chapter 5 that boy again!

george would not wake up. she grunted when anne poked her and prodded her, and then she turnedover, almost falling off the small heather-bed.

'oh george - please do wake!' begged anne, in a whisper. she was afraid of speaking out loud incase anyone should hear her. who knew what might happen if she drew attention to their little camp?

george awoke at last and was cross. 'whatever is it, anne?' she said, her voice sounding loud in thenight.

'sh!' said anne. 'sh!'

'why? we're all alone here! we can make as much noise as we like!' said george, surprised.

'george, do listen! there's someone in that old cottage!' said anne, and at last george heard andunderstood. she sat up at once.

anne told her the whole story - though it didn't really seem very much of a tale when she related it.

george spoke to timmy.

'tim!' she said, keeping her voice low. 'we'll go and do a little exploring, shall we? come on, then -and keep quiet!'

she slid off the rug and stood up. 'you stay here,' she said to anne. 'timmy and i will be very quietand careful, and see what we can find out.'

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'oh no - i couldn't stay here alone!' said anne in alarm, and got up hurriedly. 'i shall have to cometoo. i don't mind a bit now timmy's with us. i wonder he didn't bark at the people in the old cottage,whoever they were.'

'he probably thought it was you messing about,' said george, and anne nodded. yes, of course,timmy must have thought that any noises he heard had been made by her.

they took the path that led to the old cottage. george had timmy well to heel. he knew he must notpush forward unless told to. his ears were pricked now, and he was listening hard.

they came cautiously to the cottage. they could see its dark outline in the starlight, but little else.

there was no light flashing there. nor did there seem to be any noises at all.

all three stood still and quiet for about five minutes. then timmy moved restlessly. this was boring!

why wouldn't george let him run forward and explore everywhere if she wanted to know if intruderswere about?

'i don't think there's a soul here!' whispered george into anne's ear. 'they must have gone -unless you dreamed it all, anne!'

'i didn't!' whispered back anne indignantly. 'let's go forward a bit and send timmy into the cottage.

he'll soon bark if there's anyone there.'

george gave timmy a little shove. 'go on, then!' she said. 'find, timmy, find!'

timmy gladly shot forward into the darkness. he trotted into the cottage, though it was impossibleeven to see him go to it. the two girls stood and listened, their heart-beats sounding very loud tothem! there was not a sound to be heard, except occasionally the rattle of timmy's strong claws on astony slab.

'there can't be anyone there,' said george at last.

'else timmy would have sniffed them out. you're an ass, anne - you dreamt it all!'

'i did not!' said anne, indignant again. 'i know there was someone there - in fact, more than oneperson, because i'm sure i heard whispering!'

george raised her voice. 'timmy!' she called loudly, making anne jump violently. 'timmy!

come along. we've sent you on a silly wild goose chase - but now we'll go back to bed!'

timmy came trotting out of the cottage and went obediently to george. she heard him yawn as hestood beside her, and she laughed.

'anne had a bad dream, that's all, timmy,' she said.

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anne felt cross - very cross. she said no more and they left the old cottage and went back to theirheather-bed. anne climbed on to her side and turned over with her back to george. all right - letgeorge think it was a dream if she liked!

but when anne awoke in the morning and remembered the happenings of the night before, she toobegan to wonder uneasily if she had dreamed what she had seen and heard in the old cottage.

'after all - timmy would certainly have caught anyone who was there,' she thought. 'and he wasn't atall excited, so there can't have been anyone in the cottage. and anyway, why would they come? it'sjust silly!'

so, when george talked about anne's dreaming in the middle of the night, anne did not defendherself. she really could not be sure that it had really happened. so she held her tongue when georgeteased her, and said nothing.

'let's go and see that boy and his camp,' george said when they had eaten a few rather stalesandwiches and some shortbread biscuits. 'i'm beginning to feel bored, aren't you? i wish timmy'sear would quite heal up. i'd go back home like a shot then.'

they set off in the direction of the camp with timmy. they heard a chip-chipping noise as they camenear, and then something small and hairy shot out from a bush and rushed up, barking a welcome.

