Jo looked at the map. It meant nothing to her at all. She gazed vaguely at the spot that Julian had pointed to.

“Well?” said Julian, impatiently. “Is that the Ravens Wood you mean?”

“I don’t know,” said Jo, helplessly. “The one I mean is a real wood — I don’t know anything about yours on this map.”

Joan gave a little snort. “Master Julian, maps are wasted on her. I don’t expect she’s ever seen one in her life! She can’t even read!”

“Can’t she?” said Julian, amazed. “Then she can’t write either.” He looked questioningly at Jo.

She shook her head. “Mum tried to learn me to read,” she said, “but Mum wasn’t very good herself. What’s the good of reading, anyway? Won’t help you to trap rabbits or catch fish for your dinner, will it?”

“No. It’s used for other things,” said Julian, amused. “Well — maps are no good to you, I can see.” He rolled his map up, looking thoughtful. It was very difficult to know exactly how to deal with a person like Jo, who knew so little of some things and so much of others.

“She’ll know the way all right,” said Joan, scraping out a saucepan. “They’re like dogs, these folk — they can smell out any road they want.”

“Do you smell out your way like a dog?” asked Anne, curiously. She had come in to see what was going on, and was quite willing to believe that Jo really could smell her way here and there, as Timmy did.

“No, I don’t,” said Jo. “I just know the way I have to go. And I don’t go by the roads, either! They take too long to get to a place. I take the shortest way, see?”

“How do you know it’s the shortest way?” asked Anne.

Jo shrugged her thin shoulders. All this was very boring to her.

“Where’s that other boy?” she said. “Isn’t he coming? I want to see him.”

“She’s just crazy on Dick,” said Joan, taking up another saucepan. “Here he is — now you can go and lick his boots if you want to, young Jo!”

“Hallo, Jo!” said Dick, with one of his amiable grins. “Ready to take us travelling?”

“Better go at night,” said Jo, staring at Dick.

“Oh, no!” said Dick. “We’re going now. We’re not going to be put off like that. Now, Jo, now!”

“If my Dad sees us coming he’ll be mad,” said Jo obstinately.

“Very well,” said Dick, looking at Julian. “We’ll go by ourselves. We’ve found Ravens Wood on the map. We can easily get there.”

“Pooh,” said Jo, rudely. “You can get there all right — but it’s a big place, Ravens Wood is — and nobody but me and Dad knows where we hide the caravan there. And if Dad wants to keep George quite safe, he’ll take her to our hidey-hole in the middle of the wood, see? You can’t go without me.”