‘Well, well, well! This is nice! Come along in, do. Yes, the clog as well. I don’t mind dogs a bit. I like them.’ It seemed rather a crowd in the small room. They all shook hands politely. Martin explained hurriedly that he had brought the children to see a television programme.
‘A good idea,’ said Mr. Curton, still beaming. Anne stared at his great eyebrows. They were very long and thick. She wondered why he didn’t have them trimmed but perhaps he liked them like that. They made him look very fierce, she thought.
The four looked round the little room. There was a television set standing at the far end, on a table. There was also a magnificent wireless and something else that made the boys stare with interest.
‘Hallo! You’ve got a transmitting set, as well as a receiving set,’ said Julian.
‘Yes,’ said Mr. Curton. ‘It’s a hobby of mine. I made that set.’ ‘Well! You must be brainy!’ said Dick.
‘What’s a transmitting set?’ asked Anne. ‘I haven’t heard of one before.’ ‘Oh, it just means a set to send out messages by wireless like police-cars have, when they send back messages to their police stations,’ said Dick. ‘This is a very powerful one, though.’ Martin was fiddling about with the television switches. Then the programme began.
It was great fun seeing the television programme.
When it was over Mr. Curton asked them to stay to tea.
‘Now don’t say no,’ he said. ‘I’ll ring up and ask your aunt, if you like, if you’re afraid she might be worried.’ ‘Well if you’d do that, sir,’ said Julian. ‘I think she would wonder where we’d gone!’ Mr. Curton rang up Aunt Fanny. Yes, it was quite all right for them to stay, but they mustn’t be too late back. So they settled down to an unexpectedly good tea. Martin was not very talkative, but Mr. Curton made up for it. He laughed and joked and was altogether very good company.
The talk came round to Kirrin Island. Mr. Curton said how beautiful it looked each evening. George looked pleased.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I always think that. I do wish Father hadn’t chosen this particular time to work on my island. I’d planned to go and stay there.’ ‘I suppose you know every inch of it!’ said Mr. Curton.
‘Oh yes!’ said George. ‘We all do. There are dungeons there, you know real dungeons that go deep down – where we once found gold ingots?
‘Yes I remember reading about that,’ said Mr. Curton. ‘That must have been exciting. Fancy finding the dungeons too! And there’s an old well too you once got down, isn’t there?’ ‘Yes’ said Anne, remembering. ‘And there is a cave where we once lived it’s got an entrance through the roof, as well as from the sea.’ ‘And I suppose your father is conducting his marvellous experiments down in the dungeons?’ said Mr.Curton. ‘Well, what a strange place to work in!’ ‘No we don’t’ began George, when she got a kick on the ankle from Dick. She screwed up her face in pain. It had been a very sharp kick indeed.
‘What were you going to say?’ said Mr. Curton, looking surprised.
‘Er I was just going to say that – er — er — we don’t know which place Father has chosen,’ said George, keeping her legs well out of the way of Dick’s feet.
Timmy gave a sudden sharp whine. George looked down at him in surprise. He was looking up at Dick with a very hurt expression.
‘What’s the matter, Timmy?’ said George, anxiously.
‘He’s finding the room too hot, I think,’ said Dick. ‘Better take him out, George.’ George, feeling quite anxious, took him out. Dick joined her. She scowled at him. ‘What did you want to kick me for like that? I shall have a frightful bruise.’ ‘You know jolly well why I did,’ said Dick. ‘Giving away everything like that. Can’t you see the chap’s very interested in your father being on the island? There may be nothing in it at all, but you might at least keep your mouth shut. Just like a girl, can’t help blabbing. I had to stop you somehow. I don’t mind telling you I trod jolly hard on poor old Timmy’s tail too, to make him yelp, so that you’d stop talking!’ ‘Oh you beast!’ said George, indignantly. ‘How could you hurt Timmy?’ ‘I didn’t want to. It was a shame,’ said Dick, stopping to fondle Timmy’s ears. ‘Poor old Tim. I didn’t want to hurt you, old fellow.’ ‘I’m going home,’ said George, her face scarlet with anger. ‘I hate you for talking to me like that telling me I blab like a girl and stamping on poor Timmy’s tail You can go back and say I’m taking Timmy home.’ ‘Right,’ said Dick. ‘And a jolly good thing too. The less you talk to Mr. Curton the better. I’m going back to find out exactly what he is and what he does. I’m getting jolly suspicious. You’d better go before you give anything else away!’ Almost choking with rage, George went off with Timmy. Dick went back to make her apologies. Julian and Anne, sure that something was up, felt most uncomfortable. They rose to go, but to their surprise, Dick became very talkative and appeared to be suddenly very much interested in Mr. Curton and what he did.
