Then Molly's match flickered--and went out.
"Here, I'll light one," said Jack. "I've got mine now."
So Jack lit one. Just the usual match flare at first, but as soon as it burned up the light gathered together all on one side of the match as it were, a long streak pointing in the exactly opposite direction to where the boxes were, right over on the other side of the cellar. For a moment Jack doubted, wondering whether it was a sort of joke on him. But he and Molly followed the light quickly, and saw that it was concentrated on a spot, high up on the wall, near the roof.
"Look! quick!" said Molly. "There's an iron ring or handle or something up there."
And then they remembered what the first match had shown them, and hastily dragging the boxes across the floor, piled them one on top of the other underneath the ring in the wall. Then Jack's match went out.
Both children were now tremendously excited; and fearful lest the Pumpkin should come before they had finished their investigations, they moved as rapidly as possible. Molly lit the next match, while Jack clambered up to the top of the boxes. Her light pointed straight at the iron ring.
"It's a ring all right!" cried Jack. "But, oh, Moll, I can't quite reach it! Whatever shall we do?"
As the match pointed steadily at the ring, and offered no further suggestions, Molly climbed up to the top of the boxes too. Jack's remark was only too true; the ring was just out of reach, try as they would to touch it.
"I believe I could reach it if you could lift me up, Jack," said Molly.
"Right-o!" said Jack. And then Molly's match went out.
As it would be too difficult to hold a match while trying to reach the ring, and as Molly said she remembered just where the ring was on the wall, it was decided to pull the ring if possible, and then light a match, and see what had happened.
So Jack lifted Molly up, and after groping about on the wall with her hands for a few seconds, she caught hold of the ring.
"I've got it! Keep steady, Jack!" she cried, joyfully, and gave a vigorous tug at the iron ring. "Something's given way--it feels as if a sort of door's opened. All right, put me down now, Jack, and strike a match."
Jack followed her directions, and by the light of the match they saw that a small square door had opened in the wall above their heads. The light from the match pointed straight through the opening. It looked like a narrow, dark tunnel beyond. Jack put his match down on the top of the boxes to see if it would give them sufficient light from there, but directly it left his hand it went out, so they decided to try to get into the tunnel before they lit up again, as it was too difficult to hold matches while scrambling through the little black opening. Jack hoisted Molly up first, and she managed to get through the door, and then she turned and reached down her hand to pull Jack up. It was rather an ordeal, doing all this in the dark, but at length it was safely accomplished and they were both inside the tunnel. Once through the door, although rather cramped, they found there was sufficient room to stand up, if they bent their heads.