The Secret of Green Dragon by M. Durward

4.9

Part I

Nancy looked down the road.

“Here is Richard,” she called to Mike. “He has Sally with him." She ran down the road to meet him.

“Hello, Mike!" called Richard when they came into the garden.

Mike looked up.

"Hello, Richard,” he said. “I am glad you have come; but why did you bring that silly little dog with you?”

“You said we might go up to Green Dragon and you know Sally likes to run about,” said Richard.

“Yes,! know, but she will run about in places where she must not, if we take her up there to the castle," said Mike. “I think she must stay at home.”

“Sally is coming with us,” said Nancy.

“Well, you can look after her then,” Mike said.

“Oh, hurry up,” said Richard. “It's time to go.” They got their things together and went to Green Dragon.

Green Dragon was a castle. In the past it was a very big castle but now it was in ruins. The children called it Green Dragon, as it had a big green dragon made of stone over the place where the door once was. It was a good place to play. They went along by the river and then came Io the bridge. Here Mike stopped.

“If we go over the bridge and along that road we can go round by the farm,” he said.

“Yes, I like that road," said Richard.

“So do I,” said Nancy, “and we can see Danny when we come to the farm.”

“Look! There is Danny on the tractor!" called Richard when they came to the farm. They all raced over to Danny.

“Where arc you going?” asked Danny.

“We are going up to Green Dragon,” said Richard.

“If you look well, you may find Green Dragon’s secret,” said Danny.

“There is no secret,” said Mike.

“Oh yes, there is,” said Danny, “and someone will find it one day.”

Part II

When they came to Green Dragon, they sat down on the grass in front of the castle and had lunch. Nancy looked up at the green dragon.

“Shall we look for the secret after lunch?” she asked.

“You can if you like," said Mike, “but I am going down to the river.”

“I think I shall come with you, Mike,” said Richard. “If there is a secret, we shall never find it.”

“Well I am going to look for it,” said Nancy and she went over to the castle. Sally ran after her.

Mike lay back on the grass. “Girls are silly,” he said.

Nancy came to the castle and looked at the green dragon.

“I think you have got a secret," said Nancy. “Come on, Sally. We’ll look round.” And Nancy went from room to room. Sally raced all over the place. Then she ran into a hole in the wall. Nancy called and called to her, but the dog did not come back. So Nancy climbed into the hole after her.

Behind the wall was a little room and there was Sally. The little dog was scratching at the stones. She did not see Nancy. Suddenly there was a crash and a lot of big stones fell down. Nancy was very frightened. Sally was frightened too and ran up to Nancy. Nancy sat down by the little dog and looked round the room. Where was the hole? There was no hole now, only stones where the hole was once.

“How shall we get out of here?” said Nancy. But there was no way out. The little girl began to pull the stones one by one, but they were very big. Suddenly something fell to the floor. She picked it up.

“What a nice little box!” said Nancy. “I must open it.”

But it was difficult to open the box. At last she hit it on a stone and the box opened.

“Look, Sally! Look!” she called to the little dog. “Look at the money in the box!”

Part III

Nancy put the money back in the box. Then she looked up at the green dragon over the wall.

“Is that your secret?” she asked. The green dragon did not answer. Then Nancy went round the room again.

“There is no way out,” she said. “I must call Mike. Mike. Mike!” she called, but the boy did not hear her. She called again and again.

At last Mike called back, “Where are you, Nancy?”

“I am in a little room behind the green dragon. Can you get me out?”

“I think so,” said Mike and soon he and Richard ran up to the wall.

“There are many big stones here in the room," said Nancy.

“Yes,” said Mike. “I am coming to you,” and he climbed up the wall and jumped down into the room where Nancy was.

The children put some big stones near the wall and then they could climb up over it and jump down on to the road near the castle.

“It was lucky the wall did not fall on you,” said Mike. “This will teach you not to look for Green Dragon’s secret.”

“Oh, the secret?” said Nancy, “but here it is.”

“Don’t be silly!” said Mike.

“I am not silly,” said Nancy and she showed him the little box with the money in it. “Sally helped me to find it.”

“It is old money,” said Mike, “we must take it to Mr. Kelly, the school teacher.”

On the way back they saw Danny on the tractor.

“Hello!” he called. “Did you find Green Dragon’s secret?”

“Yes,” said Richard, “Nancy found a little box with some old money in it, we are taking it to Mr. Kelly.”

When Mr. Kelly heard about Green Dragon’s secret, he said:

“This is a very interesting story. I shall put this old money in the school museum and tell my class how Nancy found it”