Chapter 33 Doctor Dolittle's Zoo by Hugh Lofting
THE SECRET CUPBOARD
The white mouse was so breathless with running when he appeared at the study door that he could hardly talk. I lifted him to the table, where between puffs he finally managed to give us his message.
Apparently just as he was seeing the Manor mouse off at the gate a rat had run up and said that they had at last located the document. The old man had hidden it, it seemed, in a secret cupboard on the top floor of the house. They couldn't get the will out because it was a large heavy roll of parchment; and the hole which they had made into the cupboard (through the brickwork at the back) was very, very small. Indeed, it was so tiny that the two rats who had made it couldn't get through it. But they could see that there were papers of some sort inside. So they had got the very smallest mouse in the Manor and sent him in to make an examination and give them a report. And they were now quite certain that the document was the will, because it was made of the same kind of parchment and had a corner missing corresponding with the one in my possession.
Well, as you can imagine, the excitement among us was tremendous. And when, a moment later, the rat in question himself appeared, confirmed the story and offered to lead the Doctor at once to the secret cupboard, I could see that the thrill of the Moorsden Manor Mystery was beginning at last to take hold of John Dolittle himself. Matthew was all for starting right away.
“No, now wait a minute,” said the Doctor. “Not so fast. This is a serious thing. If we should be wrong and get caught we will have hard work to explain our actions—especially with Sidney Throgmorton anxious to put us all in jail anyway. We must proceed carefully and make as few mistakes as possible. Let me see: what time is it?—Eleven forty-five. We couldn't attempt it before two o'clock in the morning anyhow. We must be sure every one's abed first. Listen, Jip: you run over there to the Manor and tell—by the way, could you get into the grounds, do you think?”
“Oh, yes,” said Jip. “I can slip through the bars of that big gate easily.”
“Well,” said the Doctor, “don't be seen, for heaven's sake. They might shoot you. Then just nose quietly round the house till you get a chance to speak to those two watch-dogs, Dina and Wolf. Tell them to expect me about two o'clock. Goodness knows how I'm going to get into the house. That I'll have to find out when I get there. Anyway, tell them not to be worried or give any alarm if they hear latches being forced or anything like that. Do you understand?”
“All right,” said Jip. And he hopped through the open window into the darkness of the garden and was gone.
“Now the next thing,” said the Doctor, “we'll need a rope. See if you can find my alpine rope up in the attic, Stubbins, will you, please?”
“Shall we be taking Bumpo along, Doctor?” asked Matthew. “Better, don't you think? He's a handy man in a tight place.”
“Er—yes, I suppose so,” said John Dolittle. “Though the trouble with Bumpo is that he is sometimes a trifle too handy.”
“Then I'll go and start getting him woke up,” said the Cats'-meat-Man. “It's a long job as a rule.”
Well, although we had two and a quarter hours in which to make our preparations it did not seem any too long. One after another the Doctor, Matthew, Kling, Cheapside, the white mouse and I would keep thinking of things we ought to take, or do, to insure success to the expedition. And when John Dolittle finally looked at his watch and said that we ought to be starting, it did not seem as though more than a few minutes had elapsed since he had made up his mind to embark upon the venture.
Fortunately there would be no moon till somewhere where about three o'clock in the morning. So, to begin with anyhow, we had the protection of pretty complete darkness.
In spite of the fact that I shared Polynesia's confidence in the Doctor's luck and success, I must confess I felt quite thrilled by the risks ahead of us as we quietly opened the gate and trailed down to the road.
The Doctor and Matthew had worked out most of the details of our campaign before we left and had assigned to each of us what parts we were to play. So there was no talking as we plodded silently along the road towards the Manor.
At a point where the limb of a large ash tree overhung the high wall of the estate we halted and the Doctor uncoiled his rope. With the aid of a stone tied to a long length of twine, we got the rope's end hauled up over the branch and down to the road again. Up this we all swarmed in turn. Meanwhile Cheapside kept watch in the branches above to see that no one surprised us on the Manor side, and Kling below kept an eye open for late way-farers that might pass along the road.
When all of us were inside the grounds and the rope hauled over after us, Kling went off to enter, like Jip, through the bars of the gate.
When I got down out of the tree the first thing I noticed was Jip's white shadow flitting across the sward to meet us.
“It's all right,” he whispered to the Doctor. “I've told Dina and Wolf. They say they will be on the lookout for you and will show you round the place when you get in.”
“Yes, but it is the getting in that is going to be the job, I'm afraid,” muttered John Dolittle. “Listen, Jip: from here I've no idea of even where the house lies—through all this shrubbery and park land. Lead us to it, will you? And bring us up on the wooded side. We don't want to cross any open spaces.”
“Very good,” said Jip. “I'll take you to the kitchen-garden side. You'll have cover all the way up. But if you should get spotted and have to run for it, tell every one to follow me. I know the easiest and shortest way out.”
Then in single file we trailed after Jip who kept us behind bushes and hedges for what seemed like a good ten minutes' walk. Suddenly we found ourselves against the wall of the house itself. Here I noticed for the first time that Kling had rejoined us.
“Listen,” I heard him whisper to the Doctor, “you've got that rat in your pocket still, haven't you?—the one who lives here.”
“Yes,” said John Dolittle. “And the white mouse too.”
“Well, that rat is your best chance for getting in,” said Kling. “If you let Matthew force a lock you're liable to have complications with the police afterwards. Send the rat into the house through a hole—he'll know lots of them leading down into the cellar. And tell him to get you the master's latch key. It'll be in his bedroom, on the dressing table, you may be sure.”
“Splendid!” whispered the Doctor. And he at once took the rat from his pocket and explained to him what Kling had said. Then he let him go upon the ground and we waited.
It was about five minutes later, I should say, when I felt something small and sharp hit me on the head. Even through my cap it stung. From my head it bounced to the ground. And by the dim starlight I could see it shining dully where it lay. I picked it up. It was a small key. Apparently the master's bedroom window was directly above our heads; and the rat, to save time, had thrown the key out to us.
I slipped it into the Doctor's hand and in silence we moved round towards the front of the house.