Chapter One
A LETTER FOR GEORGE
ANNE was trying to do some of her prep. in a corner of the common-room when her cousin George came bursting in.
George was not a boy; she was a girl called Georgina, but because she had always wanted to be a boy she insisted on being called George. So George she was. She wore her curly hair cut short, and her bright blue eyes gleamed angrily now as she came towards Anne.
‘Anne! I’ve just had a letter from home – and what do you think? Father wants to go and live on my island to do some special work – and he wants to build a sort of tower or something in the castle yard!’ The other girls looked up in amusement, and Anne held out her hand for the letter that George was waving at her. Everyone knew about the little island off Kirrin Bay that belonged to George. Kirrin Island was a tiny place with an old ruined castle in the middle of it: the home of rabbits and gulls and jackdaws.
It had underground dungeons, in which George and her cousins had had one or two amazing adventures. It had once belonged to George’s mother, and she had given it to George – and George was very fierce where her precious Kirrin Island was concerned! It was hers. Nobody else must live there, or even land there without her permission.
And now, dear me, here was her father proposing to go to her island, and even build some sort of workshop there! George was red with exasperation.
‘It’s just like grown-ups; they go and give you things, and then act as though the things were theirs all the time. I don’t want Father living on my island, and building nasty messy sheds and things there.’ ‘Oh George – you know your father is a very famous scientist, who needs to work in peace,’ said Anne, taking the letter. ‘Surely you can lend him your island for a bit?’ ‘There are plenty of other places where he can work in peace,’ said George. ‘Oh dear – I was so hoping we could go and stay there in the Easter hol’s – take our boat there, and food and everything, just like we’ve done before. Now we shan’t be able to if Father really does go there.’ Anne read the letter. It was from George’s mother. ‘My darling George, ‘I think I must tell you at once that your lather pro- -poses to live on Kirrin Island for some little time in order to finish some very important experiments he is making. He will have to have some kind of building erected there -a sort of tower, I believe. Apparently he needs a place where he can have absolute peace and isolation, and also, for some reason, where there is water all round him. The fact of being surrounded by water is necessary to his experiment.
‘Now, dear, don’t be upset about this. I know that you consider Kirrin Island is your very own, but you must allow your family to share it, especially when it is for something as important as your father’s scientific work. Father thinks you will be very pleased indeed to lend him Kirrin Island, but I know your funny feelings about it, so I thought 1 had better write and tell you, before you arrive home and see him installed there, complete with his tower.’ The letter then went on about other things, but Anne did not bother to read these. She looked at George.
‘Oh, George! I don’t see why you mind your father borrowing Kirrin Island for a bit! I wouldn’t mind my father borrowing an island from me – if I was lucky enough to have one!’ ‘Your father would talk to you about it first, and ask your permission, and see if you minded,’ said George, sulkily. ‘My father never does anything like that. He just does exactly as he likes without asking anybody anything. I really do think he might have written to me himself. He just puts my back up.’ ‘You’ve got a back that is very easily put up, ‘George,’ said Anne, laughing. ‘Don’t scowl at me like that. I’m not borrowing your island without your gracious permission.
But George wouldn’t smile back. She took her letter and read it again gloomily. ‘To think that all my lovely holiday plans are spoilt!’ she said. ‘You know how super Kirrin Island is at Eastertime – all primroses and gorse and baby rabbits. And you and Julian and Dick were coming to stay, and we haven’t stayed together since last summer when we went caravanning.’ ‘I know. It is hard luck!’ said Anne. ‘It would have been wizard to go and stay on the island these holls. But perhaps your father wouldn’t mind if we did? We needn’t disturb him.’ ‘As if living on Kirrin Island with Father there would be the same as living there all by ourselves,’ said George, scornfully. ‘You know it would be horrid.’ Well, yes – Anne didn’t think on the whole that Kirrin Island would be much fun with Uncle Quentin there. George’s father was such a hot-tempered, impatient man, and when he was in the middle of one of his experiments he was quite unbearable. The least noise upset him.
‘Oh dear – how he will yell at the jackdaws to keep quiet, and shout at the noisy gulls!’ said Anne, beginning to giggle. ‘He won’t find Kirrin quite so peaceful as he imagines!’ George gave a watery sort of smile. She folded up the letter and turned away. ‘Well, I think it’s just the limit,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t have felt so bad if only Father had asked my permission.~ ‘He’d never do that!’ said Anne. ‘It just wouldn’t occur to him. Now George, don’t spend the rest of the day brooding over your wrongs, for goodness’ sake. Go down to the kennels and fetch Timmy. He’ll soon cheer you up.’ Timothy was George’s dog, whom she loved with all her heart. He was a big brown mongrel dog, with a ridiculously long tail, and a wide mouth that really seemed to smile. All the four cousins loved him. He was so friendly and loving, so lively and amusing, and he had shared so very many adventures with them all. The five of them had had many happy times together.
George went to get Timmy. Her school allowed the children to keep their own pets. If it hadn’t allowed this, it is quite certain that George would not have gone to boarding-school! She could not bear to be parted from Timmy for even a day.
Timmy began to bark excitedly as soon as she came near. George lost her sulky look and smiled. Dear Timmy, dear trustable Timmy – he was better than any person! He was always on her side, always her friend whatever she did, and to Timmy there was no one in the world so wonderful as George.
They were soon going through the fields together, and her father borrowing Kirrin Island. Timmy with every word she said. He listened as if he George talked to Timmy as she always did. She told him understood everything, and not even when a rabbit shot his path did he leave his mistress’s side. Timmy knew when George was upset.
He gave her hand a few little licks every now and by the time that George was back at school again she felt much better. She took Timmy into school with smuggling him in at a side door. Dogs were not allowed in the school building, but George, like her father, often did exactly as she liked.
She hurried Timmy up to her dormitory. He scuttled under her bed quickly and lay down. His tail thumped the floor gently. He knew what this meant. George wanted the comfort of his nearness that night! He would be able to jump on her bed, when lights were out, and snuggle into the crook of her knees. His brown eyes gleamed with delight.
‘Now, lie quiet,’ said George, and went out of the room to join the other girls. She found Anne, who was busy writing a letter to her brothers, Julian and Dick, at their boarding-school.
‘I’ve told them about Kirrin Island, and your father wanting to borrow it,’ she said. ‘Would you like to come and stay with us, George, these holls, instead of us coming to Kirrin? Then you won’t feel cross all the time because your father is on your island.’ ‘No thanks,’ said George, at once. ‘I’m going home.
I want to keep an eye on Father! I don’t want him blowing up Kirrin Island with one of his experiments. You know he’s messing about with explosives now, don’t you?’ ‘Ooooh – atom bombs, or things like that?’ said Anne.
‘I don’t know,’ said George. ‘Anyway, quite apart from keeping an eye on Father and my island, we ought to go and stay at Kirrin to keep Mother company. She’ll be all alone if Father’s on the island. I suppose he’ll take food and everything there.’ ‘Well, there’s one thing, we shan’t have to creep about on tiptoe and whisper, if your father isn’t at Kirrin Cottage!’ said Anne. ‘We can be as noisy as we like. Do cheer up, George!’ But it took George quite a long time to get over the fit of gloom caused by her mother’s letter. Even having Timmy on her bed each night, till he was discovered by an angry teacher, did not quite make up for her disappointment.