“I buried it deep in the sand at the back of one of the beaches,” said George. “Where the tide can’t turn it all up again. And with every dig of my spade I said “Blow you, you awful trippers without manners, blow you — and next time you go anywhere, may you find someone else’s litter to make you feel sick. Blow you!””

George looked and sounded so very fierce that everyone burst out laughing. Timmy sat there with his tongue lolling out, looking as if he were laughing too, and Mischief made a funny little noise rather like a giggle.

“Good old George. She always says straight out what she thinks!” said Julian.

They sat and talked over their plans for some time. “Dick and Julian had better make the fake plans and figures,” said George. “They’d be better at that kind of thing than anyone else. And Tinker can plant them somewhere in his father’s tower room for the thief to take if he goes there again — and I bet he will. He found it easy enough last night!”

“And George could take Tinker’s father’s papers with the correct figures and plans over to Kirrin Island,” said Anne.

“Not till night-time, though,” said Dick. “If anyone were on the watch, and saw George rowing over there, they might guess she was taking something important to hide. They might be watching her father too. By the way — where are these papers? You did not leave them behind at home, did you, Tinker?”

“I didn’t dare to,” said Tinker. “I felt as if there might be eyes peeping at me, watching and hoping I’d go out and leave the papers behind. I’ve got them under my jersey, just here!” And he patted the top of his stomach.

“Oh — so that’s why you look as if you’ve had too much breakfast!” said George. “Well — what shall our plans be?”

“We’d better make out the false papers straight away, with figures and diagrams,” said Julian. “Just in case the thieves come sooner than we think. Tinker, we’d better go into your house to do those. If we go to George’s, her father might spot us, and wonder what on earth we were doing. We’d probably be sent off, anyway, because of the scarlet-fever business.”

“Well, what about my father?” said Tinker. “He might spot us too. Anyway, he’s not keen on my having anyone there this week, because he’s so busy with his new invention. It’s awfully good, and…”

“Tinker — don’t start spilling beans again!” said Julian, warningly. “I say it would be best to go to your house.”

“What about me going indoors and bringing out Dad’s big drawing-board, and some of his paper, and his mapping pens and ink, and doing the diagrams and things out here in the tent?” said Tinker. “Honestly, I never know when Dad is going to come into my room. He’d wonder what on earth we were doing if he found us all there! We can have a good look at the papers I’ve got under my coat, and do a whole lot in the same style — not the same figures, naturally — and we could do some fancy diagrams too.”