CHAPTER VII
_Glan Opens the Gate in the Nick of Time_
The children walked briskly, glancing from the City lights to the darkwoods on either side of the road. Everything lay quiet and peaceful,and overhead the moon was now visible. It seemed impossible to believethat a cloud of fear hung over the City ahead. As they drew nearer thetop of the hill the sound of a bell tolling came floating down to theirears.
"What's that for, I wonder," said Molly.
"P'raps it's a sort of warning," suggested Jack, "to tell people thePumpkin's back again."
Molly shivered. "Let's hurry a bit more, shall we?" she said. "I'll beglad when we're inside the City, won't you, Jack?"
So they quickened their footsteps.
"I do hope we meet Glan," Molly went on. "We couldn't very well misshim, though, could we?... You're sure you've got your Pass safely!"
"Rather," said Jack. "At least I think I put it back in my satchel."And diving his hand in to make sure, he jerked the envelope whichcontained the Pass out on to the road. A passing breeze caught it andturned it over and over on the ground, and there was a hurried scrambleon Jack's part to get it back again. He had just put it safely back inhis satchel, when a sudden cry from Molly made him wheel round to seewhat was the matter.
Molly was standing gazing down the hill. "Oh, Jack! Jack! Look!" shecried, pointing to the dark wood on their left. About thirty yards awaydown the hill, something was slowly emerging from the black shadows ofthe trees.
It was the Grey Pumpkin.
It rolled leisurely out into the moonlit road, paused for a moment,then turned and moved up the hill toward them.
"Don't be ashamed to run," Old Nancy had said. And they were notashamed. Jack and Molly took to their heels and ran. They did not wantto be stopped by the Pumpkin at the very beginning of their quest,knowing how powerless they were until the Black Leaf was found. So theyran with all their might, on, on, until the City Gate was but a littlefarther ahead of them, and the tolling bell clanged loudly from within.
"Jack, oh, Jack--I--can't--run--any--more," gasped poor Molly."Oh--what--what shall--we--do?"
"Were just there--keep--up--old girl--only a--little--bitmore--we're--just--there," panted Jack.
With a final effort they rushed forward and reached the gate at last.Jack flung himself against it and started beating on it with his fists,and then snatching up a large stone from the road he hammered it withthat; while Molly seized the thick bell chain at the side and beganpulling it vigorously.
It was a curious gate--more like a door than a gate--made of solidiron; and at the top, high above the children's heads, was a tinygrating through which the citizens could see who stood without.
Jack glanced despairingly up at the high white walls and the black irongate, while he continued to beat wildly with the stone and shout asloudly as he could for help. There seemed no way of escape if they didnot open the gate, and looking back he saw the Pumpkin coming silentlyonward.
"It's no good making a dash for the woods, Molly," he exclaimed, "he'dcut us off. Pull harder, and shout too."
So Molly pulled harder at the bell chain and cried out for someone tocome and open the gate and let them in.
Suddenly, above the noise they were making and the sound of the tollingbell within, the children heard voices, and a clattering on the otherside of the gate. Then a face appeared at the grating.
"Open the gate!" cried Jack. "Quick! Quick! We've got a pass. Open thegate and save us!"
A loud murmuring arose within, and they heard the jangling of keys.When all at once a voice shrieked, "Look! Look! On the hill. It's thePumpkin! Don't open the gate! Don't open the gate, it's a decoy!"
"It's not, it's not," cried Jack. "Oh, save us, save us. We _have_ gota pass. Let us in and save us from the Pumpkin. For pity's sake openthe gate!"
The voices inside were now loud and angry; the people were evidentlynot inclined to believe him.
"Oh, Jack, Jack!" screamed Molly. "He's just behind us, Jack!"
Jack wheeled round and saw to his horror that the Pumpkin was nearthe top of the hill and close upon them. He was desperate. Raisingthe stone above his head, he flung it with all his strength at thebig, grey, moving thing. There was a dull thud as the stone struckthe Pumpkin and sent it back a few paces; but it quickly came to astandstill, and began at once to cover the ground it had lost.
Meanwhile a fresh arrival had come upon the scene behind the gate.In the midst of all the hubbub, the angry voices, the clanging bell,the pattering feet, there was a moment's lull, and Jack and Mollycould distantly hear the sound of running feet. Then a familiar voiceexclaimed: "Hi, there! What's all the fuss about?"
A score of voices started to explain.
Molly gave a sob of relief, "Oh, it's Glan!" she cried.
"Glan! Glan!" the children called imploringly. "Open the gate quick andsave us. Oh, _do_ be quick!"
Glan's face appeared at the grating.
