"Anyway, I couldn't come," went on Aunt Fanny. "I've some gardening to do. You'll be quite safe with George. She can handle a boat like a man."
The three children looked eagerly at the weather the next day when they got up. The sun was shining, and everything seemed splendid.
"Isn't it a marvellous day?"said Anne to George,as they dressed. "I'm so looking forward to going to the island."
"Well, honestly, I think really we oughtn't to go," said George, unexpectedly.
"Oh, but why?" cried Anne, in dismay.
"I think there's going to be a storm or something," said George, looking out to the south-west.
"But, George, why do you say that?" said Anne, impatiently. "Look at the sun- and there's hardly a cloud in the sky!"
"The wind is wrong," said George. "And can't you see the little white tops to the waves out there by my island? That's always a bad sign."
"Oh George- it will be the biggest disappointment of our lives if we don't go today," said Anne, who couldn't bear any disappointment, big or small. "And besides," she added, artfully, "if we hang about the house, afraid of a storm, we shan't be able to have dear old Tim with us."
"Yes, that's true," said George. "All right- we'll go. But mind, if a storm does come, you're not to be a baby. You're to try and enjoy it and not be frightened."
"Well, I don't much like storms," began Anne, but stopped when she saw George's scornful look. They went down to breakfast, and George asked her mother if they could take their dinner as they had planned.
"Yes," said her mother. "You and Anne can help to make the sandwiches. You boys can go into the garden and pick some ripe plums.to take with you. Julian, you can go down to the village when you've done that and buy some bottles of lemonade or ginger-beer, whichever you like."
"Ginger-pop for me, thanks!" said Julian, and everyone else said the same. They all felt very happy. It would be marvellous to visit the queer little island. George felt happy because she would be with Tim all day.
They set off at last, the food in two kit-bags. The first thing they did was to fetch Tim. He was tied up in the fisher-boy's back yard. The boy himself was there, and grinned at George.
"Morning, Master George," he said. It seemed so queer to the other children to hear Georgina called 'Master George'! 'Tim's been barking his head off for you. I guess he knew you were coming for him today."
"Of course he did," said George, untying him. He at once went completely mad, and tore round and round the children, his tail down and his ears flat.
"He'd win any race if only he was a greyhound," said Julian, admiringly. "You can hardly see him for dust. Tim! Hie, Tim! Come and say "Good-morning"."
Tim leapt up and licked Julian's left ear as he passed on his whirlwind way. Then he sobered down and ran lovingly by George as they all made their way to the beach. He licked George's bare legs every now and again, and she pulled at his ears gently.
They got into the boat, and George pushed off. The fisher-boy waved to them. "You won't be very long, will you?" he called. "There's a storm blowing up. Bad one it'll be, too."
"I know," shouted back George. "But maybe we'll get back before it begins. It's pretty far off yet."
George rowed all the way to the island. Tim stood at each end of the boat in turn, barking when the waves reared up at him. The children watched the island coming closer and closer. It looked even more exciting than it had the other day.
"George, where are you going to land?" asked Julian. "I simply can't imagine how you know your way in and out of these awful rocks. I'm afraid every moment we'll bump into them!"
"I'm going to land at the little cove I told you about the other day," said George. "There's only one way to it, but I know it very well. It's hidden away on the east side of the island."
The girl cleverly worked her boat in and out of the rocks, and suddenly, as it rounded a low wall of sharp rocks, the children saw the cove she had spoken of. It was like a natural little harbour, and was a smooth inlet of water running up to a stretch of sand, sheltered between high rocks. The boat slid into the inlet, and at once stopped rocking, for here the water was like glass, and had hardly a wrinkle.
"I say- this is fine!" said Julian, his eyes shining with delight. George looked at him and her eyes shone too, as bright as the sea itself. It was the first time she had ever taken anyone to her precious island, and she was enjoying it.
They landed on the smooth yellow sand. "We're really on the island!" said Anne, and she capered about, Tim joining her and looking as mad as she did. The others laughed. George pulled the boat high up on the sand.
"Why so far up?" said Julian, helping her. "The tide's almost in, isn't it? Surely it won't come as high as this."
"I told you I thought a storm was coming," said, George. "If one does, the waves simply tear up this inlet and we don't want to lose our boat, do we?"
"Let's explore the island, let's explore the island!" yelled Anne, who was now at the top of the little natural harbour, climbing up the rocks there. "Oh do come on!"
They all followed her. It really was a most exciting place. Rabbits were everywhere! They scuttled about as the children appeared, but did not go into their holes.
"Aren't they awfully tame?" said Julian, in surprise.
"Well, nobody ever comes here but me," said George, "and I don't frighten them. Tim! Tim, if you go after the rabbits, I'll spank you."
Tim turned big sorrowful eyes on to George. He and George agreed about every single thing except rabbits. To Tim rabbits were made for one thing-to chase! He never could understand why George wouldn't let him do this. But he held himself in and walked solemnly by the children, his eyes watching the lolloping rabbits longingly.
"I believe they would almost eat out of my hand," said Julian.
But George shook her head.
"No, I've tried that with them," she said. "They won't. Look at those baby ones. Aren't they lovely?"
"Woof!" said Tim, agreeing, and he took a few steps towards them. George made a warning noise in her throat, and Tim walked back, his tail down.
"There's the castle!" said Julian. "Shall we explore that now? I do want to."
"Yes, we will," said George. "Look- that is where the entrance used to be- through that big broken archway."
The children gazed at the enormous old archway, now half-broken down. Behind it were ruined stone steps leading towards the centre of the castle.
"It had strong walls all round it, with two towers," said George. "One tower is almost gone, as you can see, but the other is not so bad. The jackdaws build in that every year. They've almost filled it up with their sticks!"
As they came near to the better tower of the two the jackdaws circled round them with loud cries of "Chack, chack, chack!" Tim leapt into the air as if he thought he could get them, but they only called mockingly to him.
"This is the centre of the castle," said George, as they entered through a ruined doorway into what looked like a great yard, whose stone floor was now overgrown with grass and other weeds. "Here is where the people used to live. You can see where the rooms were- look, there's one almost whole there. Go through that little door and you'll see it."
They trooped through a doorway and found themselves in a dark, stone-walled, stone-roofed room, with a space at one end where a fire-place must have been. Two slit-like windows lighted the room. It felt very queer and mysterious.
"What a pity it's all broken down," said Julian, wandering out again. "That room seems to be the only one quite whole. There are some others here- but all of them seem to have either no roof, or one or other of the walls gone. That room is the only liveable one. Was there an upstairs to the castle, George?"