FIVE ON KIRRIN ISLAND AGAIN by Enid Blyton

02 BACK AT KIRRIN COTTAGE

JULIAN, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy went straightaway to have buns and ginger-beer at the station tearoom. It was good to be all together again. Timmy went nearly mad with joy at seeing the two boys. He kept trying to get on to their knees.

'Look here, Timmy, old thing, I love you very much, and I'm jolly glad to see you,' said Dick, 'but that's twice you've upset my ginger-beer all over me. Has he behaved himself this term, George?'

 'Fairly well,' said George, considering. 'Hasn't he, Anne? I mean - he only got the joint out of the larder once - and he didn't do so much harm to that cushion he chewed - and if people will leave their galoshes all over the, place nobody can blame Timmy for having a good old game with them.' 

'And that was the end of the galoshes, I suppose,' said Julian, with a grin. 'On the whole, Timmy, you have a rather poor report. I'm afraid our Uncle Quentin will not award you the usual half-crown we get for good reports.'

 At the mention of her father, George scowled. 

'I see George has not lost her pretty scowl,' said Dick, in a teasing voice, 'Dear old George! We shouldn't know her unless she put on that fearsome scowl half a dozen times a day!' 

'Oh, she's better than she was,' said Anne, hurrying to George's defense at once. George was not so touchy as she had once been, when she was being teased. All the same, Anne knew that there might be sparks flying over her father taking Kirrin Island these holidays, and she didn't want George to fly into a temper too soon! 

Julian looked at his cousin. 'I say, old thing, you're not going to take this business of Kirrin Island too much to heart, are you?' he said. 'You've just got to realize that your father's a remarkably clever man, one of the finest scientists we've got - and I think that those kind of fellows ought to be allowed as much -freedom as they like, for their work. I mean - if Uncle Quentin wants to work' on Kirrin Island for some peculiar reason of his own, then you ought to be pleased to say "Go ahead,' Father!" 

George looked a little mutinous after this rather long speech; but she thought a great deal of Julian, and usually went by what he said. He was older than any- of them, a tall, good-looking boy, with determined eyes and a strong chin.

 George scratched Timmy's head, and spoke in a low voice. 'All right. I won't go up in smoke about it, Julian. But I'm frightfully disappointed. I'd planned to go to Kirrin Island-ourselves these holls.' 

'Well, we're all disappointed,' said Julian. 'Buck -up with your bun, old thing. We've got to get across London and catch the train for Kirrin. We shall miss it if we don't look out.' 

Soon they were in the train for Kirrin. Julian was very good at getting porters and taxis. Anne gazed admiringly at her big brother as he found them all corner-seat a carriage. Julian did know how to tackle things!

 'Do you think I've grown, Julian?' she asked him. 'I hope I'd be as tall as George by the end of this term too!'

 'Well -I should think you might be a quarter of an inch more than last term,' said Julian. 'You can't catch us up - you'll always be the smallest! But I like you small.'

 'Look at Timmy, putting his head out of the window usual!' said Dick. 'Timmy, you'll get a smoke-grit in your eye. Then George will go quite mad with grief and think you're going blind!' 

'Woof,' said Timmy, and wagged his tail. That was the nice part about Timmy. He always knew when he was being spoken to, even if his name was not mentioned he answered at once.

Aunt Fanny was at the station to meet them in the trap. The children flung themselves on her, for they were very fond of her. She was kind and gentle, and did best to keep her clever, impatient husband from find too much fault with the children.