Next morning the sun was out, all the sea-mist that had hung about forthe last two days, had disappeared, and Kirrin Island showed plainly atthe mouth of Kirrin Bay. The children stared longingly at the ruinedcastle on it."I do wish we could get over to the castle," said Dick. "It looks quitecalm enough, George.""It's very rough by the island," said George. "It always is at this timeof year. I know Mother wouldn't let us go.""It's a lovely island, and it's all our own!" said Anne. "You said youwould share it with us for ever and ever didn't you, George?""Yes, I did," said George. "And so I will, dungeons and all. Come on—wemust get the trap out. We shall be late meeting the train if we standhere all day looking at the island."They got the pony and trap and set off down the hard lanes. KirrinIsland disappeared behind the cliffs as they turned inland to thestation."Did all this land round about belong to your family once upon a time?"asked Julian."Yes, all of it," said George. "Now we don't own anything except KirrinIsland, our own house—and that farm away over there—Kirrin Farm."She pointed with her whip. The children saw a fine old farm-housestanding on a hill a good way off, over the heather-clad common."Who lives there?" asked Julian."Oh, an old farmer and his wife," said George. "They were nice to mewhen I was smaller. We'll go over there one day if you like. Mother saysthey don't make the farm pay any more, and in the summer-time they takein people who want a holiday.""Hark! That's the train whistling in the tunnel!" said Julian, suddenly."Buck up, for goodness sake, George. We shan't be there in time!"The four children and Timothy looked at the train coming out of thetunnel and drawing in at the station. The pony cantered along swiftly.They would be just in time."Who's going on to the platform to meet him?" asked George, as they drewinto the little station-yard. "I'm not. I must look after Tim and thepony.""I don't want to," said Anne. "I'll stay with George.""Well, we'd better go, then," said Julian, and he and Dick leapt out ofthe trap. They ran on to the platform just as the train pulled up.Not many people got out. A woman clambered out with a basket. A youngman leapt out, whistling, the son of the baker in the village. An oldman climbed down with difficulty. The tutor could be none of those!Then, right at the front of the train, rather a queer-looking man gotout. He was short and burly, and he had a beard rather like a sailor.His eyes were piercingly blue, and his thick hair was sprinkled withgrey. He glanced up and down the platform, and then beckoned to theporter."That must be Mr. Roland," said Julian to Dick. "Come on—let's ask him.There's no one else it could be."The boys went up to the bearded man. Julian raised his cap politely."Are you Mr. Roland, sir?" he asked."I am," said the man. "I suppose you are Julian and Dick?""Yes, sir," answered the boys together. "We brought the pony-trap foryour luggage.""Oh, fine," said Mr. Roland. His bright blue eyes looked the boys up anddown, and he smiled. Julian and Dick liked him. He seemed sensible andjolly."Are the other two here as well?" said Mr. Roland, walking down theplatform, with the porter trailing behind with his luggage."Yes—George and Anne are outside with the trap," said Julian."George and Anne," said Mr. Roland, in a puzzled voice. "I thought theothers were girls. I didn't know there was a third boy.""Oh, George is a girl," said Dick, with a laugh. "Her real name isGeorgina.""And a very nice name too," said Mr. Roland."George doesn't think so," said Julian. "She won't answer if she'scalled Georgina. You'd better call her George, sir!""Really?" said Mr. Roland, in rather a chilly tone. Julian took a glanceat him."Not quite so jolly as he looks!" thought the boy."Tim's out there too," said Dick."Oh—and is Tim a boy or a girl?" inquired Mr. Roland, cautiously."A dog, sir!" said Dick, with a grin.Mr. Roland seemed rather taken-aback. "A dog?" he said. "I didn't knowthere was a dog in the household. Your uncle said nothing to me about adog.""Don't you like dogs?" asked Julian, in surprise."No," said Mr. Roland, shortly. "But I daresay your dog won't worry memuch. Hallo, hallo—so here are the little girls! How do you do?"George was not very pleased at being called a little girl. For one thingshe hated to be spoken of as little, and for another thing she alwaystried to be a boy. She held out her hand to Mr. Roland and said nothing.Anne smiled at him, and Mr. Roland thought she was much the nicer of thetwo."Tim! Shake hands with Mr. Roland!" said Julian to Timothy. This was oneof Tim's really good tricks. He could hold out his right paw in a verypolite manner. Mr. Roland looked down at the big dog, and Tim lookedback at him.Then, very slowly and deliberately, Timothy turned his back on Mr.Roland and climbed up into the pony-trap! Usually he put out his paw atonce when told to, and the children stared at him in amazement."Timothy! What's come over you?" cried Dick. Tim put his ears down anddid not move."He doesn't like you," said George, looking at Mr. Roland. "That's veryqueer. He usually likes people. But perhaps you don't like dogs?""No, I don't, as a matter of fact," said Mr. Roland. "I was once verybadly bitten as a boy, and somehow or other I've never managed to likedogs since. But I daresay your Tim will take to me sooner or later."They all got into the trap. It was a right squeeze. Timothy looked atMr. Roland's ankles, as if he would rather like to nibble them. Annelaughed."Tim _is_ behaving queerly!" she said. "It's a good thing you haven'tcome to teach _him_, Mr. Roland!" She smiled up at the tutor, and hesmiled back, showing very white teeth. His eyes were as brilliant a blueas George's.Anne liked him. He joked with the boys as they drove him, and both ofthem began to feel that their Uncle Quentin hadn't made such a badchoice after all.Only George said nothing. She sensed that the tutor disliked Timothy,and George was not prepared to like anyone who didn't take to Timothy atfirst sight. She thought it was very queer too, that Tim would not shakepaws with the tutor. "He's a clever dog," she thought. "He knows Mr.Roland doesn't