‘It isn’t only boys that can learn to give in decently, and things like that,’ she said. Heaps of girls do. Well, I jolly well hope I do myself!’ ‘My goodness, here’s another fire-brand!’ said Aunt Fanny, smiling. ‘Stop arguing now, all of you – here’s Kirrin Cottage. Doesn’t it look sweet with all the primroses in the garden, and the wallflowers coming out, and daffodils peeping everywhere?’ It certainly did. The four children and Timmy tore in the front gate, delighted to be back. They clattered into the house, and, to their great delight, found Joanna, the old cook there. She had come back to help for the holidays. She beamed at the children, and fondled Timmy when he leapt round her, barking.
‘Well, there now! Haven’t you all grown again? How big you are, Master Julian taller than I am, I declare. And little Miss Anne, why, she’s getting quite big.’ That pleased Anne, of course. Julian went back to the front door to help his aunt with the small bags in the trap. The trunks were coming later. Julian and Dick took everything upstairs.
Anne joined them, eager to see her old bedroom again. Oh, how good it was to be in Kirrin Cottage once mote! She looked out of her windows. One looked on to the moor at the back. The other looked sideways on to the sea. Lovely! Lovely! She began to sing a little song as she undid her bag.
‘You know,’ she said to Dick, when he brought George’s bag in, ‘you know, Dick, I’m really quite pleased that Uncle Quentin has gone to Kirrin Island, even if it means we won’t be able to go there much! I feel much freer in the house when he’s away. He’s a very clever man and he can be awfully nice but I always feel a bit afraid of him.’ Dick laughed. ‘I’m not afraid of him – but he’s a bit of a wet blanket in a house, I must say, when we’re here for the holidays. Funny to think of him on Kirrin Island all alone.’ A voice came up the stairs. ‘Come down to tea, children, because there are hot scones for you, just out of the oven.’ ‘Coming, Aunt Fanny!’ called Dick. ‘Hurry, Anne. I’m awfully hungry. Julian, did you hear Aunt Fanny calling?’ George came up the stairs to fetch Anne. She was pleased to be home, and as for Timmy, he was engaged in going round every single corner of the house, sniffing vigorously.
‘He always does that!’ said George. ‘As if he thought that there might be a chair or a table that didn’t smell the same as it always did. Come on, Tim. Tea-time! Mother, as Father isn’t here, can Timmy sit beside me on the floor? He’s awfully well-behaved now.
‘Very well,’ said her mother, and tea began. What a tea! It looked as if it was a spread for a party of twenty. Good old Joanna! She must have baked all day. Well, there wouldn’t be much left when the Five had finished!
Chapter Three
OFF TO KIRRIN ISLAND
NEXT day was fine and warm. ‘We can go across to the island this morning,’ said Aunt Fanny. ‘We’ll take our own food, because I’m sure Uncle Quentin will have forgotten we’re coming.’ ‘Has he a boat there:’ asked George. ‘Mother hasn’t taken my boat, has he?’ ‘No, dear,’ said – her mother. ‘He’s got another boat. I was afraid he would never be able to get it in and out of all those dangerous rocks round the island, but he got one of the fishermen to take him, and had his own boat towed behind, with all its stuff in/’ – ‘Who built the tower?’ asked Julian.
‘Oh, he made out the plans himself, and some men were sent down from the Ministry of Research to put the tower up for him,’ said Aunt Fanny ‘It was all rather hush-hush really. The people here were most curious about it, but they don’t know any more than I do! No -local man helped in the building, but one or two fishermen were hired to take the material to the island, and to land the men and soon.’ ‘It’s all very mysterious,’ said Julian. ‘Uncle Quentin -leads-rather an exciting life, really, doesn’t he? I wouldn’t mind being a scientist myself. I want to be something really worthwhile when I grow up I’m not just going into somebody’s office. I’m going to be on my own.
‘I think I shall be a doctor,’ said Dick.
Off to get my boat,’ said George, rather bored with this talk. She knew what she was going to do when she was grown-up live on Kirrin Island with Timmy! Aunt Fanny had got ready plenty of food to take across to the island. She was quite looking forward to the trip. She had not seen her husband for some days and was anxious to know that he was all right. They all went down to the beach, Julian carrying the bag of food. George was already there with her boat. James, a fisher-boy friend of George’s, was there too, ready to push the boat out for them.
He grinned at-the children. He knew them all the old days he had looked after Timmy for George when her father had said the dog must be given away. George had never forgotten James’s kindness to Timmy, and always went to see him every holidays.
‘Going off to the island?’ said James. ‘That’s a queer sort of thing in the middle of it, isn’t it? Kind of lighthouse, it looks. Take my hand, Miss, and let me help you in. Anne took his hand and jumped into the boat. George was already there with Timmy. Soon they were all in. Julian and George took the oars. James gave them a shove and off they went on the calm, clear water. Anne could see every stone on the bottom! Julian and George rowed strongly. They sent the boat along swiftly. George began to sing a rowing song and they all took it up. It was lovely to be on the sea in a boat again. Oh holidays, go slowly, don’t rush away too fast! ‘George,’ said her mother nervously, as they in Island, ‘you will be careful of these awful rocks, won’t you? The water’s so clear today that I can see them all – and some of them are only just below the water.’ ‘Oh Mother! You know I’ve rowed hundreds of times to Kirrin Island ! laughed George. ‘I simply couldn’t go on a rock! I know them all, really I do. I could almost row blindfold to the island now.’ There was only one place to land on the island in safety. This was a little cove, a natural little harbour running up to a stretch of sand. It was sheltered by high rocks all round. George and Julian worked their way to the east side of the island, rounded a low wall of very sharp rocks, and there lay the cove, a smooth inlet of water running into the shore! Anne had been looking at the island as the others rowed. There was the old ruined Kirrin Castle in the center, just the same as ever. Its tumbledown towers were full of jackdaws as usual.. Its old walls were gripped by ivy.
‘It’s a lovely place!’ said Anne, with a sigh. Then she gazed at the curious tower that now rose from the centre of the castle yard. It was not built of brick but of some smooth, shiny material, that was fitted together in sections. Evidently the tower had been made in that way so that it might be brought to the island easily, and set up there quickly.
‘Isn’t it queer?’ said Dick. ‘Look at that little glass room at the top – like a look-out room! I wonder what it’s for?’ ‘Can anyone climb up inside the tower?’ asked Dick, turning to Aunt Fanny.
‘Oh yes. There is a narrow spiral staircase inside,’ said his aunt. ‘That’s about all there is inside the tower itself. It’s the little room at the top that is important. It has got some extraordinary wiring there, essential to your uncle’s experiments. I don’t think he does anything with the tower – it just has to be there, doing something on its own, which has a certain effect on the experiments he is making.’ Anne couldn’t follow this. It sounded too complicated. ‘I should like to go up the tower,’ she said.
‘Well, perhaps your uncle will let you,’ said her aunt.
‘If he’s in a good temper,’ said George.
‘Now George – you’re not to say things like that,’ said her mother.
The boat ran into the little harbour, and grounded softly. There was another boat there already – Uncle Quentin’s.
George leapt out with Julian and they pulled it up a little further, so that the others could get out without wetting their feet. Out they all got, and Timmy ran up the beach in delight.