chapter 5 george gets a headache!

the man got up sullenly. his ear-rings shone in the light of the torch. 'i came to get clip,' he said.

'he's my horse, isn't he?'

'you were told he wasn't fit to walk yet,' said julian. 'do you want him to go lame for life? you oughtto know enough about horses to know when one can be worked or not!'

'i've got my orders,' said the man. 'i've got to take my caravan with the others.'

'who said so?' said dick, scornfully.

'barney boswell,' said the man. 'he's boss of our lot here. we've got to start off together tomorrow.'

'but why?' said julian, puzzled. 'what's so urgent about all this? what's the mystery?'

'there ain't no mystery,' said the man, still sullen. 'we're just going to the moor.'

'what are you going to do there?' asked dick, curiously. 'it doesn't seem to me to be the place to takea lot of caravans to. there's nothing there at all, is there? or so i've heard.'

the man shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. he turned to clip as if to get him up. but julianrapped out at him at once.

'oh no, you don't! if you don't care about injuring a horse, i do! you've only got to be patient for aday or two more, and he'll be quite all right. you're not to take him tonight. dick, go and wakecaptain johnson. he'll know what to do.'

'no,' said the man, scowling. 'don't go waking anybody. i'll go. but just you see that clip is given tosniffer as soon as it's possible, or i'll know the reason why! see?'

he looked at julian in a threatening way.

'take that scowl off your face,' said julian. 'i'm glad you've seen sense. clear out now. go off withthe others tomorrow and i'll see that sniffer has the horse in a short time.'

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the man moved to the door and slid out like a shadow. julian went to watch him across the yard,wondering whether, out of spite, the man might try to steal a hen, or one of the ducks sleeping besidethe pond.

but there was no sudden clucking, no loud quack. the man had gone as silently as he had come.

'most peculiar, all this!' said julian, latching the door again. he tied a piece of thick string over it hisside, so that it could not be lifted from outside. 'there! now if the gypsy comes again, he'll find hecan't get in. what a nerve, coming here in the middle of the night like that!'

he got back into the straw. 'he must have fallen right over my foot,' he said, snuggling down.

'he woke me up with an awful jump. good thing for clip that we were sleeping out here tonight, orhe'd be dragging along a heavy cart tomorrow, and going lame again. i don't like that fellow!'

he fell asleep again and so did dick. clip slept too, his leg feeling easier. how glad he had been thatday not to have to drag along the heavy caravan!

the boys told captain johnson next morning about the gypsy's midnight visit. he nodded. 'yes, iought to have warned you that he might come. they're not always very good to their horses.

well, i'm glad you sent him off. i don't reckon clip's leg will be ready for walking on till the day aftertomorrow. there's no harm in giving the poor creature a few days' rest. sniffer can easily take thecaravan on after the others.'

it looked as if that day was going to be fun. after all the horses had been seen to, and many odd jobsdone, the four, with timmy, planned to set out for a day's ride. captain johnson said he would letjulian ride his own sturdy cob and dick took a bonny chestnut horse with four white socks. the girlshad the horses they usually rode.

henry hung about, looking very mournful. the boys felt quite uncomfortable. 'we really ought to tellher to come along too,' said dick to julian. 'it seems jolly mean to leave her behind with those littlekids.'

'yes, i know. i agree with you,' said julian. 'anne, come here! can't you suggest to george that wetake henry too? she's longing to come, i know.'

'yes. she is,' said anne. 'i feel awful about it. but george will be mad if we ask henry. they reallydo get across one another. i simply daren't ask george to let henry come, ju.'

'but this is silly!' said julian. 'to think we don't dare to ask george to let somebody come!

george will have to learn sense. i like henry. she's boastful, and i don't believe half the tales shetells, but she's a sport and good fun. hey, henry!'

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'coming!' yelled henry, and came running, looking very hopeful.

'would you like to come with us?' said julian. 'we're all going off for the day. have you got any jobsto do, or can you come?'

'can i come! rather,' said henry, joyfully. 'but - does george know?'

'i'll soon tell her,' said julian, and went in search of george. she was helping mrs. johnson to getsaddle-bags ready, full of food.

'george,' said julian, boldly. 'henry is coming too. will there be enough food for everyone?'

'oh! how nice of you to ask her!' said mrs. johnson, sounding very pleased. 'she's dying to come.

she's been so good this week, too, while we've been shorthanded. she deserves a treat.

isn't that nice, george?'

george muttered something peculiar and went out of the room, her face scarlet. julian stared afterher, his eyebrows cocked in a comical manner.

