chacking" noise which brown owls make when they are
perched. This great gleaming owl, five times greater than any earthly
owl, was making that chacking noise, as though it would soon spread its
wings, to swoop on some such wretched mouse as myself. I could see its
eyes roll. I thought I saw the feathers stiffen on its breast. Then,
as the sweat rolled down my face, both the horrible things vanished as
suddenly as they had appeared. They were gone for more than a minute,
then they appeared again, only to disappear a second time. They were
exactly alike at each appearance. Soon my horror left me, for I saw that
the things disappeared at regular intervals. I found that I could time
each reappearance by counting ninety slowly from the instant the things
vanished. That calmed me. "I believe they're only clock-work," I said to
myself. A moment later I saw Mr. Jermyn's head in sharp outline against
the brightness of the owl. He seemed to be fixing something with his
hand. It made me burst into a cackle of laughter, to find how easily
I had been scared. "Why, it's only clock-work," I said aloud. "They're
carved turnips with candles inside them, fixed to a revolving pole, like
those we used to play with at Oulton, on the 5th of November." My fear
was gone in an instant. I thought to myself how fine it would be if I
could get into that house, to stop the works, in revenge for the scare
they had given me. I wondered how I could do that.

CHAPTER IV. I LEAVE HOME FOR THE LAST TIME

I was thoroughly ripe for mischief of any kind; my scare had driven away
all desire for sleep. I looked at the window, wondering if it would be
best to go down my ladder again, to get the ladder in the garden. I
was about to do thus, when I remembered the planks in the box-room. How
splendid it would be, I thought, if I could get a couple of those long
planks across the lane as a sort of bridge. They were strong, thick
planks not likely to sag in the middle if I could only get them across.
Getting them across was the difficulty; for though I was strong for my
age, I found the first plank very contrary. After blowing out my candles
I fixed one end of the board under my heavy four-post bed, pointing the
other end out through the window, slanting upwards. Straddling across
it, I very gingerly edged it out, a hand's breadth at a time, till I had
some ten feet wagging about in the air over the lane. It was as much as
I could do unaided, to aim the thing.