“Here you are,” said Julian, handing one to the girl. “You eat that up and go.”

They all sat and ate ice-creams, George still scowling. Timmy gulped his at once as usual. “Look — he’s had all his,” marvelled the girl. “I call that a waste. Here, boy — have a bit of mine!”

To George’s annoyance, Timmy licked up the bit of ice-cream thrown to him by the girl. How could Timmy accept anything from her?

Dick couldn’t help being amused by this queer, bold little girl, with her tangled short hair and sharp darting eyes. He suddenly saw something that made him feel uncomfortable.

On her chin the girl had a big black bruise. “I say,” said Dick, “I didn’t give you that bruise yesterday, did I?”

“What bruise? Oh, this one on my chin?” said the girl, touching it. “Yes, that’s where you hit me when you sent me flying. I don’t mind. I’ve had plenty worse ones from my Dad.”

“I’m sorry I hit you,” said Dick, awkwardly. “I honestly thought you were a boy. What’s your name?”

“Jo,” said the girl.

“But that’s a boy’s name,” said Dick.

“So’s George. But you said she was a girl,” said Jo, licking the last bits of ice-cream from her fingers.

“Yes, but George is short for Georgina,” said Anne. “What’s Jo short for?”

“Don’t know,” said Jo. “I never heard. All I know is I’m a girl and my name is Jo.”

“It’s probably short for Josephine,” said Julian. They all stared at the possible Josephine. The short name of Jo certainly suited her — but not the long and pretty name of Josephine.

“It’s really queer,” said Anne, at last, “but Jo is awfully like you, George — same short curly hair — only Jo’s is terribly messy and tangly — same freckles, dozens of them — same turned-up nose…”

“Same way of sticking her chin up in the air, same scowl, same glare!” said Dick. George put on her fiercest glare at these remarks, which she didn’t like at all.

“Well, all I can say I hope I haven’t her layers of dirt and her sm — ” she began, angrily. But Dick stopped her.

“She’s probably not got any soap or hair-brush or anything. She’d be all right cleaned up. Don’t be unkind, George.”

George turned her back. How could Dick stick up for that awful girl? “Isn’t she ever going?” she said. “Or is she going to park herself on us all day long?”

“I’ll go when I want to,” said Jo, and put on a scowl, so exactly like George’s that Julian and Dick laughed in surprise. Jo laughed, too, but George clenched her fists furiously. Anne looked on in distress. She wished Jo would go, then everything would be all right again.

“I like that dog,” said Jo, suddenly, and she leaned over to where Timmy lay beside George. She patted him with a hand that was like a little brown paw. George swung round.