chapter 1 george is rather difficult

'mother! mother, where are you?' shouted george, rushing into the house. 'mother, quick!'

there was no answer. george's mother was out in the garden at the back of kirrin cottage, pickingflowers. george yelled again, this time at the top of her very strong voice.

'mother! mother! where are you? it's urgent.'

a door was flung open nearby and george's father stood there, glaring at her.

'george! what's this row about? here am i in the middle of some very difficult...'

'oh father! timmy's hurt!' said george. 'he went...'

her father looked down at timmy, standing meekly behind george. he gave a little snort.

'hurt! he seems all right to me. i suppose he's got a thorn in his paw again - and you think it's the endof the world or something, and come yelling in here and...'

'timmy is hurt!' said george, with tears in her voice. 'look!'

but her father had gone back into his study again, and the door slammed. george glared at it, lookingexactly like her hot-tempered father.

'you're unkind!' she shouted, 'and ... oh there's mother. mother!'.

'dear me, george, whatever is the matter?' said her mother, putting down the flowers. 'i heard yourfather shouting, and then you.'

'mother - timmy's hurt!' said george. 'look!'

she knelt down by the dog, and gently pulled forward one ear. behind it was a big cut. timmywhined. tears came into george's eyes, and she looked up at her mother.

'now don't be silly, george,' said mrs. kirrin. 'it's only a cut. how did he do it?'

'he tried to jump over a ditch, and he didn't see some old barbed wire there,' said george. 'and arusty piece caught his ear, and ripped that awful cut. i can't stop it bleeding.'

her mother looked at it. it certainly was quite deep. 'take him to the vet, george,' she said.

'perhaps it ought to be stitched. it does look rather deep. poor old timmy-boy - well, it's a good thingit wasn't his eye, george.'

'i'll take him to the vet at once,' said george, getting up. 'will he be in, mother?'

'oh yes - it's his surgery hour,' said her mother. 'take him along now.'

2so timmy was hurried along the country lanes to the pretty little house where the vet lived.

george, very anxious indeed, was most relieved to see that the vet seemed quite unconcerned.

'a couple of stitches and that cut will heal well,' he said. 'hold him, will you, while i do the job?

he'll hardly feel it. there, old boy - stand still - that's right.'

in five minutes' time george was thanking the vet wholeheartedly. 'thank you! i was worried!

will he be all right now?'

'good gracious, yes - but you mustn't let him scratch that wound,' said the vet, washing his hands. 'ifhe does, it may go wrong.'

'oh. but how can i stop him?' asked george anxiously. 'look - he's trying to scratch it now.'

'well, you must make him a big cardboard collar,' said the vet. 'one that sticks out right round hisneck, so that his paw can't get near that cut, however much he tries to reach it.'

'but - but timmy won't like that a bit,' said george. 'dogs look silly wearing cardboard collars likegreat ruffs round their neck. i've seen them. he'll hate one.'

'well, it's the only way of stopping him from scratching that wound,' said the vet. 'get along now,george - i've more patients waiting.'

george went home with timmy. he padded along quietly, pleased at the fuss that george wasmaking of him. when he was nearly home, he suddenly sat down and put up his hind leg to scratchhis bad ear.

'no, timmy! no!' cried george, in alarm. 'you must not scratch. you'll get the plaster off in notime, and break the stitches. no, timmy!'

timmy looked up in surprise. very well. if scratching was suddenly upsetting george, he would waittill he was alone.

but george could read timmy's thoughts as easily as he could read hers! she frowned.

'blow! i'll have to make him that cardboard collar. perhaps mother will help me.'

her mother was quite willing to help. george was not good at things of that sort, and she watched hermother cutting out a big cardboard collar, fitting it round the surprised timmy's head, and then lacingthe edges together with thread so that he could not get it off. timmy was most surprised, but he stoodvery patiently.

as soon as the collar was finished, and safely round his neck, he walked away. then he raised hishind leg to scratch at his smarting ear - but, of course, he couldn't get it over the collar, and merelyscratched the cardboard.

3'never mind, timmy,' said george. 'it will only be for a few days.'

the study door nearby opened and her father came out. he saw timmy in his collar and stopped insurprise. then he roared with laughter.

'hey, timmy - you look like queen elizabeth the first in a fine big ruff!' he said.

