“Right. Then we’ll get the police to take us,” said Julian, quite cheerfully. “They will help us to comb the wood from end to end. We’ll soon find George.”

“No!” cried Jo, in alarm. “You said you wouldn’t! You promised!”

“You made a promise too,” said Julian. “It was a bargain. But I see you’re not really to be trusted. I’ll just get on my bike and ride down to the police-station.”

But before he could go out of the room Jo flung herself on him and clung to his arm like a cat. “No, no! I’ll take you. I’ll keep my promise! But it would be best to go at night!”

“I’m not putting things off any more,” said Julian, shaking Jo off his arm. “If you mean what you say, you’ll come with us now. Make up your mind.”

“I’ll come,” said Jo.

“Hadn’t we better give her another pair of shorts or something?” said Anne, suddenly seeing a tremendous hole in Jo’s grubby shorts. “She can’t go out like that. And look at her awful jersey. It’s full of holes.”

The boys looked at it. “She’d smell a bit better if she had clean clothes,” said Joan. “There’s that old pair of shorts I washed for George last week, and mended up. Jo could have those. And there’s an old shirt of hers she could have, too.”

In five minutes’ time Jo was proudly wearing a pair of perfectly clean, much-mended shorts of George’s, and a shirt like the one Anne had on. Anne looked at her and laughed.

“Now she’s more like George than ever! They might be sisters.”

“Brothers, you mean,” said Dick. “George and Jo — what a pair!”

Jo scowled. She didn’t like George, and she didn’t want to look like her.

“She’s even got George’s scowl!” said Anne. Jo turned her back at once, and Joan then got the benefit of the scowl.

“My word, what an ugly creature you are!” said Joan. “You be careful the wind doesn’t change — you might get your face stuck like that!”

“Oh, come on,” said Julian, impatiently. “Jo! Do you hear me? Come along now and take us to Ravens Wood.”

“Jake might see us,” said Jo, sulkily. She was determined to put off going as long as she could.

“Yes, he might,” said Julian, who hadn’t thought of that. “Well — you go on a long way ahead, and we’ll follow. We won’t let Jake know you’re leading us anywhere.”

At last they set off. Joan had packed them up a meal in case they wanted one. Julian slipped the package into a bag and slid it over his shoulder.

Jo slipped out the back way, went down to the bottom of the garden and made her way out to the lane through a little thicket. The others went out of the front gate and walked up the lane slowly, watching for Jo to appear.

“There she is,” said Julian. “Come on. We must keep the little wretch in sight. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave us the slip even now!”