But at last they said good-bye and went. ‘Come again, do,’ said Mr. Curton, beaming at the three of them. And tell the other boy what’s his name, George – that I hope his dog is quite all right again now. Such a nice, well behaved dog! Well good-bye! See you again soon, I hope!’
Chapter Ten
A SURPRISING SIGNAL
‘WHAT’S up with George?’ demanded Julian, as soon as they were safely out of earshot. ‘I know you kicked her at tea-time, for talking too much about the island -that was idiotic of her – but why has she gone home in a huff?’ Dick told them how he had trodden on poor Timmy’s tail to make him whine, so that George would turn her attention to him and stop talking. Julian laughed, but Anne was indignant.
‘That was horrid of you, Dick.’ ‘Yes, it was,’ said Dick. ‘But I couldn’t think of any other way to head George off the island. I really honestly thought she was giving away to that fellow all the things he badly wanted to know. But now I think he wanted to know them for quite another reason.’ ‘What do you mean?’ said Julian, puzzled.
‘Well, I thought at first he must be after Uncle Quentin’s secret, whatever it is,’ said Dick, ‘and that was why he wanted to know all the ins and, outs of everything. But now that he’s told me he’s a journalist – that’s a man who writes for the newspapers, Anne – I think after all he only wants the information so that he can use it for his paper, and ‘make a splash when Uncle has finished his work.’ ‘Yes, I think that too,’ said Julian, thoughtfully; ‘in fact, I’m pretty sure of it. Well, there’s no harm in that, but I don’t see why we should sit there and be pumped all the time. He could easily say, “Look here, I’d be obliged if you’d spill the beans about Kirrin Island — I want to use it in a newspaper story.” But he didn’t say that.’ ‘No. So I was suspicious,’ said Dick. ‘But I see now he’d want all, sorts of tit-bits about Kirrin Island to put in his newspaper, whatever it is. Blow! Now I shall have to explain to George I was wrong – and she really is in a temper!’ ‘Let’s take the road to Kirrin Village and go to get some bones for Timmy at the butcher’s,’ said Julian. ‘A sort of apology to Tim!’ This seemed a good idea. They bought two large meaty ones at the butcher’s, and then went to Kirrin Cottage. George was up in her bedroom with Timmy. The three went up to find her.
She was sitting on the floor with a book. She looked p sulkily as they came in.’ ‘George, sorry I was such a beast,’ said Dick. ‘I did it for a good cause, if you only knew it. But I’ve discovered at Mr. Curton isn’t a spy, seeking out your father’s secret – he’s only a journalist, smelling out a story for a paper! Look – I’ve brought these for Timmy – ‘I apologize to him too.’ George was in a very bad temper, but she tried to pond to Dick’s friendliness. She gave him a small smile ‘All right. Thanks for the bones. Don’t talk to me right anybody. I feel mad, but I’ll get over it.’ They left her sitting on the floor. It was always best ‘How queer,’ said Julian. ‘Why twelve flashes? Hallo here we go again!’ Another six flashes came from the tower, then no more at all. Julian wished he had a telescope, then he could see right into the tower! He sat and thought for a moment, puzzled. Then he heard the others come pounding up the stairs. They burst into the room.