'don't laugh at him, father,' said george. 'you know that dogs can't bear being laughed at.'

timmy certainly looked offended. he turned his back on george's father and stalked off to thekitchen. a little squeal of laughter came from there and then a loud guffaw from someone at thekitchen door - the milkman.

'oh timmy - whatever have you got that collar on for?' said the cook's voice. 'you do look peculiar!'

george was angry. she remained angry all that day and made everyone most uncomfortable.

how mean of people to jeer at poor timmy! didn't they realize how terribly uncomfortable a collarlike that was - and timmy had to wear it night and day! he couldn't even lie down comfortably.

george mooned about looking so angry and miserable that her mother felt worried.

'george dear - don't be silly about this. you will make your father cross. timmy will have to wearthat collar for at least a week, you know - and he does look a bit comical when you first see him. he'sgetting used to it, he soon won't notice it.'

'everybody laughs at him,' said george, in an angry voice. 'he went into the garden and a lot of kidshung over the wall and laughed like anything. and the postman told me it was cruel. and fatherthinks it's funny. and...'

'oh dear, george, don't get into one of your moods,' said her mother. 'remember, anne is comingsoon. she won't enjoy things much if you behave like this.'

george bore it for one day more. then, after two upsets with her father over timmy, another with acouple of boys who laughed at him, and one with the paper-boy, she decided she wouldn't stay atkirrin cottage for one day longer!

'we'll take my little tent, and go off by ourselves somewhere,' she told timmy. 'some place wherenobody can see you till your ear is better and that hateful collar is off. don't you think that's a goodidea, timmy?'

'woof,' said timmy. he thought that any of george's ideas were good, though the collar puzzled himvery much.

4'you know the dogs laugh at you too, timmy,' said george, earnestly. 'did you see how that sillylittle poodle belonging to mrs. janes up the lane stood and stared at you? he looked exactly as if hewas laughing. i won't have you laughed at. i know you hate it.'

timmy certainly didn't like it, but he really was not as upset about the collar as george seemed to be.

he followed her as she went up to her bedroom and watched her as she began to put a few things intoa small bag.

'we'll go to that lonely little spot on the common,' she said to him. 'we'll pitch our tent near a littlestream, and we'll jolly well stay there till your ear's better. we'll go tonight. i'll take my bike, andstrap everything on to the back.'

so, in the middle of the night, when kirrin cottage was dark and quiet, george stole downstairs withtimmy. she left a note on the dining-room table, and then went to get her bicycle. she strapped herlittle tent on it, and the bag containing food and other odds and ends.

'come on!' she whispered to the surprised timmy. 'we'll go. i'll ride slowly and you can run besideme. don't bark for goodness' sake!'

they disappeared into the darkness, timmy running like a black shadow beside the bicycle.

nobody guessed they were gone. kirrin cottage was quiet and undisturbed - except for the creakingof the kitchen door, which george had forgotten to shut.

but in the morning, what a disturbance! joan the cook found george's note first and wondered what aletter in george's writing was doing on the dining-room table. she ran straight up to george's roomand looked inside.

the bed was empty. there was no george and timmy's basket was empty. joan went to take the noteto mrs. kirrin.

'oh dear! how silly george is!' she said, when she had read it. 'look, quentin - such a fuss abouttimmy! now george has gone off with him, goodness knows where!'

her husband took the note and read it out loud. 'dear mother, i'm going off for a few days withtimmy till his ear is better. i've taken my tent and a few things. don't worry, please. tell anne if shewants to join me, to come to the end of carters lane on the common and i will show her where i'mcamping. tell her to come at twelve. love from george.'

'well, i'm blessed!' said george's father. 'all right - let her stay away if she wants to - i'm tired of hersulky face and timmy's hang-dog looks. tell anne to join george, and maybe i shall have peace fora few days!'

5'george should be all right,' said his wife. 'she's quite sensible really - and she's got timmy. i'll tellanne to join her when she arrives this morning.'

when anne arrived at kirrin station, and looked out for george and timmy, they weren't there -only her aunt was there, smiling as usual.

'what's happened?' said anne. 'where's george - and timmy?'

'oh - george has gone off by herself,' said her aunt fanny. 'come along, and i'll tell you!'