"Sometimes I think I ought not to have come here."

"Why ever should you think that?"

"When I came, I offered you a way out. Sometimes I think that is the last thing you wanted."

I was silent, thinking: I believe she notices everything.

"I needed a way out, Clare," I said.

"You showed me a way.

So please don't say it would have been better if you hadn't come. "

We were both silent for some time. I was thinking about Clare and what her life must have been like when she was looking after her mother until she died . and then coming to look after my father. Now it seemed she was looking after me. It was true that she was the sort of person who spent her life looking after other people and had no real life other own. It must have been about half an hour later when she reminded me that Kendal had not come home.

"He is late," I agreed.

Jeanne came in then and asked where Kendal was. We all agreed that he was late, but we were not really concerned until about an hour later when he was still not home.

"Wherever can he have got to?" asked Jeanne.

"He should have been back long ago."

"He must have got caught up in the game."

"I wonder if he is at the castle," suggested Jeanne.

Clare said she would go and look, and put on her cloak and went out.

I was beginning to feel uneasy. Clare came back soon looking very disturbed. Kendal was not at the castle. William was not there either.

"They must still be playing," said Jeanne. But two hours later when they had still not returned I was seriously alarmed. I went up to the castle. I was met by one of the maids who looked at me with that speculation to which I was becoming accustomed.

I cried out: "Has William come home yet?"

"I don't know, Madame. I will go and enquire."

It soon transpired that William was not at home. Now I knew something was wrong.

Rollo came into the hall.

"Kate!" he cried, the delight obvious in his voice at the sight of me.

I cried out: "It's Kendal. He's out somewhere. We expected him back hours ago. William is with him. They went out this afternoon to play in the woods as they often do."

"Not back yet! Why, it will be dark soon."

"We must find him," I said.

"I'll make up several search parties. You and I will go together, Kate. Let's go to the stables. I'll bring a lantern and alert the others. There's no moon tonight."

In a short time he had formed search parties and sent them off in different directions. He and I rode off together.

"To the woods," he said.

"I'm always afraid of the Peak. If they got too near the edge ... there might be an accident."

We rode in silence. I was getting really frightened now. It was dark in the woods and all sorts of fearful pictures kept flashing into my mind. What could have happened to them? Some accident? Robbers? What would they have that was worth stealing? Gypsies! I had heard of them carrying off children.

I felt sick with anxiety and at the same time relieved because Rollo was with me.

We went to that spot which Marie-Claude had first shown me and where I had met Rollo later. I peered into the eerie darkness. We rode right to the drop. Rollo dismounted and gave me his horse to hold while he went to the edge of the ravine and looked over.

"Nothing down there. The ground hasn't been disturbed. I don't think they came to this spot."

"I have a feeling they are in the woods," I said.

"They came to the woods to play their game. They couldn't have played it in the open country."

Rollo shouted: "Kendal, where are you?"

His own voice echoed back.

Then he did a shrill whistle. It was earsplitting.

"I taught him how to do that," he said.

"We practised it together."

"Kendal, Kendal!" he called.

"Where are you?" And then he whistled again.

There was no response.

We rode on and came to a disused quarry.

"We'll ride down here," said Rollo, 'and I'll shout again. It's amazing how one's voice echoes from here. I used to call to my playmates when I was a boy. You get the echo back. I showed this to Kendal too. "

I wondered briefly how often they had been together. When Kendal went off into the woods, was the Baron there too? Did he join in the game of hunter and hunted?

We rode up to the top of the quarry and shouted again.

There was silence for a few seconds and then . unmistakably . the sound of a whistle.

"Listen," said Rollo.

He whistled again and the whistle was returned.

"Thank God," he said.

"We've found them."

"Where?"

"We'll find out." He whistled again and again it came back.

"This way," he said.

I followed him and we made our way through the trees.

The whistle was close now.

"Kendal," called Rollo.

"Baron!" came the answer; and I don't think I ever felt so happy in my life as I did at that moment.

We found them in a hollow-William white and scared, Kendal defiant.

They had contrived to build a tent of some sort with a sheet spread out over the bracken.

"What's this!" cried Rollo.

"You've led us a pretty dance."

"We're camping," said Kendal.

"You might have mentioned the fact. Your mother has been frantically wondering where you were. She thought you were lost."

"I don't get lost," said Kendal, not looking at me.

Rollo had dismounted and pulled back the sheet.

"What's this? A feast or something?"

"We took it from the kitchens in the castle. There was a lot of food there."

"I see," said Rollo.

"Well, now you'd better come back quickly because there are a lot of people searching the countryside for you."

"Are you angry?" asked Kendal.

"Very," said the Baron. He seized Kendal and put him on his horse.

"Am I going to ride back with you?" asked Kendal.

"You don't deserve to. I ought to make you walk."

"I'm not going to leave the castle," announced Kendal.

"What?" cried Rollo.

"I'm going to stay with you. This is my home and you are my father.

You said you were. "

Rollo had turned to me and I was aware of his triumph. The boy was his. I knew that he was very happy in that moment.

William was standing up looking expectantly about him. Rollo lifted him up and set him on my horse in front of me.

"Now we'll get these scamps home," said Rollo.

As we approached the castle several of the servants saw us approaching and a shout of joy went up because the boys were safe.

I dismounted and helped William down.

"It wasn't William's fault," said Kendal sullenly, as he was put on the ground made him come. "

"We know that," said Rollo, sternly proud.

Jeanne and Clare came running up.

"Oh ... you've found them!" panted Jeanne.

"Thank God!" cried Clare.

"Are they all right?"

"There's nothing wrong with them," I told her.

"Have you some hot food for them?" asked Rollo.

"Though they don't deserve it."

"I'm hungry," said Kendal.

"So am I," added William.

"Come along into the Loge," said jeanne "You shall have something in next to no time. Whatever did you do this for?"

Kendal looked steadily at Rollo.

"We were going to camp in the woods until my mother had gone," he said.

"You won't let them send me away, will you?"

There was a short silence and then Kendal ran to Rollo and seized him round the legs.