Steve looked at the floor and then up at the Colonel.
"I'm not making a very good job of this, am I?" he said.
"Tell me, Steve, what's all this business about house keys? I thought the Foleys were still staying in the Queens Hotel. They're surely not going back to Lilian Street?"
"No, this is Minnie's new house. She's just exchanged contracts with the Estate Agent. It's off Alwoodley Lane. There's a separate paddock and a stable block. She wants me to take a look at it and see what I think of it."
"That's quick work. Do you realise she's also given me some money to give to Dora, for Follyfoot?"
"Yes - she told me. She's really a very kind woman. I wish you'd all give her a chance!"
"I believe you, Steve. But I think you should be very careful with what you're doing. Is Minnie Foley planning to start a business? I'd be happy to advise her."
"I'd rather not say anything about that yet. You'll know soon enough".
At that moment the nurse came along, wheeling a trolley, and the Colonel got up and left the ward. He went into the public phone booth at the hospital entrance and dialled Bendiger's number.
"Bendiger here".
"It's Geoffrey. Did you get a chance to look at those old papers?"
"Yes - I think they're the real thing. I've made photocopies of them and sent them to the West Yorkshire Archaeological Society. The originals are in my safe. But I still think you could do with more proof".
"How can I do that? Earnshaw's put a bloody great fence around Gallows Farm!"
"I just might have an idea. I know somebody who may be able to help you. I'll send him round this afternoon".
At that moment Dora appeared.
"Where've you been?" asked the Colonel.
"Seeing Ron again" she replied. "But a pretty nurse has just gone in to take his temperature, so I reckon I was in the way!"
"You and I have got to get back to Follyfoot. I think we may be about to learn something very important".
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Dora, Hazel, Slugger and the Colonel were waiting when the battered Mini pulled up in front of the farm and a pale young man with glasses got out. He was carrying a machine the likes of which Dora and Hazel had never seen before.
"Now that's one of them mine detectors!" exclaimed Slugger. "They used them in the War!"
"Actually", said the young man, "this is a very sophisticated metal detector, and it can find both ferrous and non-ferrous metal."
"You're Mr Bendiger's neighbour's son, aren't you?" asked the Colonel.
"That's right. Antony Matthews." He shook the Colonel's hand and was introduced to the others. "Now, where d'you think I ought to start looking?"
"Try over by the lake, up against the Gallows Farm fence", suggested Dora.
"How much suction power does that thing have?" asked Hazel.
"Oh - it doesn't actually suck anything up. It makes a beeping noise when it passes over something metal, and then you have to dig it up. Look, I'll give you a demonstration".
Antony waved the detector over the ground and there was a signal almost immediately. He got a trowel and dug a small hole. Within seconds he produced a rusty horseshoe.
"A horseshoe - what a surprise!" said Hazel.
"That shows the machine is working. Now let's go over to the lake."
They followed Antony towards the lake. After about ten minutes the detector emitted a beep. Antony deftly removed a divot and triumphantly produced a coin.
"Look - a halfcrown. Queen Elizabeth".
"Elizabeth the First?" asked Dora.
"Nope - Elizabeth the Second! Nineteen-fifty-nine" said Antony, rubbing the dirt from the coin.
"Can't do much with that - they're obsolete!" said Slugger.
Antony started combing the ground with his detector again. Soon there was a second signal and he started digging a small hole.
"Oh look!" exclaimed Hazel. "It's a sixpence, but some idiot's chopped it in half!"
"No,"said Antony, lifting up the tiny sliver of silver, "this is a silver half-penny of King John. In those days the silver penny was the only coin minted. So if you wanted a half-penny, you just cut a penny in half!"
"So this proves there was a settlement around here in medieval times!" said the Colonel.
"Well, not really" said Antony. "The coin could have been dropped by a farmer on his way home from the pub. It doesn't mean there was a building here. But you never know, we could find something else. We've still got that strip of land by the fence to try."
The next half-hour produced just a bottle-top and the ring-pull from a Coke can. But then Antony's detector gave a really deep squeal. He dug down and unearthed an object about the size of a small brick.
"What's that?" asked Dora.
"It's a lead ingot" replied Antony. He scraped the earth from it and held it up so they could see it. There was a crown and the initials H VIII R.
"What does that mean?" asked Hazel.
"It's the Royal Cipher of King Henry VIII. When the monasteries were dissolved, they melted down the lead roofs and made these ingots to take to the royal treasury. It looks as if this one got left behind. This is the proof we need that there was some sort of monastic building here!"
"So what do we do now?"
"I'm going to take this around to the Archaeological Society straight away. They are going to be so excited about this, and I can't see that anyone's going to allow any building on this site until it's been properly investigated!"
"Thank heavens for that!" cried Dora, grabbing her Uncle's arm.
"Well I'm blowed!" said Slugger. "So it looks as if those old papers Ron found were all right after all!"
"Tell me a bit more about this detecting lark!" said Hazel, as she walked back with Antony towards his car.