The dormitory floor was cold and the two boys climbed back into bed.
'What's the matter?' whispered Temple.
'Yes, what has happened?' whispered Venables.
'Everything is all right,' said Jennings.
When Darbishire climbed back into his warm bed his only wish was not to get out of it and not to stand in front of an open window.
Not so Jennings! 'We must think about our messages now, while we are waiting,' he said.
'I don't think it is very important,' answered Darbishire. 'Well, you may ask them why Old Wilkie didn't go to have his supper, but was looking at the moon.'
'Yes, but what are we going to talk about after that?' asked Jennings. 'We've just arrived on Mars, you see, and we have to tell them all about it.'
'Well, why not say, 'We've just arrived and are having a good time!''
'We can't say that. You are not sending a postcard home, are you?'
'Well, think about something better, then.'
'That's what I'm trying to do,' said Jennings. 'You can't understand that we are space pilots, and we must say something important to the world which is waiting for our messages.'
They were talking about their messages for some time. At last Jennings said:
'I think Old Wilkie has gone to have his supper. So I'll try again.' He got out of bed and took his home-made telephone. 'Wake up, Darbi! Don't sleep! Come and help me!'
Darbishire got out of bed, put on his slippers ('It's very cold on Mars,' he said to himself) and slowly went to the window to help his friend.
At that moment Jennings looked through the window and saw... no, he could not believe his eyes. In the school yard he saw a man climbing through the window of Classroom 2.
'Look, Darbi, look!' he exclaimed.
Darbishire looked out.
'Who is it?' he whispered.
'I can't see. Can you?'
'No, I can't,' answered Darbishire. 'Do you think it's a burglar?'
'I think it is. Who climbs through the window at this time of night?'
'What shall we do then?'
'We'll go and tell Old Wilkie. All the teachers are having supper now. So I'm sure they didn't hear anything.'
From this conversation the other boys of Dormitory 4 understood that something important was happening. They jumped out of their beds and ran to the window. When they were near the window they saw only a pair of feet disappearing over the window-ledge of Classroom 2.
The boys were surprised. They forgot about the home-made telephone at once, because here was an adventure which doesn't often happen in a boarding school.
Jennings spoke the first. 'Darbi and I will go and give the alarm. You, other boys, stay here and watch the school yard,' he said.
'Yes, but if...' began Darbishire.
'Oh, come on, Darbi! Don't stand there! We'll go straight down to the dining hall and tell one of the teachers.'
'Yes, but - wait a minute, I... I've dropped my spectacles.'
'You don't need your spectacles. Follow me and do as I say.'
Jennings took Darbishire by the hand and they ran to the dining hall.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Mr Wilkins looks for... Mr Wilkins
Jennings and Darbishire hurried downstairs. Near the library they stopped. In front of them was the hall which they had to cross to walk to the dining hall at the far end of the building. Suddenly they heard footsteps. Somebody walked in the hall.
'Can you see anybody?' Darbishire whispered.
'I can,' answered Jennings. He could see Mr Carter and Mr Wilkins going from the hall into the corridor on their way to the dining hall.
'Sir! ... Sir!' he called in a whisper. But
neither of the teachers heard his whisper. Jennings took Darbishire by the hand again and the boys crossed the hall and hurried along the corridor after the teachers. But when they turned the last corner they could only see Mr Carter and Mr Wilkins disappearing through the dining hall door.
'After them, quick!' said Jennings.
'Yes, but what if...?'
'Don't argue, Darbi! Do as I say.'
When Jennings spoke, the dining hall door opened again and Mr Pemberton came out into the corridor after his supper. He looked at the boys in surprise.
'What are you boys doing out of bed?' he asked.
'Oh, sir! Sir! There's a burglar in the school, sir!' said Jennings.
The news didn't surprise the Headmaster. 'Nonsense,' he answered.
'But there is a burglar, sir,- really!'
'Yes, that's quite right. We've seen him!' said Darbishire. 'Only his back, of course, but I'm sure he was a burglar, because he climbed in through the window. All the other boys in the dormitory saw him too, sir.'
'And he is walking about the school somewhere at this moment. So we thought we must come and tell somebody, sir,' said Jennings.
The Headmaster did not know how Mr Wilkins has come into the building and believed the boys.
'And where exactly is this man?' he asked.
'We don't know where he is now, sir. It was some minutes ago that we saw him,' answered Jennings. 'But we didn't meet him when we were coming down here. So maybe he is still on the ground floor somewhere, sir.'
'All right; I'll see to it. And you, please, go back to your dormitory,' said the Headmaster.
'It's most unfair,' Jennings said to Darbishire when they walked back to their dormitory; 'We told him about the burglar and he sent us to bed.'
On their way back to their dormitory they came to each dormitory and told the boys the news of the burglar. By the time they reached their own dormitory the whole school woke up.
The Headmaster hurried back to the dining hall where Mr Carter and Mr Wilkins were beginning their supper. Mr Hind and one or two other teachers who had already finished their supper were going to leave the table. They looked up at the Headmaster when he came into the room.
'I think that there may be a stranger in the building,' said Mr Pemberton.
The teacher stood up from the table.
'There may be nothing in it, of course,' continued the Headmaster, 'but I think we have to organize small search-parties which will go and look for the stranger. You will come with me. Hind, and we'll go around the ground floor. And maybe you will go in pairs to the other parts of the building.'
And with these words the Headmaster and Mr Hind went out of the dining hall.
Mr Carter and Mr Wilkins left their supper and went out of the dining hall too.
'You see. Carter, I was right after all. Now you've heard what the Headmaster said, and maybe you'll believe me.'
Mr Carter did not answer. 'I want to know who told the Headmaster about a stranger,' he thought. 'I'll ask him about it when I see him.'
They looked for a stranger for half an hour - in classrooms, common room, library, kitchens and gymnasium. But
