‘He frightened me,’ said Cecil, sitting down by the others.
‘Poor icle ting,’ said Dick at once.
‘Darling baby,’ said George.
‘Mother’s pet,’ said Julian. Cecil glared at them all. He got up again, very red.
‘If I didn’t know my manners, I’d smack your faces,’ he said, and marched off hurriedly, before his own could be smacked.
The four sat in silence. They were sorry for Jock. George was angry and sulky because she knew the others had gone off without her the night before. Anne was worried. �
They all sat there for about ten minutes. Then round the haystack came Jock’s mother, looking distressed. She carried a big basket of food.
The children all stood up politely. ‘Good morning, Mrs Andrews,’ said Julian.
‘I’m sorry I can’t ask you to stop today,’ said Mrs Andrews. ‘But Jock has really behaved very foolishly. I wouldn’t let Mr Andrews give him a hiding because it would only make Jock hate his stepfather, and that would never do. So I’ve sent him up to bed for the day. You won’t be able to see him, I’m afraid. Here is some
food for you to take. Oh, dear – I’m really very sorry about all this. I can’t think what came over Jock to behave in such a way. It’s not a bit like him.’
Cecil’s face appeared round the haystack, looking rather smug. Julian grinned to himself.
‘Would you like us to take Cecil for a nice long walk over the moors?’ he said. ‘We can climb hills and jump over streams and scramble through the heather. It would make such a nice day for him.’
Cecil’s face immediately disappeared.
‘Well,’ said Mrs Andrews, ‘that really would be very kind of you. Now that Jock’s been sent upstairs for the day there’s no one for Cecil to play with. But I’m afraid he’s a bit of a mother’s boy, you know. You’ll have to go carefully with him. Cecil! Cecil! Where are you? Come and make friends with these children.’
But Cecil had gone. There was no answer at all. He didn’t want to make friends with ‘these children’. He knew better than that! Mrs Andrews went in search of him, but he had completely disappeared.
The four children were not at all surprised. Julian, Dick and Anne grinned at one another. George stood with her back to them, still sulky.
Mrs Andrews came back again, out of breath. ‘I can’t find him,’ she said. ‘Never mind. I’ll find something for him to do when he appears again.’
‘Yes. Perhaps you’ve got some beads for him to thread? Or a nice easy jigsaw puzzle to do?’ said Julian, very politely. The others giggled. A smile appeared on Mrs Andrews’s face.
‘Bad boy!’ she said. ‘Oh dear – poor Jock. Well it’s his own fault. Now goodbye, I must get on with my work.’
She ran off to the dairy. The children looked round
the haystack. Mr Andrews was getting into his car. He would soon be gone. They waited a few minutes till they heard the car set off down the rough cart-track.
That’s Jock’s bedroom – where the pear-tree is,’ said Julian. ‘Let’s just have a word with him before we go. It’s a shame.’
They went across the farmyard and stood under the pear-tree – all except George, who stayed behind the haystack with the food, frowning. Julian called up to the window above: ‘Jock!’
A head came out, the face still painted terrifyingly in streaks and circles. ‘Hallo! He didn’t whack me. Mum wouldn’t let him. All the same, I’d rather he had – it’s awful being stuck up here this sunny day. Where’s dear Cecil?’
‘I don’t know. Probably in the darkest corner of one of the barns,’ said Julian. ‘Jock, if things are difficult in the daytime, come up at night. We’ve got to see you somehow.’
‘Right,’ said Jock. ‘How do I look? Like a real Red Indian?’
‘You look frightful,’ grinned Julian. ‘I wonder old Timmy knew you.’
‘Where’s George?’ asked Jock.
‘Sulking behind the haystack,’ said Dick. ‘We shall have an awful day with her now. You let the cat properly out of the bag, you idjit!’
‘Yes. I’m a ninny and an idjit,’ said Jock, and Anne giggled. ‘Look – there’s Cecil. You might tell him to beware of the bull, will you?’
‘Is there a bull?’ said Anne, looking alarmed.
