FIVE ON A HIKE TOGETHER by Enid Blyton

04 GEORGE IS WORRIED

They lazed for some time in the sun after they had finished their meal. There were three sandwiches each left, and half a piece each of the fruit cake. No one had been able to manage a whole piece, much as they would have liked to.

Timmy seemed to think he could finish all the cake that was left, but Julian said no. "It's such a gorgeous cake it would be really wasted on Timmy," he said., "You've had enough, Tim. Greedy dog!"

"Woof," said Timmy, wagging his tail, and eyeing the cake watchfully. He sighed when he saw it being packed up. He had only had a bit of George's half-slice - what a cake!

"I'll pack three sandwiches and a half-slice of the cake into each of four bags," said Julian, "Anyone can eat his or hers whenever they like. I expect we shall have a good meal at the farm-house I've chosen for tonight, so you can eat when you like before then."

'I don't feel as if I could eat anything till tomorrow morning," said Anne, putting her bag of food into her rucksack. "But it's odd how hungry you keep on getting, even if you feel you can't possibly be for hours and hours."

"Well, Timmy can wolf anything you don't want," said Julian. "Nothing wasted when Tim's about. Now are we all ready? We're going through a little village soon, where we'll stop for a drink. I could do with a ginger-beer. And then on we go to our farm-house. We ought to try and arrive about five, because it gets dark so soon."

"What's the farm-house called?" asked Anne.

"Blue Pond Farm," said Julian. "Nice name, isn't it? I hope it's still got a blue pond."

"Suppose they haven't room for us?" said Anne.

"Oh, they can always put a couple of girls somewhere," said Julian. "Dick and I can sleep in a barn if necessary. We're not particular!"

"I'd like to sleep in a barn too," said Anne, "I'd love to. Let's not ask for a bedroom, let's all sleep in a barn - on straw or hay or something."

"No," said Julian. "You girls will have to be in the house. It gets cold at night, and we've brought no rugs. We boys will be all right with our macs over us. I'm not letting you two girls do that."

"It's stupid being a girl!" said George, for about the millionth time in her life. "Always having to be careful when boys can do as they like! I'm going to sleep in a barn, anyway. I don't care what you say, Ju!"

"Oh yes you do," said Julian, "You know quite well that if ever you go against the orders of the chief - that's me, my girl, in case you didn't know it - you won't come out with us again. You may look like a boy and behave like a boy, but you're a girl all the same. And like it or not, girls have got to be taken care of."

"I should have thought that boys hated having to take care of girls," said George, sulkily. "Especially girls like me who don't like it."

"Well, decent boys like looking after their girl cousins or their sisters," said Julian, "And oddly enough decent girls like it. But I won't count you as a girl, George, decent or otherwise. I'll merely count you as a boy who's got to have an eye on him - my eye, see? So take that look off your face, and don't make yourself any more difficult than you already are."

George couldn't help laughing, and the sulky look went at once. She gave Julian a punch. "All right. You win. You're so jolly domineering these days I feel quite afraid of you!"

"You're not afraid of anyone," said Dick. "You're the bravest girl I ever knew! Aha! That's made old George blush like a girl! Let me warm my hands, George!"

And Dick held his hands up in front of George's scarlet face, pretending to warm them at her fiery blush. She didn't know whether to be pleased or angry. She pushed his hands away and got up, looking more like a boy than ever with her short tousled hair and her well-freckled face!