"Bless my soul!" he cried in his big voice. "Here, give me the keys!Yes, I know it's the Pumpkin too, but if we don't open the gate thisinstant the little lady outside and her brother will be.... Give me thekeys ... give me the keys! Decoys?... Bah!"
There was a jangling of keys again, the sound of a lock being turned,and the huge gate swung back.
Jack and Molly dashed in, and Glan slammed the gate behind them--justin time. Another minute and the Pumpkin would have got through.
"But can't he open the gate if he just touches it?" cried Jack, tuggingGlan's sleeve excitedly.
"No, no, he can't do that!" Glan said, shaking his head as he stood ontiptoe to bolt and padlock the gate securely. "Thank goodness there aresome limits to his magic!"
Jack and Molly found themselves in the centre of an excited crowd ofpeople who regarded them curiously, but without anger or fear, sinceGlan had befriended them. Most of them were chattering and waving theirhands toward the gate, but some watched the children with narrowedeyes and then whispered behind their hands to their neighbours,while others stood and gazed gloomily at them in silence. They werea picturesque race of people, these citizens of the Possible World,clothed in a bewildering variety of dresses, of no particular style;apparently each person dressed in whichever style took his or herfancy, or which was best suited to the occupation carried on by thatperson. And this, after all, is the only sensible way to dress. Theresult of these numerous styles and colours was very pleasing to theeye: at least, so thought Jack and Molly as they gazed round at theanimated scene before them.
THE HUGE GATE SWUNG BACK]
"Don't you fret," said a kindly-looking woman dressed in dark bluewith a blue cap on her head and a chain of dull yellow beads roundher neck. "We took care to have the gate washed with a magic lotion,and the Pumpkin cannot touch it--nor the gate at the other end of theCity--though we have to keep both safely locked in case a friend ofthe Pumpkin's were to get in and open the gate for him." She lookedstraight into the eyes of first Jack and then Molly--and then shesmiled.
By this time Glan had finished locking up the gate, and was handing thekeys back to the gate-keeper--a large, pompous-looking gentleman witha brown beard, dressed in a green Robin Hood style of suit--who seemedinclined to be sulky.
"I'm sorry I could not wait for your permission to open the gate," theyheard Glan say. "The matter was urgent, you see. It was the little ladyand her brother who are going to try and help us."
"You'd no right to snatch the keys out of my hand like you did,"replied the gate-keeper sullenly. "You might have got me into no end oftrouble, if they _had_ been decoys. Where's their pass, anyway?"
Glan beckoned to Jack and Molly.
"If you wouldn't mind giving up your passes to this gentleman," hesaid. "Ah, that's right," as Jack and Molly handed their envelopes tothe gate-keeper, who proceeded to open them and examine the contentscarefully.
Then he slowly nodded his head. "All right this time," he said. "Butyou be careful in future, young man"; he looked at Glan. "It might
havebeen a very serious matter."
Glan's eyes began to twinkle.
"I will certainly profit by your advice," he said. "I'm extremely sorryI had to snatch the keys, I apologize most humbly, but, of course, youdidn't understand who it was outside, and what danger they were in ...and anyway, all's well now, isn't it, sir?"
"Oh, it's all right this time, as I said before."
"Thanks," said Glan. "Well, good-night.... And now," he turned to thetwo children, "you must be very, very tired after all that. Will youcome along with me to my little place? Father and Aunt Janet will bevery pleased to welcome you."
Jack and Molly assented willingly, and followed Glan closely as he madehis way through the crowd. When they reached the outskirts of the knotof people Molly began to thank Glan for coming to their aid at thegate; but he wouldn't hear of it.
"What else could I do, on my life, little lady?" he said. "I have faithin you both, and the help you are going to give us. I want you to comeand have a good rest now, and then in the morning you will be told whatpart of the country to search, and you can start out at once on youradventures."
"It seems as if we have already started," observed Jack. "It seems asif its been all adventures to-day."
"I think you're right," said Glan. "But there's more to come--thoughwe'll talk about those to-morrow. You must be too tired to-night. Iam very glad you got here all right, I was delayed in coming to meetyou--I felt sure, somehow, that you'd decide to stay, after you hadheard Old Nancy's story. And anyway, I should have been half-way downthe hill to meet you, only so many people stopped me to know if the badnews was true--that the Pumpkin had returned--and there were such a lotof things to see to, and I had to run home to tell Aunt Janet to getthings ready for you--in case you came back with me, so that I reachedthe gate just in time to let you in." He stopped a little out of breath.