‘No. But that’s no reason why he shouldn’t beware of one,’ grinned Jock. ‘So long! Have a nice day!’
The three left him, and strolled over to Cecil, who had just appeared out of a dark little shed. He made a
face at them, and stood ready to run to the dairy where Mrs Andrews was busy.
Julian suddenly clutched Dick and pointed behind Cecil. The bull! Beware of the bull!’ he yelled suddenly.
Dick entered into the joke. The bull’s loose! Look out! Beware of the bull!’ he shouted.
Anne gave a shriek. It all sounded so real that, although she knew it was a joke, she felt half-scared. The bull!’ she cried.
Cecil turned green. His legs shook. ‘W-w-w-where is it?’ he stammered.
‘Look out behind you!’ yelled Julian, pointing. Poor Cecil, convinced that a large bull was about to pounce on him from behind, gave an anguished cry and tore on tottering legs to the dairy. He threw himself against Mrs Andrews.
‘Save me, save me! The bull’s chasing me.’
‘But there’s no bull here,’ said Mrs Andrews, in surprise. ‘Really, Cecil! Was it a pig after you, or something?’
Helpless with laughter, the three children made their way back to George. They tried to tell her about the make-believe bull, but she turned away and wouldn’t listen. Julian shrugged his shoulders. Best to leave George to herself when she was in one of her rages! She didn’t lose her temper as often as she used to, but when she did she was very trying indeed.
They went back to the camp with the basket of food. Timmy followed soberly. He knew something was wrong with George and he was unhappy. His tail was down, and he looked miserable. George wouldn’t even pat him.
When they got back to the camp, George flared up.
‘How dare you go off without me when I told you I
meant to come? Fancy taking Jock and not letting me go! I think you’re absolute beasts. I never really thought you’d do a thing like that, you and Dick.’
‘Don’t be silly, George,’ said Julian. ‘I told you we didn’t mean to let you and Anne go. I’ll tell you all that happened – and it’s pretty thrilling!’
‘What? Tell me quickly!’ begged Anne, but George obstinately turned away her head as if she was not interested.
Julian began to relate all the curious happenings of the night. Anne listened breathlessly. George was listening too, though she pretended not to. She was very angry and very hurt.
‘Well, there you are,’ said Julian, when he had finished. ‘If that’s what people mean by spook-trains, there was one puffing in and out of that tunnel all right! I felt pretty scared, I can tell you. Sorry you weren’t there too, George – but I didn’t want to leave Anne alone.’
George was not accepting any apologies. She still looked furious.
‘I suppose Timmy went with you,’ she said. ‘I think that was horrid of him – to go without waking me, when he knew I’d like to be with you on the adventure.’
‘Oh, don’t be so silly,’ said Dick, in disgust. ‘Fancy being angry with old Tim, too! You’re making him miserable. And anyway, he didn’t come with us. He just came to meet us when we got back, and then went off to keep Jock company on his way back to the farm.’
‘Oh,’ said George, and she reached out her hand to pat Timmy, who was filled with delight. ‘At least Timmy was loyal to me then. That’s something.’
There was a silence. Nobody ever knew quite how to treat George when she was in one of her moods. It
was really best to leave her to herself, but they couldn’t very well go off and leave the camp just because George was there, cross and sulky.
Anne took hold of George’s arm. She was miserable when George behaved like this. ‘George,’ she began, ‘there’s no need to be cross with me, too. / haven’t done anything!’
‘If you weren’t such a little coward, too afraid to go with us, I’d have been able to go too,’ said George unkindly, dragging her arm away.
Julian was disgusted. He saw Anne’s hurt face and was angry with George.
‘Shut up, George,’ he said. ‘You’re being horrid, saying catty things like that! I’m astonished at you.’
George was ashamed of herself, but she was too proud to say so. She glared at Julian.
‘And I’m astonished at you,’ she said. ‘After all the adventures we’ve had together, you try to keep me out of this one. But you will let me come next time, won’t you, Julian?’