“Well, if Uncle Twice and Pa don’t know about the tunnel, and the ladies come through it, we’re the ones who will have to stop them!” cried Emily.
“Just us?” said Kipper.
“There’s Aunt Twice and Tilly and all the old people as well,” Emily said.
Kipper scratched an ear doubtfully. “Your Aunt Twice and Tilly might do, but don’t know as how we can count on them timid old ones.”
“Timid old ones!” cried Emily, outraged. “How can you call someone timid who dared to take two peppermints and go to the Remembrance Room? And think of them all taking care of Clarabelle practically under Mrs. Meeching’s very nose, and—and—” Emily was too furious to go on.
Kipper hunched his shoulders and grinned. “Ouch, Emily! I shouldn’t o’ said that. Agreed that the old ones can help, too. But what can all us brave people use to stop them two vipers—bare hands?”
“No!” Emily shook her head. “I’ve thought of something, something I saw that time I ran into Mrs. Meeching’s room to rescue Mr. Bottle’s peppermint.” She looked furtively over her shoulder, because even now it still seemed that the eyes and ears of Sugar Hill Hall were everywhere. Then she whispered something to Kipper.
Kipper looked at her with sparkling eyes. “Dingus, Emily!” he exclaimed. “If you ain’t the one!”
As soon as they entered Sugar Hill Hall, Kipper vanished up the stairs, and Emily was left with the joyful task of waking Aunt Twice with the most wonderful news in the whole world. There was, however, one disheartening problem that remained. Uncle Twice, after all his rugged years at sea, had become suntanned, husky, and handsomer than ever, while Aunt Twice, with all her worries and fears, had become thin, wan, and weary. Could Uncle Twice still love her? Emily wondered. Would he?
Fortunately, she had little time to ponder this question, because she was too busy with the difficult task of waking a Tilly who could have stayed asleep if the entire mansion had come crashing down about her ears. Then Emily had to reveal all the news about Mrs. Plumly, the tunnel and the tavern, and of course, Uncle Twice.
“Well, I ain’t never!” cried Tilly. The look of surprise and shock in her watery blue eyes gave promise of staying there forever. But after Emily had told her everything, it was the simplest matter to enlist her aid in helping put an end to the two tyrants who had ruled over her for such a large portion of her life.
Then Aunt Twice, Tilly, and Emily all sped to the parlor where Kipper, like the Pied Piper, was just leading Mrs. Poovey, Mrs. Loops, Mr. Bottle, Mr. Dobbs, Mrs. Quirk and all the other old people down the broad staircase. They were still in their shabby flannel bathrobes and rundown slippers, rubbing the sleep from their eyes, but they had an air of excitement about them despite having just been awakened and given a quick history of the recent dramatic events.
“Emily, you dear, darling child!” cried Mrs. Poovey and Mrs. Loops in unison. They rushed to Emily and threw their arms around her.
“Oh Emily, you’re safe and well, you absolutely are!” said Mr. Bottle, blowing his nose from sheer joy.
Mrs. Quirk dashed away a happy tear. “We were afraid we’d never see you again, dear child”.
It was some time before Emily could even catch her breath from all the violent hugging and squeezing. “Do you know all that’s happened?” she asked. “Did Kipper tell you?”
Mrs. Poovey bobbed her head. “Oh yes, dear, he did. He came to tell Mrs. Loops and me first.”
“And we helped him tell all the others,” added Mrs. Loops, quivering proudly under her enormous lavender flannel bathrobe.
“I hope you’re not too frightened,” Emily said.
“Well, as a matter of fact we are, dear,” said Mrs. Poovey. “But, oh my, even if it meant spending the rest of our days in the Remembrance Room, we wouldn’t want to miss this, would we, Mrs. Loops?”
“Certainly not!” replied Mrs. Loops, beaming.
“Nor would any of us!” said Mr. Bottle wetly but happily, from behind his handkerchief.
“Now, here’s Kipper handing out our weapons!” said Mr. Dobbs. His old face, as wrinkled as parchment, was aglow with excitement.
They all waited with breathless anticipation as Kipper handed out paper bags retrieved from the kitchen. Tilly quickly peeked into her bag, and then raised happy, disbelieving eyes.
“Well, I declares!” she exclaimed.
The gaslights were turned down whisper low, and a conspiratorial hush fell on the parlor as they all stood in the shadows, silently observed only by the dust, the cobwebs and the plaster cupids overhead.
They did not have long to wait. What Emily had thought might happen was exactly what did happen. Through the thick walls of the old ballroom were wafted the muffled screeches and hisses, snarls and screams of two ladies having a polite argument.
“It’s all your fault!” howled one.
“Ha! Ha! and ha! My fault, indeed!” yelled the other.
“Snake!”
“Viper!”
“Fool!”
“Jackass!”
Moments after this exchange of pleasantries, the door from Mrs. Meeching’s room flew open, and out burst Plumly and Meeching, Inc., coats thrown on any which way, and hair flying about like haystacks in a windstorm. Each one carried two enormous black carpetbags spilling over with jewels greedily snatched up in the ballroom. But they were brought to a sudden, dramatic stop when their furious eyes fell on Emily, Kipper, Aunt Twice, Tilly, and all the old people lined up solidly as a stone wall before the front door.
“Aaaaaaaargh!” snarled Mrs. Plumly.
“Sssssssssss!” hissed Mrs. Meeching.
“Step aside at once!” commanded Mrs.