They had been walking fairly quickly all this time, and the childrencould now see more clearly what a beautiful City they had entered.Everything glistened, a pure white, in the moonlight. Houses, walls,roofs, chimneys, front doors, gates, pavements, roads--all were whiteand spotlessly clean. Yet the curious part of it all was, that it wasnot monotonous to the eye; instead, it seemed to make a fine backgroundfor the coloured flowers and trees and dresses of the people. Andto-night, the City was full of soft shadows, cast by the objects thatstood in the light of the moon, Glan and the two children turned intoa narrow, hilly street, down the centre of which ran a sparklingbrooklet, that babbled and gurgled as it splashed over its pebbly bed.Most of the houses in this street were quaintly built, with the toppart bulging out over the street. And Molly noticed as they passed thatall the windows had coloured curtains--in one house all the curtainswere blue, in another a deep amber shade, in another a glowing crimson,and so on--which had a very pretty effect, especially if the windowswere lit from within. The white houses, the coloured curtains, and thewindow-boxes full of flowers that adorned each window in the streetmade a great impression on the children. They thought it all charming,and said so to Glan.
"The Possible World," he said, then shook his head and held up hisfinger. The tolling of the bell floated across to them.
"I suppose that's to warn people, isn't it?" said Jack.
Glan nodded. "But we'll soon change its tune, won't we?" he said. "It'sjoy-bells that'll be ringing next, because the Black Leaf is found. Andwho will have found it.... Ah, ha!" he winked knowingly, and wagged afat forefinger at the two children. "What a great day it will be," hechuckled. "You'll have to be careful I don't win, because I'm going tosearch too, you know ... but we'll talk all about that in the morning."
At the top of the hilly street they crossed an open square with amarket cross in the centre, and entered another narrow street withbulging houses and shops in it. They met few people now as theycontinued on their way: many were still down by the West Gate, andothers had wended their ways homeward after assuring themselves thatthe Pumpkin was safely outside the City walls. About half-way up thestreet Glan came to a halt outside a small shuttered shop, that layback underneath the frowning brow of the bulging upper story of thebuilding, like a dark deep-set eye. Producing a key from the pocketof his white jacket, Glan placed it in the lock of the side door andopened it quietly.
"I'll go in first, shall I?" he said. "There's no light in thepassage, and you might fall over something."
Jack and Molly followed him into the house, and stood hesitating on themat while he strode down the passage and opened a door at the fartherend. A dim light crept out and thinned the darkness. From the room camea low murmur in familiar tones.
"Come along," called Glan. "Would you mind just shutting the frontdoor. Thanks very much."
It was a small room at the end of the passage with a round table inthe centre of it on which stood a shaded lamp. At the table sat Glan'sfather with his elbows resting on a large open book in front of him,while his hands, held to the sides of his head, covered his ears; anexpression of profound melancholy was on his face as he gazed at thechildren on their entrance. Bending over the fireplace was a genial,comfortable-looking, elderly woman, who was stirring something in asaucepan.
"Bless their hearts, how tired they look," she exclaimed, as she caughtsight of the children's faces.
"It's the little lady and her brother that I told you about, AuntJanet," said Glan. "Is everything ready for them?"
"Yes, my dear," replied Aunt Janet. "The beds is sweet and aired, andthere's a bowl of hot broth for both of them, bless their innocentsouls, which'll be cooked in a minute or two. Sit you down, dearies,and rest yourselves, and Aunt Janet'll have things ready in no time foryou."
"They're sure to be tired," said Glan. "They were chased up the hill bythe Pumpkin," he added in a lower voice.
But his father had heard. "What was that?" he asked mournfully, takinghis hands down from his ears.
So Glan had to explain to him the incident at the gate, and how thePumpkin nearly got in. The old man listened intently, groaning everytime Glan paused for breath, and rolling his eyes whenever the Pumpkinwas mentioned by name. At the end of the story he hastily stopped hisears again, and bent over his book muttering faintly that he "couldn'tabide that bell ringing."
"Poor old father," said Glan, compassionately, "it does upset him so."
Jack and Molly were glad of the hot broth, and Aunt Janet, as shefussed about them anxiously, was pleased to see that the steaming bowlswere soon emptied.
"Sleep well, for there is hard work before you; but courage--andeverything will be well," said Glan, beaming down at them as he wishedthem good-night. While his father shook his head mournfully, and sighedas he gave them each a limp hand.
Aunt Janet lit two long candles, and conducted them up a flight of highnarrow stairs to the top of the house where there were two small roomswith little white beds, and freshly laundered window curtains.
"Good-night, dearies," she said. "Blow the candles out safely. I hopeyou'll find everything you want here." Her eyes grew very kind. "I hada little girl and boy once," she said, "and I know they'd like you touse their things--if they knew--so I've put them all out for you. Theywere just about your age, and I--and they--good-night, dearies," shestooped suddenly and kissed them each on the forehead.