I say!" cried the man, suddenly shouting loudly as he lost his temper. He took two or three steps towards them, looking very threatening indeed. George loosed her hold on Timmy"s col ar.
Timmy also took two or three steps forward. His hackles went up and he emitted a most fearsome growl. The man stopped suddenly, and then retreated.
„Take hold of that dog"s collar," he ordered. „He looks savage."
„Then he looks what he is," said George. „I"m not taking hold of his col ar while you"re about. Don"t think it!"
Timmy took two or three more steps forward, growling loudly, walking stiffly and menacingly. The woman cal ed out at once.
„It"s al right, children. My friend here just lost his temper for a moment. Cal your dog back."
„Not while you are about," said George. „How long are you staying?"
„What"s that to do with you?" growled the man, but he didn"t say any more because Timmy at once growled back.
„Let"s come and have something to eat," said Julian, loudly, to the others. „After all, we have as much right to be here as these people have. We don"t need to take any notice of them - and we shan"t be in their way!"
The four children marched forward. Timmy was stil loose. He barked savagely once or twice as he came close to the unpleasant couple, and they shrank back at once. Timmy was such a big dog and he looked so very powerful! They eyed the children angrily as they went by, and watched them go into the ruined house.
„On guard, Timmy," said George, as soon as they were in, pointing to the ruined doorway.
Timmy understood at once, and stood in the doorway, a menacing figure with hackles up and snarling mouth. The children went down to the cellar room. They looked round to see if anyone had been there while they were away, but nothing seemed to have been moved.
„They probably haven"t even noticed the cel ars," said Julian. „I hope there"s plenty of bread left. I"m hungry. I wish to goodness we were going to have a dinner like the one we had yesterday! I say - what an unpleasant pair Maggie and Dick are!"
„Yes. Very," said Dick. „I can"t bear Maggie. Horrid common voice and hard face. Ugh!"
„I think Dirty Dick is worse," said Anne. „He looks like a goril a or something with his broad hunched-up body. And WHY doesn"t he cut his hair?"
„Fancies himself like that, I expect," said George, cutting a loaf of bread. „His surname ought to be Gol iwog. Or Tarzan. I"m jol y glad we"ve got Timmy."
„So am I," said Anne, „Good old Timmy, He hated them, didn"t he? I bet they won"t come near the doorway with Timmy there!"
„I wonder where they are," said Dick picking up a great hunk of bread and butter and potted meat. „I"m going to look."
He came back in half a minute. „They"ve gone to the boat-house, I think," he said. „I just caught a sight of one of them moving in that direction. Looking for Saucy Jane, I expect."
„Let"s sit down and eat and talk over what we"ll do next," said Julian. „And what we think they wil do next! That"s quite important. They may be able to read the clues on that paper better than we can If we watch what they do it may give us a guide as to what we must do."
„That"s true," said Dick. „I imagine that the plan Nailer sent must mean something to Dirty Dick and Maggie, just as the message did." He chewed at his bread, thinking hard, trying once more to fathom the meaning of that mysterious piece of paper.
„I think on the whole we wil follow out our original plan for this afternoon," said Julian, after a little silence. „We"ll get out that raft and go on the lake with it. It"s a harmless looking thing to do. We can examine the banks as we go - and if Maggie and Dick are out in a boat too, we can keep an eye on them as well."
„Yes. Good idea," said George. „It"s a heavenly afternoon anyway. I"d love to paddle about on the lake with that raft. I hope it"s good and sound."
„Sure to be," said Dick. „The wood it"s made of is meant to
Timmy also took two or three steps forward. His hackles went up and he emitted a most fearsome growl. The man stopped suddenly, and then retreated.
„Take hold of that dog"s collar," he ordered. „He looks savage."
„Then he looks what he is," said George. „I"m not taking hold of his col ar while you"re about. Don"t think it!"
Timmy took two or three more steps forward, growling loudly, walking stiffly and menacingly. The woman cal ed out at once.
„It"s al right, children. My friend here just lost his temper for a moment. Cal your dog back."
„Not while you are about," said George. „How long are you staying?"
„What"s that to do with you?" growled the man, but he didn"t say any more because Timmy at once growled back.
„Let"s come and have something to eat," said Julian, loudly, to the others. „After all, we have as much right to be here as these people have. We don"t need to take any notice of them - and we shan"t be in their way!"
The four children marched forward. Timmy was stil loose. He barked savagely once or twice as he came close to the unpleasant couple, and they shrank back at once. Timmy was such a big dog and he looked so very powerful! They eyed the children angrily as they went by, and watched them go into the ruined house.
„On guard, Timmy," said George, as soon as they were in, pointing to the ruined doorway.
Timmy understood at once, and stood in the doorway, a menacing figure with hackles up and snarling mouth. The children went down to the cellar room. They looked round to see if anyone had been there while they were away, but nothing seemed to have been moved.
„They probably haven"t even noticed the cel ars," said Julian. „I hope there"s plenty of bread left. I"m hungry. I wish to goodness we were going to have a dinner like the one we had yesterday! I say - what an unpleasant pair Maggie and Dick are!"
„Yes. Very," said Dick. „I can"t bear Maggie. Horrid common voice and hard face. Ugh!"
„I think Dirty Dick is worse," said Anne. „He looks like a goril a or something with his broad hunched-up body. And WHY doesn"t he cut his hair?"
„Fancies himself like that, I expect," said George, cutting a loaf of bread. „His surname ought to be Gol iwog. Or Tarzan. I"m jol y glad we"ve got Timmy."
„So am I," said Anne, „Good old Timmy, He hated them, didn"t he? I bet they won"t come near the doorway with Timmy there!"
„I wonder where they are," said Dick picking up a great hunk of bread and butter and potted meat. „I"m going to look."
He came back in half a minute. „They"ve gone to the boat-house, I think," he said. „I just caught a sight of one of them moving in that direction. Looking for Saucy Jane, I expect."
„Let"s sit down and eat and talk over what we"ll do next," said Julian. „And what we think they wil do next! That"s quite important. They may be able to read the clues on that paper better than we can If we watch what they do it may give us a guide as to what we must do."
„That"s true," said Dick. „I imagine that the plan Nailer sent must mean something to Dirty Dick and Maggie, just as the message did." He chewed at his bread, thinking hard, trying once more to fathom the meaning of that mysterious piece of paper.
„I think on the whole we wil follow out our original plan for this afternoon," said Julian, after a little silence. „We"ll get out that raft and go on the lake with it. It"s a harmless looking thing to do. We can examine the banks as we go - and if Maggie and Dick are out in a boat too, we can keep an eye on them as well."
„Yes. Good idea," said George. „It"s a heavenly afternoon anyway. I"d love to paddle about on the lake with that raft. I hope it"s good and sound."
„Sure to be," said Dick. „The wood it"s made of is meant to
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