'i don't somehow feel that george thinks it's nice,' he said. 'i feel as if we are in for an awkward day,mrs. johnson.'

'oh, don't take any notice of george when she's silly,' said mrs. johnson, comfortably, filling anotherpaper bag with delicious-looking sandwiches. 'and don't take any notice of henry, either, when she'sidiotic. there! if you get through all this food, i shall be surprised!'

william, one of the younger ones, came in just then. 'what a lot of food you've given them,' he said.

'will there be enough left for us to have today?'

'good gracious, yes!' said mrs. johnson. 'you think of nothing but your tummy, william! go and findgeorge and tell her the food is ready for her to put into the saddle-bags.'

william disappeared and then came back. 'george says she's got a headache and doesn't think she'llgo on the ride,' he announced.

julian looked startled and upset. 'now you listen to me, julian,' said mrs. johnson, beginning to insertthe parcels of food carefully into the saddle-bags, 'just you leave her to her imaginary headache.

don't go fussing round her, and begging her to come and saying you won't have henry. just believequite firmly in her headache, and go off by yourselves. it's the quickest way to make george seesense, believe me!'

'yes. i think you're right,' said julian, frowning. to think that george should behave like a sulky littlegirl, after all the adventures they had been through together! just because of henry. it really wasabsurd.

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'where is george!' he said to william.

'up in her room,' said william, who had been engrossed in picking up and eating all the crumbs hecould. julian went out of the room and into the yard. he knew which window belonged to the roomwhere george and anne slept. he yelled up.

'i say, george! sorry about your headache, old thing! sure you don't feel like coming?'

'no!' came back an answering shout, and the window was shut down with a slam.

'righto! awfully disappointed and all that!' shouted julian. 'do hope your head will soon be better!

see you later!'

no other reply came from the window, but, as julian went across the yard to the stables, a verysurprised face watched him go, from behind the bedroom curtains. george was extremely astonishedto have been taken at her word, shocked at being left behind after all, and angry with henry andeveryone else for putting her into this fix!

julian told the others that george had a headache and wasn't coming. anne was most concerned andwanted to go and comfort her but julian forbade her to.

'no. she's up in her room. leave her alone, anne. that's an order - see?'

'all right,' said anne, half-relieved. she felt sure that george's headache was mostly temper, and shedidn't at all want to go and argue with her for half an hour. henry hadn't said a word. she had flushedwith surprise when julian had announced that george was not coming, and she knew at once thatthere was no real headache! she was george's headache, she knew that!

she went up to julian. 'look, i guess it's because you've asked me to come, that georgina won't comewith us. i don't want to spoil things. you go and tell her i'm not going after all.'

julian looked at henry gratefully. 'that's jolly nice of you,' he said. 'but we're taking george at herword. anyway, we didn't ask you out of politeness. we wanted you to come!'

'thanks,' said henry. 'well, let's go before anything else happens! our horses are ready. i'll fix thesaddle-bags.'

soon all four were on their horses, and were walking over the yard to the gate. george heard theclippity-clop-clippity-clop of the hooves and peeped out of the window again. they were going afterall! she hadn't thought they really would go without her. she was horrified.

why did i behave like that? i've put myself in the wrong! thought poor george. now henrietta willbe with them all day and will be as nice as possible, just to show me up. what an ass i am!

'timmy, i'm an ass and an idiot, and a great big fathead! aren't i?'

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timmy didn't think so. he had been puzzled to hear the others going off without him and george, andhad gone to the door and whined. now he came back to george and put his head on her knee. heknew george was not happy.

'you don't care how i behave, do you, tim?' said george, stroking the soft, furry head. 'that's thebest of a dog! you don't care if i'm in the wrong or not, you just love me all the same, don't you?

well, you shouldn't love me today, tim. i've been an idiot!'

there was a knock at her door. it was william again. 'george! mrs. johnson says, if your headache isbad, undress and get into bed. but if it's better, come down and help with clip, the gypsy's horse.'

'i'll come down,' said george, flinging away her sulks at one go. 'tell mrs. johnson i'll go to thestable at once.'

'all right,' said the stolid william, and trotted off like a reliable little pony.

george went downstairs with timmy, and into the yard. she wondered how far the others had gone.

she couldn't see them in the distance. would they have a good day together, with that horrid henry?

ugh!

the others were almost a mile away, cantering easily. what fun! a whole day before them, onmystery moor!