The next day the boys came back. Anne and George went to meet them withTimothy. George drove the pony-trap, and Tim sat beside her. Anne couldhardly wait for the train to stop at the station. She ran along theplatform, looking for Julian and Dick in the carriages that passed.Then she saw them. They were looking out of a window at the back of thetrain, waving and yelling."Anne! ANNE! Here we are! Hallo, George! Oh, there's Timothy!""Julian! Dick!" yelled Anne. Timothy began to bark and leap about. Itwas most exciting."Oh, Julian! It's lovely to see you both again!" cried Anne, giving hertwo brothers a hug each. Timothy leapt up and licked them both. He wasbeside himself with joy. Now he had all the children around him that heloved.The three children and the dog stood happily together, all talking atonce whilst the porter got the luggage out of the train. Anne suddenlyremembered George. She looked round for her. She was nowhere to be seen,although she had come on the station platform with Anne."Where's old George?" said Julian. "I saw her here when I waved out ofthe window.""She must have gone back to the pony-trap," said Anne. "Tell the porterto bring your trunks out to the trap, Julian. Come along! We'll go andfind George."George was standing by the pony, holding his head. She looked rathergloomy, Anne thought. The boys went up to her."Hallo, George, old thing!" cried Julian, and gave her a hug. Dick didthe same."What's up?" asked Anne, wondering at George's sudden silence."I believe George felt left-out!" said Julian with a grin. "Funny oldGeorgina!""_Don't_ call me Georgina!" said the little girl, fiercely. The boyslaughed."Ah, it's the same fierce old George, all right," said Dick, and he gavethe girl a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Oh, George—it's good to seeyou again. Do you remember our marvellous adventures in the summer?"George felt her awkwardness slipping away from her. She _had_ feltleft-out when she had seen the great welcome that the two boys gave totheir small sister—but no one could sulk for long with Julian and Dick.They just wouldn't let anyone feel left-out or awkward or sulky.The four children climbed into the trap. The porter heaved in the twotrunks. There was only just room for them. Timothy sat on top of thetrunks, his tail wagging nineteen to the dozen, and his tongue hangingout because he was panting with delight."You two girls were lucky to be able to take Tim to school with you,"said Dick, patting the big dog lovingly. "No pets are allowed at ourschool. Awfully hard on those fellows who like live things.""Thompson Minor kept white mice," said Julian. "And one day they escapedand met Matron round a corner of the passage. She squealed the placedown."The girls laughed. The boys always had funny tales to tell when they gothome."And Kennedy keeps snails," said Dick. "You know, snails sleep for thewinter—but Kennedy kept his in far too warm a place, and they allcrawled out of their box and went up the walls. You should have heardhow we laughed when the geography master asked Thompson to point outCape Town on the map—and there was one of the snails in the veryplace!"Everyone laughed again. It was so good to be all together once more.They were very much of an age—Julian was twelve, George and Dick wereeleven, and Anne was ten. Holidays and Christmas time were in front ofthem. No wonder they laughed at everything, even the silliest littlejoke!"It's good that Mummy is getting on all right, isn't it?" said Dick, asthe pony went along the road at a spanking trot. "I was disappointed notto go home, I must say—I did want to go to see Aladdin and the Lamp,and the Circus—but still, it's good to be back at Kirrin Cottage again.I wish we could have some more exciting adventures. Not a hope of thatthis time, though.""There's one snag about these holls," said Julian. "And that's thetutor. I hear we've got to have one because Dick and I missed so muchschool this term, and we've got to take scholarship exams next summer.""Yes," said Anne. "I wonder what he'll be like. I do hope he will be asport. Uncle Quentin is going to choose one to-day."Julian and Dick made faces at one another. They felt sure that any tutorchosen by Uncle Quentin would be anything but a sport. Uncle Quentin'sidea of a tutor would be somebody strict and gloomy and forbidding.Never mind! He wouldn't come for a day or two. And he _might_ be fun.The boys cheered up and pulled Timothy's thick coat. The dog pretendedto growl and bite. _He_ wasn't worried about tutors. Lucky Timothy!They all arrived at Kirrin Cottage. The boys were really pleased to seetheir aunt, and rather relieved when she said that their uncle had notyet come back."He's gone to see two or three men who have answered the advertisementfor a tutor," she said. "He won't be long before he's back.""Mother, I haven't got to do lessons in the holls too, have I?" askedGeorge. Nothing had yet been said to her about this, and she longed toknow."Oh yes, George," said her