Part 8 (1/2)

George scowled and looked sulky at once. Julian laughed and slapped her on the shoulder. 'What a lovely scowl! One of your best! I haven't seen it for quite a long time. Keep it up, George - go on, scowl a bit harder, it suits you!'

George grinned unwillingly, and pulled herself together. She hated being left out of anything - but she did see that it was no use having a crowd of people watching that night. All right - she would stay with Anne and keep her company.

It seemed as if the watcher on the hills must have gone, because there were no more sudden flashes such as came when he lifted his field-gla.s.ses to watch the Five.

'That disguised country-woman has convinced the watcher that we're going! Any ideas, anyone, where we can go? Not too far away - but somewhere where the watcher can't follow us with his gla.s.ses, if he's still up there.'

'I know a place,' said George. 'There's a simply colossal gorse-bush on the other side of the spring. And underneath it is all hollow and dry. It's almost like a kind of gorse-cave.'

'Sounds all right,' said Julian. 'Let's go and find it.'

George led the way, trying to remember exactly where it was. Timmy followed, still in his enormous cardboard collar, which was now rather the worse for wear. George stopped when they had gone a little way past the spring.

'It was somewhere here,' she said. 'I know I could still hear the sound of the spring when I found the hollow under the bush. Ah - there's the bus.h.!.+'

It certainly was a great bush, green and spiky outside, with a few yellow blooms on it still. Under it was a big hollow place, where the ground was soft and fine, scattered with dry old p.r.i.c.kles.

The main trunk - for it was almost a trunk that supported the big bush - was not quite in the middle, so there was a good bit of room. Julian caught hold of the branches that hid the hollow, using a folded sheet of brown paper to hold them by, for the bush was very p.r.i.c.kly.

'This is fine,' he said. 'Plenty of room for you two girls - and Timmy. My word, he'll have difficulty with his collar though, won't he - squeezing in and out!'

'Take it off!' said d.i.c.k. 'His ear really is practically healed now. Even if he scratches it, he can't do much damage. Dear old Timmy, we simply shan't know you without your collar.'

'Right,' said George. She took a quick look at the ear. It was still covered by a piece of elastoplast, but it was quite obvious that the ear was healthy. She cut the thread that bound the two ends of the circular collar - and then bent it so that it came off.

They all stared at Timmy, who looked most surprised. He wagged his tail gently as if to say 'Well - so you've taken off that thing - I wonder why?'

'Oh Tim - you look sort of undressed without that collar now!' said Anne. 'It is nice to see you without it, though. Good old Tim! You'll guard me and George tonight won't you? You know that we're in the Middle of Something again, don't you?'

'Woof,' said Timmy, wagging his tail violently. 'Woof!' Yes - he knew all right!

Chapter Thirteen

ON WATCH IN THE COTTAGE

It was getting dark - and under the gorse-bush it was very dark indeed! All the Five had managed to squeeze in there, and Timmy too. One torch only was allowed to be used at a time, to save the batteries of the others.

The Five were having supper. The ham was now practically finished, but there were still a few tomatoes and plenty of cake.

Julian opened the last tin of sardines, and made some sandwiches for himself and d.i.c.k to take with them. He also wrapped up two enormous chunks of cake and pocketed two slabs of chocolate each.

'We shall need something to while away the time when we're on the watch tonight!' he said, with a grin. 'I don't know if the Weepies and Wailies and Floating Lights will be along to give us a show - but I fear not. They would be wasted on an empty cottage!'

'I do hope you'll be careful,' said Anne.

'Anne - that's the seventh time you've said that,' said d.i.c.k. 'Don't be an a.s.s. Don't you understand that Ju and I are going to enjoy ourselves? You'll be the one that has to be careful.'

'How?' asked Anne, surprised.

'Well - you'll have to be careful of that big black beetle squatting over there,' said d.i.c.k. 'And mind that the hedgehog doesn't sit down on your bare legs. And be careful in case a snake wants to share this nice safe warm place with you...'

'Now you're being an a.s.s!' said Anne, giving him a punch. 'When will you be back?'

'We shall be back at exactly the moment you hear us squeezing under here,' said Julian. 'Now d.i.c.k - what about it? I think we might be going, don't you?'

'Right,' said d.i.c.k, and began to squeeze out carefully so as not to be p.r.i.c.ked more than he could help. 'Oh - why are gorse bushes so horribly spiteful! Jab jab - anyone would think the bush was trying to p.r.i.c.k me!'

The two girls sat quite still when the boys had gone from the bush. They tried to hear their footsteps, but they couldn't. d.i.c.k and Julian trod too softly on the wiry gra.s.s.

'I do so hope they'll be...' began Anne, and George groaned.

'If you say that again I shall slap you, Anne! Honestly I shall.'

'I wasn't saying it,' said Anne, 'I was only going to say that I hope they'll be successful tonight. I'd like to get back to Kirrin and have some fun bathing and boating, wouldn't you?'

'Yes. And some of Joan's marvellous cooking,' said George. 'Sausages and mash - and tomatoes with it.'

'Yes. And fried plaice fresh from the sea with Joan's best chipped potatoes,' said Anne. 'I can almost smell it.'

'Woof,' said Timmy, sniffing hard.

'There! He thought I meant it!' said Anne. 'Isn't Timmy clever?'

They had a pleasant talk about how very very clever Timmy was, and Timmy listened and wagged his tail so hard that he made quite a dust in the gorse-hollow.

'Let's go to sleep,' said Anne. 'We can't talk all night - and keeping awake won't help the boys!'

They curled up on the rug they had brought and cuddled together - not so much for warmth, because it was a hot night, but because there was so little room! Anne put out her torch, and the little place immediately became black and dark. Timmy put his head on George's tummy. She groaned.

'Oh Tim - be careful, please! I had rather a lot of supper!'

Anne giggled and pulled Timmy's head close to her. It was comforting to have old Timmy there. She agreed with George that he was the best dog in the whole world.

'I wonder what the boys are doing now,' she said, after a while. 'Do you suppose they are in the middle of something exciting? Perhaps they are!'

But they weren't! Julian and d.i.c.k were feeling extremely bored at that minute. They had gone cautiously to the cottage when they had left the girls, not using their torches at all, for fear of giving anyone warning that they were about. They had debated beforehand where would be the best place to hide, and had decided that it would be a good idea to climb up the little stone stair and hide in the roofless rooms above.

'There's no roof there - and hardly any walls,' said d.i.c.k. 'We can peep over any side to watch - and no one would guess that anyone was above them, spying down! It's a good thing it's such a starry night - once we get used to the dim light, we shall be able to see fairly well. Pity there's no moon.'