But Timmy couldn’t walk, though he had managed to stand. In despair George glanced over the courtyard, fearful that she would see Markhoff coming at any moment.

She saw somebody else. She saw Julian standing in an archway opposite, staring at her. She was too upset about Timmy even to feel much astonishment.

“Ju!” she called. “Come and help me with Timmy. They’re going to shoot him!”

In a trice Julian and Dick shot across the courtyard to George. “What happened, Jo?” said Julian. “Did you find George?”

“Ju — it’s me, George!” said George, and Julian suddenly saw that indeed it was George herself. He had been so certain that it was still Jo that he hadn’t known it was George!

“Help me with Timmy,” said George, and she pulled at the heavy dog. “Where shall we hide him?”

“Down underground,” said Dick. “It’s the only place. Come on!”

How they managed it they never quite knew, but they did drag the heavy, stupid Timmy all the way across the yard and into the archway. They opened the door and shoved him inside. Poor Timmy fell over and immediately rolled down the steep steps, landing at the bottom with a frightful thud. George gave a little scream.

“He’ll be hurt!”

But astonishingly enough Timmy didn’t seem to be hurt at all. In fact the shaking seemed to have done him good. He got up and looked round him in rather a surprised way. Then he whined and looked up at George. He tried to climb the steep steps, but wasn’t lively enough.

George was down beside him in a moment, patting him and stroking him. The two boys joined in. Timmy began to feel that things might be all right again, if only he could get rid of the dreadful, heavy feeling in his head. He couldn’t understand why he kept wanting to lie down and go to sleep.

“Bring him right down to the caves,” said Dick. “Those men are sure to hunt for him and for us too when they find Timmy gone, and us not in the shed.”

So down the narrow passages and into the little cave with the hole in the roof they all went, Timmy feeling as if he didn’t quite know which of his legs to use next.

They all sat down in a heap together when they got there, and George got as close to Timmy as she could. She was glad when the boys switched off their torches. She badly wanted to cry, and as she never did cry it was most embarrassing if anyone saw her.

She told the boys in a low voice all that had happened with Jo. “She made me stay hidden so that she could be caught,” she said. “She’s wonderful. She’s the bravest girl I ever knew. And she did it all even though she doesn’t like me.”

“She’s a queer one,” said Dick. “She’s all right at heart, though — very much all right.”