“Timmy! Timmy!”

Timmy heard, cast a last regretful look at Markhoff’s legs, and bounded across to the boat. He leapt right in and stood there, still barking madly.

Markhoff dropped down the rope to the ledge — but he was too late. The boat shot out to the entrance of the cove and rounded it. In half a minute it had disappeared round the rocky corner and was out at sea.

Julian and Dick rowed steadily. George put her arms round Timmy and buried her face in his fur. Jo did the same.

“He’s all right again, quite all right,” said George, happily.

“Yes, falling into the cold water did it,” agreed Jo, ruffling up his fur. “Good old Timmy!”

Timmy was now snuffling about in the bottom of the boat joyfully. He had smelt a lovely smell. Jo wondered what he had found. Then she knew.

“It’s the packet of sandwiches we brought with us in the boat and never ate!” she cried. “Good old Timmy — he’s wolfing the lot!”

“Let him!” said Julian, pulling hard at the oars. “He deserves them all! My word, it’s nice to hear his bark again and see his tail wagging.”

And wag it certainly did. It never stopped. The world had come right again for Timmy, he could see and hear properly again, he could bark and caper and jump — and he had his beloved George with him once more.

“Now for home,” said Julian. “Anne will be pleased to see us. Gosh, what a time we’ve had!”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Everything okay

It was getting dark as George’s boat came into Kirrin Bay. It had seemed a very long pull indeed, and everyone was tired out. The girls had helped in the rowing when the boys had almost collapsed from exhaustion, and Timmy had cheered everyone up by his sudden high spirits.

“Honestly, his tail hasn’t stopped wagging since he got into the boat,” said George. “He’s so pleased to be himself again!”

A small figure was on the beach as they came in, half-lost in the darkness. It was Anne. She called out to them in a trembling voice.

“Is it really you? I’ve been watching for you all day long! Are you all right?”

“Rather! And we’ve got George and Timmy, too!” shouted back Dick, as the boat scraped on the shingle. “We’re fine!”

They jumped out, Timmy too, and hauled the boat up the beach. Anne gave a hand, almost crying with joy to have them all again.

“It’s bad enough being in the middle of an adventure,” she said, “but it’s much, much worse when you’re left out. I’ll never be left out again!”

“Woof,” said Timmy, wagging his tail in full agreement. He never wanted to be left out of adventures either!

They all went home — rather slowly, because they were so tired. Joan was on the look-out for them, as she had been all day. She screamed for joy when she saw George. “George! You’ve got George at last! Oh, you bad children, you’ve been away all day and I didn’t know where and I’ve been worried to death. George, are you all right?”