mother. "Your father has seen your report,and although it isn't really a bad one, and we certainly didn't expect amarvellous one, still it does show that you are behind your age in somethings. A little extra coaching will soon help you along."George looked gloomy. She had expected this but it was tiresome all thesame. "Anne's the only one who won't have to do lessons," she said."I'll do some too," promised Anne. "Perhaps not always, George, if it'sa very fine day, for instance—but sometimes, just to keep you company.""Thanks," said George. "But you needn't. I shall have Timmy."George's mother looked doubtful about this. "We'll have to see what thetutor says about that," she said."Mother! If the tutor says I can't have Timothy in the room, I jollywell won't do holiday lessons!" began George, fiercely.Her mother laughed. "Well, well—here's our fierce, hot-tempered Georgeagain!" she said. "Go along, you two boys, and wash your hands and doyour hair. You seem to have collected all the smuts on the railway."The children and Timothy went upstairs. It was such fun to be fiveagain. They always counted Tim as one of themselves. He went everywherewith them, and really seemed to understand every single word they said."I wonder what sort of a tutor Uncle Quentin will choose," said Dick, ashe scrubbed his nails. "If only he would choose the right kind—someonejolly and full of fun, who knows that holiday lessons are sickening tohave, and tries to make up for them by being a sport out of lesson-time.I suppose we'll have to work every morning.""Hurry up. I want my tea," said Julian. "Come on down, Dick. We'll knowabout the tutor soon enough!"They all went down together, and sat round the table. Joanna the cookhad made a lovely lot of buns and a great big cake. There was not muchleft of either by the time the four children had finished!Uncle Quentin returned just as they were finishing. He seemed ratherpleased with himself. He shook hands with the two boys and asked them ifthey had had a good term."Did you get a tutor, Uncle Quentin?" asked Anne, who could see thateveryone was simply bursting to know this."Ah—yes, I did," said her uncle. He sat down, whilst Aunt Fanny pouredhim out a cup of tea. "I interviewed three applicants, and had almostchosen the last one, when another fellow came in, all in a hurry. Saidhe had only just seen the advertisement, and hoped he wasn't too late.""Did you choose him?" asked Dick."I did," said his uncle. "He seemed a most intelligent fellow. Even knewabout me and my work! And he had the most wonderful letters ofrecommendation.""I don't think the children need to know all these details," murmuredAunt Fanny. "Anyway—you asked him to come?""Oh yes," said Uncle Quentin. "He's a good bit older than theothers—they were rather young fellows—this one seems very responsibleand intelligent. I'm sure you'll like him, Fanny. He'll fit in here verywell. I feel I would like to have him to talk to me sometimes in theevening."The children couldn't help feeling that the new tutor sounded ratheralarming. Their uncle smiled at the gloomy faces."You'll like Mr. Roland," he said. "He knows how to handleyoungsters—knows he's got to be very firm, and to see that you know agood bit more at the end of the holidays than you did at the beginning."This sounded even more alarming. All four children wished heartily thatAunt Fanny had been to choose the tutor, and not Uncle Quentin."When is he coming?" asked George."To-morrow," said her father. "You can all go to meet him at thestation. That will be a nice welcome for him.""We _had_ thought of taking the bus and going to do a bit of Christmasshopping," said Julian, seeing that Anne looked very disappointed."Oh, no, you must certainly go and meet Mr. Roland," said his uncle. "Itold him you would. And mind you, you four—no nonsense with him! You'veto do as you're told, and you must work hard with him, because yourfather is paying very high fees for his coaching. I'm paying a third,because I want him to coach George a little too—so George, you must doyour best.""I'll try," said George. "If he's nice, I'll do my very best.""You'll do your best whether you think him nice or not!" said herfather, frowning. "He will arrive by the ten-thirty train. Be sure to bethere in time.""I do hope he won't be too strict," said Dick, that evening, when thefive of them were alone for a minute or two. "It's going to spoil theholls, if we have someone down on us all the time. And I do hope he'lllike Timothy."George looked up at once. "Like Timothy!" she said. "Of course he'lllike Timothy! How couldn't he?""Well—your father didn't like Timothy very much last summer," saidDick. "I don't see how anyone could _dislike_ darling Tim—but there arepeople who don't like dogs, you know, George.""If Mr. Roland doesn't like Timothy, I'll not do a single thing forhim," said George. "Not one single thing!""She's gone all fierce again!" said Dick, with a laugh. "My word—thesparks will fly if Mr. Roland dares to dislike our Timothy!"
