not sure what to do.
BANG!!!! There it was again!
Then suddenly, with a crashing and a snapping of twigs Mr Holmes appeared at the gate – his neat hair was all ruffled up, he had two red spots of colour on his cheeks and he was breathing hard from running - and in his hand was a big old-fashioned pistol.
And he was pointing it straight at them!
