chapter 7 queer happenings

timmy stopped barking and tried to get away from george's hand on his collar. but she would not lethim. george was not easily frightened, but what with the thunderstorm, the queer old cottage andnow timmy's sudden excitement, she wanted him near her.

'what is it?' asked anne, in a scared whisper.

'i don't know. i can't even imagine,' said george, also in a low voice. 'perhaps it's nothing - just thethunderstorm that has upset him and made him nervous. we'll keep awake a bit, and see if we hearanything queer.'

they lay quietly in their corner, and george kept a firm hand on timmy. he growled once or twice,but did not bark any more. george began to think it really must have been the storm that had upsethim.

a rumble of thunder came again - the storm was returning, or else another one was blowing up!

george felt relieved. 'it's all right, anne. it must have been the thunder and lightning in the distancethat upset timmy. you're silly, timmy - scaring us like that!'

crash - rumble - crash! yes, certainly the storm was gathering force again! timmy barked angrily.

'be quiet! you make more noise than the thunder!' said george, crossly. 'no, you can't go out into therain, timmy. it's begun again, as bad as before. you'd only get dripping wet - and then you'd want tocome and sit as close to me as possible and make me wet too. i know you!'

'no - don't let him go, george,' said anne. 'i like him here with us. my word - what a storm! i hope itwon't strike this cottage.'

'well, considering that it must have stood here for three or four hundred years, and have seenthousands of storms, i expect it will come safely through one more!' said george. 'where are yougoing, anne?'

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'just to look out of the window,' said anne. 'or out of the place where the window used to be! i liketo see the countryside suddenly lit up for just one moment in a lightning flash - and then go back todarkness again.'

she went to stand at the window. there came the crash of thunder, not far away, and a brilliant flashof lightning. anne stared over the countryside, which had suddenly become visible in the flash - andthen disappeared like magic in a second!

anne gave a sudden cry and stumbled back to george. 'george - george...'

'whatever's the matter?' asked george, alarmed.

'there's someone out there - people!' said anne, clutching george and making her jump. 'i saw themjust for an instant, when the lightning flashed.'

'people? what sort of people?' said george, astonished. 'how many?'

'i don't know. it was all so quick. i think there were two - or maybe three. they were standing someway off - quite still, out there in the storm.'

'anne, those are trees!' said george, scornfully. 'there are two or three small trees standing againstthe sky out there - i noticed them the other day.'

'these weren't trees,' said anne. 'i know they weren't. what are people doing out there in this storm?

i'm frightened.'

george was absolutely certain that anne had seen the group of little trees that she knew were there -they would look just like people, in a quick flash of lightning. no sooner did you see something in astorm than it was gone!

she comforted anne. 'don't worry, anne! it's the easiest thing in the world to imagine seeing thingsin a lightning flash. timmy would bark if there were people around. he would...'

'well, he did bark, didn't he?' said anne. 'he woke us both up with his barking.'

'ah yes - but that was just because he heard the storm coming up again,' said george. 'and you knowhe gets angry when he hears the thunder growling.'

just at that moment the thunder crashed again - then the lightning flashed its weird and brilliant light.

this time both the girls screamed and timmy gave an enormous bark, trying his hardest to get awayfrom george.

'there! did you see that?' said anne, in a shaky voice.

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'yes. yes, i did. oh, anne, you're right! someone was looking in at the window! and if we saw him,he must have seen us! whatever is he doing here in the middle of the night?'

'well, i told you i saw two or three people,' said anne, still shakily. 'i expect it was one of them.

may be they saw the cottage in one of the lightning flashes, and thought they might shelter here -and sent one of their number to see.'

'may be. but what in the world is anyone doing, wandering about here at night?' said george.

'they can't possibly be up to any good. let's go home tomorrow, anne. i wish the boys were here!

they'd know what to do, they would have some good plan!'

'the storm's going off again,' said anne. 'timmy has stopped barking too, thank goodness. don't lethim go, george. you never know - those people, whoever they are, might do him harm.

anyway, i feel safer when he's with us!'

'i wouldn't dream of letting him go,' said george. 'you're trembling, anne! you needn't be as scaredas that! timmy won't let you come to any harm.'

