At half past twelve they all had their lunch. They were very hungry. Martin shared their sandwiches, and became quite friendly over them.
‘Best sandwiches I’ve ever tasted,’ he said. I do like those sardine ones. Does your mother make them for you? I wish I had a mother. Mine died ages ago.’ There was a sympathetic silence. The four could not think of any worse thing to happen to a boy or girl. They offered Martin the nicest buns, and the biggest piece of cake immediately.
‘I saw your father flashing his signals last night,’ said Martin, munching a bun.
Dick looked up at once. ‘How do you know he was signaling?’ he asked. ‘Who told you?’ ‘Nobody,’ said the ‘boy. ‘I just saw the six flashes, and I thought it must be George’s father.’ He looked surprised at Dick’s sharp tone. Julian gave Dick a nudge, to warn him not to go off the deep end again.
George scowled at Dick. ‘I suppose you saw my father signaling this morning too,’ she said to Martin. ‘I bet scores of people saw the flashes. He just heliographs with a mirror at half past ten to signal that he’s all right — and flashes a lantern at the same time at night.’ Now it was Dick’s turn to scowl at George. Why give away all this information? It wasn’t necessary. Dick felt sure she was doing it just to pay him out for his sharp question. He tried to change the subject.
‘Where do you go to school?’ he asked.
‘I don’t,’ said the boy. ‘I’ve been ill.’ ‘Well, where did you go to school before you were ill?’ asked Dick.
“I — I had a tutor,’ said Martin. ‘I didn’t go to school.’ ‘Bad luck!’ said Julian. He thought it must be terrible not to go to school and have all the fun, the work and the games of school-life. He looked curiously at Martin. Was he one of these rather stupid boys who did no good at school, but had to have a tutor at home? Still he didn’t look stupid. He just looked rather sullen and dull.
Timmy was sitting on the warm stone with the others.
He had his share of the sandwiches, but had to be rationed, as Martin had to have some too.
He was funny with Martin. He took absolutely no notice of him at all. Martin might not have been there! And Martin took no notice of Timmy. He did not talk to him, or pat him. Anne was sure he didn’t really like dogs, as he had said. How could anyone be with Timmy and not give him even one pat?
Timmy did not even look at Martin, but sat with his back to him, leaning against George. It was really rather amusing, if it wasn’t so odd. After all, George was talking in a friendly way to Martin; they were all sharing their food with him – and Timmy behaved as if Martin simply wasn’t there at all! Anne was just about to remark on Timmv’s odd behaviour when he yawned, shook himself, and leapt down from the rock. ‘He’s going rabbiting again,’ said Julian. ‘Hey, Tim – find me another arrowhead will you, old fellow?’ Timmy wagged his tail. He disappeared under the shelf of rock, and there came the sound of digging. A shower of stones and soil flew into the air.
The children lay back on the stone and felt sleepy. They talked for some minutes, and then Anne felt her eyes closing. She was awakened by George’s voice.
‘Where’s Timmy? Timmy! Timmy! Come here! Where have you got to?’ But no Timmy came. There was not even an answering bark. ‘Oh blow’ said George., ‘Now he’s gone down some extra-deep rabbit hole, I suppose. I must get him. Timmy! Wherever are you?’
Chapter Nine
GEORGE MAKES A DISCOVERY – AND LOSES HER TEMPER
GEORGE slipped down from the rock. She peered under. it; There was a large opening there, scattered with stones that Timmy had loosened in his digging.
‘Surely you haven’t at last found a rabbit hole big enough to go down!’ said George. ‘TIMMY! Where are you?’ Not a bark, not a whine came from the hole. George wriggled under the shelf of rock, and peered down the burrow. Timmy had certainly made it very big. George called up to Julian.
.‘Julian! Throw me down your trowel, will you?’ The trowel landed by her foot. George took it and began to make the hole bigger. It might be big enough for Timmy, but it wasn’t big enough for her! She dug hard and soon got very hot. She crawled out and looked over on to the rock to see if she could get one of the others to help her. They were all asleep! ‘Lazy things!’ thought George, quite forgetting that she too would have been dozing if she hadn’t wondered where Timmy had gone.
She slipped down under the rock again and began to dig hard with her trowel. Soon she had made the hole big enough to get through: She was surprised to find quite a large passage, once she had made the entrance big enough to take her. She could crawl along on hands and knees! ‘I say – I wonder if this is just some animal’s runway -or leads somewhere!’ thought George. ‘TIMMY! Where are you?’ From somewhere deep in the quarry side there came a faint whine. George felt thankful. So Timmy was there, after all. She crawled along, and then quite suddenly the tunnel became high and wide, and she realized that she must be in a passage. It was perfectly dark, so she could not see anything, she could only feel.
Then she heard the sound of pattering feet, and Timmy pressed affectionately against her legs, whining. ‘Oh Timmy — you gave me a bit of a fright!’ said George. ‘Where have you been? Is this a real passage — or just a tunnel in the quarry, made by the aid miners, and now used by animals?’ ‘Woof,’ said Timmy, and pulled ‘at George’s shorts to make her go back to the daylight.
‘All right, I’m coming!’ said George. ‘Don’t imagine I want to wander alone in the dark! I only came to look for you.’ She made her way back to the shelf of rock. By this time Dick was awake, and wondered where George had gone. He waited a few minutes, blinking up into the deep blue sky, and then sat up.
‘George!’ There was no answer. So, in his turn Dick slipped down from the rock and looked around. And, to his very great astonishment he saw first Timmy, and then George on hands and knees, appearing out of the hole under the rock. He stared open-mouthed, and George began to giggle.
‘It’s all right. I’ve only been rabbiting with Timmy!’ She stood beside him, shaking and brushing soil from her jersey and shorts. ‘There’s a passage behind the entrance to the hole under the rock,’ she said. ‘At first it’s just a narrow tunnel, like an animal’s hole — then it gets wider — and then it becomes a proper high wide passage! I couldn’t see if it went, on, of course, because it was dark. Timmy was a long way in.’ ‘Good gracious!’ said Dick. ‘It sounds exciting.’ ‘Let’s explore it, shall we?’ said George. ‘I expect Julian’s got a torch.’ ‘No,’ said Dick. ‘We won’t explore today.’ The others were now awake, and listening with interest. ‘Is it a secret passage?’ said Anne, thrilled. ‘Oh do let’s explore it!’ ‘No, not today,’ said Dick again. He looked 3t Julian. Julian guessed that Dick did not want Martin to share this secret. Why should he? He was not a real friend of theirs, and they had only just got to know him. He nodded back to Dick.
‘No, we won’t explore today. Anyway, it may be nothing – just an old tunnel made by the quarry-men.’ Martin was listening with great interest. He went and looked into the hole. ‘I wish we could explore,’ he said. ‘Maybe we could plan to meet again with torches and see if there really is a passage there.’ Julian looked at his watch. ‘Nearly two o’clock. Well, Martin, if we’re going to see that half past two television programme of yours, we’d better be getting on.’ Carrying baskets of primroses and violets, the girls began to climb up the steeep side of the quarry. Julian took Anne’s basket from her, afraid she might slip and fall. Soon they were all at the top. The air felt quite cool there after the warmth of the quarry.
They made their way to the cliff-path and before long were passing the coastguard’s cottage. He was out in his garden, and he waved to them.
They went in the gateway of the next-door cottage. Martin pushed the door open. His father was sitting at the window of the room inside, reading. He got up with a broad, welcoming smile.