'hallo, jet!' said anne. 'don't you let timmy have any more of your bones!'

the chipping noise had stopped. the two girls went on and came to a very messy piece of common.

it had been well dug over, in some places very deeply. surely that boy couldn't have done so muchexcavating by himself?

'hey! where are you?' called george. then she saw the boy below her, examining something in atrench he had dug out. he jumped and looked upwards.

then he scowled. 'look - you promised not to come and disturb me!' he shouted. 'you're mean.

just like girls to break a promise.'

'well! i like that!' said george, amazed. 'it was you who broke yours! who came messing round ourcamp yesterday evening i'd like to know?'

'not me!' said the boy at once. 'i always keep my promises. now go away and keep yours. girls!

pooh!'

'well, i can't say we think much of you,' said george, disgusted. 'we're going. we don't want to seeanything of your silly digging. good-bye!'

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'good-bye and good riddance!' called the boy rudely, and turned back to his work.

'i think he must be quite mad,' said anne. 'first he makes a promise - then last evening he broke hispromise and even said he hadn't made one - and now today he says he did make a promise and thathe'd kept his and we'd broken ours. idiotic!'

they went up a little rabbit path, and into a small copse of birch trees. someone was sitting therereading. he looked up as they came.

the two girls stopped in amazement. it was that boy again! but how had he got here? they had justleft him behind in a trench! anne looked at the title of the book he was reading. goodness -what a learned title - something about archaeology.

'another little trick of yours, i suppose?' said george, sarcastically, stopping in front of him.

'you must be a jolly good runner, i must say, to have got here so quickly. funny boy, aren't you -very very funny!'

'good gracious - it's those potty girls again,' groaned the boy. 'can't you leave me alone? you talkeda lot of rubbish yesterday - and now you're talking it again.'

'how did you get here so quickly,' said anne, puzzled.

'i didn't get here quickly. i came very slowly, reading my book as i went,' said the boy.

'fibber!' said george. 'you must have run at top speed. why do you pretend like this? it's only aminute or so ago that we saw you.'

'now you're the fibber!' said the boy. 'i do think you two girls are awful. go away and leave me aloneand never let me see you again!'

timmy didn't like the tone of the boy's voice and he growled. the boy scowled at him. 'and just youshut up too,' he said.

anne pulled at george's sleeve. 'come on,' she said, 'it's no good staying here arguing. the boy'scrazy - just mad - we'll never get any sense out of him!'

the two girls walked off together, timmy following.

the boy took absolutely no notice. his face was turned to his book and he was quite absorbed in it.

'i've never met anyone quite so mad before!' said anne, rather puzzled. 'by the way, george -you don't suppose it could have been that idiotic boy last night in the cottage?'

'no. i tell you i think you dreamed it,' said george, firmly. 'though that boy is quite idiot enough toexplore an old cottage in the middle of the night. he would probably think it a very good time 22to do so. oh anne, look - there's a pool - in that hollow down there. do you think we could bathe init?'

it certainly shone very temptingly. they went down to have a closer look. 'yes - we'll have a swimthis afternoon,' said george. 'and then i really think, anne, we ought to go back to kirrin cottageand get a few more provisions. the sandwiches we've got left are so dry that we really shan't enjoyeating them - and as timmy's ear isn't healed, it looks as if we'll have to stay a bit longer.'

'right!' said anne, and they went on back to the camp. they changed into their swim-suits in theafternoon and went off to the little pool. it was fairly deep, very warm and quite clean. they spent alovely hour swimming and basking and swimming again - then they reluctantly dressed and began tothink of going off on the long journey to kirrin cottage.

george's mother was very surprised to see the two girls and timmy. she said yes, of course, theycould have some more food, and sent them to ask joan for all she could spare.

'by the way, i've heard from julian and dick,' she said. 'they're back from france - and may be herein a day or two! shall i tell them to join you or will you come back here?'

'tell them to come and fetch us as soon as they get here!' said george, delighted. her face shone.

ah - the five would be together again. how wonderful!

'leave me directions to give them so that they can find you,' said her mother. 'then you can all comeback - together. the boys can help to carry everything.'

what fun, what fun! julian and dick again, now things would be exciting, things would happen, asthey always did. what fun!