like him, so he won't shake hands. I don't blame you, Timdarling. I wouldn't shake hands with anyone who didn't like _me_!"Mr. Roland was shown up to his room when he arrived. Aunt Fanny camedown and spoke to the children. "Well! He seems very nice andjolly—though it's funny to see a youngish man with a beard.""Youngish!" exclaimed Julian. "Why, he's awfully old! Must be forty atthe very least!"Aunt Fanny laughed. "Does he seem so old to you?" she said. "Well, oldor not, he'll be quite nice to you, I'm sure.""Aunt Fanny, we shan't begin lessons until after Christmas, shall we?"asked Julian, anxiously."Of course you will!" said his aunt. "It is almost a week tillChristmas—you don't suppose we have asked Mr. Roland to come and donothing till Christmas is over, do you?"The children groaned. "We wanted to do some Christmas shopping," saidAnne."Well, you can do that in the afternoons," said her aunt. "You will onlydo lessons in the morning, for three hours. That won't hurt any of you!"The new tutor came downstairs at that moment, and Aunt Fanny took him tosee Uncle Quentin. She came out after a while, looking very pleased."Mr. Roland will be nice company for your uncle," she said to Julian. "Ithink they will get on very well together. Mr. Roland seems tounderstand quite a bit about your uncle's work.""Let's hope he spends most of his time with him then!" said George, in alow voice."Come on out for a walk," said Dick. "It's so fine to-day. We shan'thave lessons this morning, shall we, Aunt Fanny?""Oh, no," said his aunt. "You'll begin to-morrow. Go for a walk now, allof you—we shan't often get sunny days like this!""Let's go over to Kirrin Farm," said Julian. "It looks such a niceplace. Show us the way, George.""Right!" said George. She whistled to Timothy, and he came bounding up.The five of them set off together, going down the lane, and then on to arough road over the common that led to the farm on the distant hill.It was lovely walking in the December sun. Their feet rang on the frostypath, and Tim's blunt claws made quite a noise as he pattered up anddown, overjoyed at being with his four friends again.After a good long walk across the common the children came to thefarm-house. It was built of white stone, and stood strong and lovely onthe hillside. George opened the farm-gate and went into the farm-yard.She kept her hand on Tim's collar for there were two farm-dogs somewhereabout.Someone clattered round the barn near by. It was an old man, and Georgehailed him loudly."Hallo, Mr. Sanders! How are you?""Why, if it isn't Master George!" said the old fellow with a grin.George grinned too. She loved being called Master instead of Miss."These are my cousins," shouted George. She turned to the others. "He'sdeaf," she said. "You'll have to shout to make him hear.""I'm Julian," said Julian in a loud voice, and the others said theirnames too. The farmer beamed at them."You come along in and see the Missis," he said. "She'll be rare pleasedto see you all. We've known Master George since she was a baby, and weknew her mother when _she_ was a baby too, and we knew her granny aswell.""You must be very, very old," said Anne.The farmer smiled down at her."As old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth!" he said,chuckling. "Come away in now."They all went into the big, warm farm-house kitchen, where a little oldwoman, as lively as a bantam hen, was bustling about. She was just aspleased to see the four children as her husband was."Well, there now!" she said. "I haven't seen you for months, MasterGeorge. I did hear that you'd gone away to school.""Yes, I did," said George. "But I'm home for the holidays now. Does itmatter if I let Timothy loose, Mrs. Sanders? I think he'll be friendlyif your dogs are, too.""Yes, you let him loose," said the old lady. "He'll have a fine time inthe farm-yard with Ben and Rikky. Now what would you like to drink? Hotmilk? Cocoa? Coffee? And I've some new shortbread baked yesterday. Youshall have some of that.""Ah, the wife's very busy this week, cooking up all sorts of things,"said the old farmer, as his wife bustled off to the larder. "We'vecompany this Christmas!""Have you?" said George, surprised, for she knew that the old pair hadnever had any children of their own. "Who is coming? Anyone I know?""Two artists from London Town!" said the old farmer. "Wrote and asked usto take them for three weeks over Christmas—and offered us good moneytoo. So the old wife's as busy as a bee.""Are they going to paint pictures?" asked Julian, who rather fanciedhimself as an artist, too. "I wonder if I could come and talk to themsome day. I'm rather good at pictures myself. They might give me a fewhints.""You come along whenever you like," said old Mrs. Sanders, making cocoain a big jug. She set out a plate of most delicious-looking shortbreads,and the children ate them hungrily."I should think the two artists will be rather lonely down here, in thedepths of the country at Christmas-time," said George. "Do they knowanyone?""They say they don't know a soul," said Mrs. Sanders. "Butthere—artists are queer folk. I've had some here before. They seem tolike mooning about all alone. These two will be happy enough, I'll bebound.""They should be, with all the good things you're cooking up for them,"said her old husband. "Well, I must be out after the sheep. Good-day toyou, youngsters. Come again and see us sometimes."He went out. Old Mrs. Sanders chattered on to the children as shebustled about the big kitchen. Timothy ran in and settled down on therug by the fire.He suddenly saw a tabby cat slinking along by the wall, all her hairs onend with fear of the strange dog. He gave a delighted wuff and sprang atthe cat. She fled out of the kitchen into the old panelled hall. Timflew after her, taking no notice at all of George's stern shout.The cat tried to leap on top of an old grandfather clock in the hall.With a joyous bark Tim sprang too. He flung himself against a polishedpanel—and then a most extraordinary thing happened!The panel disappeared—and a dark hole showed in the old wall! George,who had followed Tim out into the hall, gave a loud cry of surprise."Look! Mrs. Sanders, come and look!"
