coming, Mrs. Stick," said Aunt Fanny, patiently. "I didn't know I should be feeling so ill myself when they came. If I had been well I could have made their sandwiches and done many more things. I can only ask you to help as much as you can till I feel better. I may be all right tomorrow. Let the children have a good time for a week or so, and then, if I still feel ill, I am sure they will all turn to and help a bit. But let them have a good time first."
The children took their packets of sandwiches and set off. On the way they met Edgar, looking as stupid and sly as usual. "Why don't you let me come along with you?"
he said. "Let's go to that island. I know a lot about it, I do."
"No, you don't," said George, in a flash. "You don't know anything about it. And I'd never take you. It's my island, see? Well, ours. It belongs to all four of us and Timmy, too. We should never allow you to go."
"'Tisn't your island," said Edgar. "That's a lie, that is!"
"You don't know what you're talking about," said George, scornfully. "Come on, you others! We can't waste time talking to Edgar."
They left him, looking sulky and angry. As soon as they were at a safe distance he lifted up his voice:
"Georgie-porgie, pudding and pie, She knows how to tell a lie, Georgie-porgie, pudding and pie!"
Julian made as if he would go back after the rude Edgar, but George pulled him on.
"He'll only go and tell tales to his mother, and she'll walk out and there'll be no one to help Mother," she said. "I'll just have to put up with it. We'll try and think of some way to get our own back, though. Nasty creature! I hate his pimply nose and screwed-up eyes."!
"Woof!" said Timmy, feelingly.
"Timmy says he hates Stinker's miserable tail and silly little ears," explained George, and they all laughed. That made them feel better. They were soon out of hearing of Edgar's silly song, and forgot all about him.
"Let's go and see if your boat is ready," said Julian. "Then maybe we could row out to the dear old island."
Chapter Three
A NASTY SHOCK
GEORGE'S boat was almost ready, but not quite. It was having a last coat of paint on it. It looked very gay, for George had chosen a bright red paint, and the oars were painted red too.
"Oh, can't we possibly have it this afternoon?" said George to Jim the boatman.
He shook his head.
"No, Master George," he said, "not unless you all want to be messed up with red paint.
It'll be dry tomorrow, but not before."
It always made the others smile to hear the boatmen and fishermen call Georgina
"Master George." The local people all knew how badly she wanted to be a boy, and they knew, too, how plucky and straightforward she was, so they laughed to one another and said: "Well, they reckoned she behaved like a boy, and if she wanted to be called "Master George" instead of "Miss Georgina", she deserved it!"
So Georgina was Master George, and enjoyed strutting about in her jeans and jersey on the beach, using her boat as well as any fisher-boy, and swimming faster than them all.
"We'll go to the island tomorrow then," said Julian. "We'll just picnic on the beach today. Then we'll go for a walk."
So they picnicked on the sands with Timothy sharing more than half their lunch. The sandwiches were not very nice. The bread was too stale; there was not enough butter inside, and they were far too thick. But Timothy didn't mind. He gobbled up as many as he could, his tail wagging so hard that it sent sand over everyone.
"Timothy, do take your tail out of the sand if you want to wag it," said Julian, getting sand all over his hair for the fourth time. Timmy wagged his tail hard again, and sent another shower over him. Everyone laughed.
"Let's go for a walk now," said Dick, jumping up. "My legs could do with some good exercise. Where shall we go?"
"We'll walk along the cliff-top, where we can see the island all the time, shall we?"
said Anne. "George, is the old wreck still there?"
George nodded. The children had once had a
The children took their packets of sandwiches and set off. On the way they met Edgar, looking as stupid and sly as usual. "Why don't you let me come along with you?"
he said. "Let's go to that island. I know a lot about it, I do."
"No, you don't," said George, in a flash. "You don't know anything about it. And I'd never take you. It's my island, see? Well, ours. It belongs to all four of us and Timmy, too. We should never allow you to go."
"'Tisn't your island," said Edgar. "That's a lie, that is!"
"You don't know what you're talking about," said George, scornfully. "Come on, you others! We can't waste time talking to Edgar."
They left him, looking sulky and angry. As soon as they were at a safe distance he lifted up his voice:
"Georgie-porgie, pudding and pie, She knows how to tell a lie, Georgie-porgie, pudding and pie!"
Julian made as if he would go back after the rude Edgar, but George pulled him on.
"He'll only go and tell tales to his mother, and she'll walk out and there'll be no one to help Mother," she said. "I'll just have to put up with it. We'll try and think of some way to get our own back, though. Nasty creature! I hate his pimply nose and screwed-up eyes."!
"Woof!" said Timmy, feelingly.
"Timmy says he hates Stinker's miserable tail and silly little ears," explained George, and they all laughed. That made them feel better. They were soon out of hearing of Edgar's silly song, and forgot all about him.
"Let's go and see if your boat is ready," said Julian. "Then maybe we could row out to the dear old island."
Chapter Three
A NASTY SHOCK
GEORGE'S boat was almost ready, but not quite. It was having a last coat of paint on it. It looked very gay, for George had chosen a bright red paint, and the oars were painted red too.
"Oh, can't we possibly have it this afternoon?" said George to Jim the boatman.
He shook his head.
"No, Master George," he said, "not unless you all want to be messed up with red paint.
It'll be dry tomorrow, but not before."
It always made the others smile to hear the boatmen and fishermen call Georgina
"Master George." The local people all knew how badly she wanted to be a boy, and they knew, too, how plucky and straightforward she was, so they laughed to one another and said: "Well, they reckoned she behaved like a boy, and if she wanted to be called "Master George" instead of "Miss Georgina", she deserved it!"
So Georgina was Master George, and enjoyed strutting about in her jeans and jersey on the beach, using her boat as well as any fisher-boy, and swimming faster than them all.
"We'll go to the island tomorrow then," said Julian. "We'll just picnic on the beach today. Then we'll go for a walk."
So they picnicked on the sands with Timothy sharing more than half their lunch. The sandwiches were not very nice. The bread was too stale; there was not enough butter inside, and they were far too thick. But Timothy didn't mind. He gobbled up as many as he could, his tail wagging so hard that it sent sand over everyone.
"Timothy, do take your tail out of the sand if you want to wag it," said Julian, getting sand all over his hair for the fourth time. Timmy wagged his tail hard again, and sent another shower over him. Everyone laughed.
"Let's go for a walk now," said Dick, jumping up. "My legs could do with some good exercise. Where shall we go?"
"We'll walk along the cliff-top, where we can see the island all the time, shall we?"
said Anne. "George, is the old wreck still there?"
George nodded. The children had once had a
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