'i know! but it wasn't very nice suddenly seeing somebody looking in at the window like that,outlined in a lightning flash!' said anne. 'i can't possibly go to sleep again. let's play some silly gameto take our minds off it.'

so they played the alphabet game with animals. each had to think in turn of an animal beginningwith a, and a mark went to the one who could keep it up longest! then they went on to b and to cand to d.

they were doing the e's when they heard a loud and very comforting sound.

'timmy's snoring,' said george. 'he's fast asleep. what an elephantine snore, tim!'

'e for elephant,' said anne, quickly.

'cheat! that should have been my e!' said george. 'all right. e for eland.'

'e for egg-eater,' said anne, after a pause.

'not allowed - you made that up!' said george. 'my mark!'

by the time they got to m, and anne was two marks ahead, the dawn was breaking. it was a greatrelief to the two girls to see the silvering of the sky in the east and to know that soon the sun wouldbe up. they immediately felt much better. george even stood up and went bravely to the window,where there was nothing to be seen but the quiet countryside outside, with its stretches of heather,gorse-bushes and silver birches.

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'we were silly to be so scared,' said george. 'i don't think we'll go back home today after all, anne. ihate running away from anything. the boys would laugh at us.'

'i don't care if they do,' said anne. 'i'm going back. if the boys were here, i'd stay - but goodnessknows when they'll come - it might not be till next week! i'm just not staying here another night.'

'all right, all right,' said george. 'do as you like - but for goodness' sake tell the boys it was you whowanted to run away, not me!'

'i will,' said anne. 'oh dear - now i feel sleepy all over again. i suppose it's because daylight is hereand everything seems safe, so i know i can fall asleep.'

george felt the same! they cuddled down together on the rug again and immediately feel asleep.

they did not wake till quite late - and even then something woke them, or they might have slept onfor hours, tired out with their broken night and the fright they had had.

they were awakened by something scuttling round them, making a very loud noise indeed. thentimmy barked.

the girls awoke and sat up, rather dazed. 'oh, it's jet!' said anne. 'jet, have you come to see if we'reall right, you dear, funny little one-eyed thing!'

'wuff-wuff!' said jet, and rolled over on his back to be tickled, his long thin tail wagging all the time.

timmy leaped on him and pretended to eat him. then a loud voice called to them.

they looked up. the boy was standing at the door, grinning widely.

'hallo, sleepy-heads! i came to see if you were all right after that awful storm. i know i promised iwouldn't come here, but i felt a bit worried about you.'

'oh. well, that's nice of you,' said anne, getting up and brushing the dust from her skirt. 'we're quiteall right - but we had rather a queer night. we...'

she got a hard nudge from george and stopped suddenly. george was warning her not to sayanything about the people they had seen - or the person at the window. did she think they might haveanything to do with this boy? anne said no more and george spoke instead.

'wasn't it a dreadful storm? how did you get on?'

'all right. i sleep down in a trench, and the rain can't get at me. well - so long! come on, jet!'

the boy and the dog disappeared. 'that was nice of him,' said anne. 'he doesn't seem crazy thismorning, does he - quite normal! he didn't even contradict us. i think i quite like him after all.'

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they went to their soaked tent and got a tin of sardines out to eat with bread and butter. just as theywere opening it, they heard someone whistling and looked up.

'here comes that boy again!' said anne.

'good morning. i don't want to butt in - but i just wondered if you were all right after the storm,'

said the boy, without even a smile. the girls stared at him in amazement.

'look - don't start being crazy all over again!' said george. 'you know jolly well we're all right.

we've already told you.'

'you haven't. and i didn't know!' said the boy. 'well, i only came out of politeness. sorry to see youare still balmy!'

and off he went. 'there!' said anne, vexed. 'just as we thought he was nice again, and not crazy, hestarts all over again. i suppose he thinks it's funny. silly ass!'

they set their things out to dry in the sun, and it was half-past twelve before they were ready to packand go back to kirrin cottage. george was rather cross about going, but anne was quite firm. shewas not going to spend another night on the common.

george was just strapping a package on her bicycle, when the two girls heard the sound of voices- and then timmy went quite mad! he barked wildly, and set off down a path at top speed, his tailwagging nineteen to the dozen!

'oh! it can't be - surely it can't be julian and dick!' shouted george, in sudden delight, and she shotoff after timmy.

it was! it was julian and dick! there they came, packs on their backs, grinning all over their faces!

hurrah! the famous five were all together once more!