“She could have Mr. Luffy’s company,” said George, looking sulky again.

“Idiot! As if we’d want to tell Mr. Luffy we were going off exploring deserted railway yards watched over by a mad, one-legged fellow who swears there are spook-trains!” said Julian. “He’d stop us going. You know what grown-ups are. Or he’d come with us, which would be worse.”

“Yes. He’d see moths all the time, not spook-trains,” said Dick, with a grin.

“I’d better go back now,” said Jock. “It’s been a grand day. I’ll come up to-morrow and picnic with you. Good-bye.”

They called good-bye to Jock, and went on their way to the camp. It was quite nice to see it again, waiting for them, the two tents flapping a little in the breeze. Anne pushed her way through the tent-flap, anxious to see that everything was untouched.

Inside the tent it was very hot. Anne decided to put the food they had brought under the bottom of the big gorse-bush. It would be cooler there. She was soon busy about her little jobs. The boys went down to see if Mr. Luffy was back, but he wasn’t.

“Anne! We’re going to bathe in the stream!” they called. “We feel hot and dirty. Are you coming? George is coming too.”

“No, I won’t come,” Anne called back. “I’ve got lots of things to do.”

The boys grinned at one another. Anne did so enjoy “playing house.” So they left her to it, and went to the stream, from which yells and howls and shrieks soon came. The water was colder than they expected, and nobody liked to lie down in it — but everyone was well and truly splashed, and the icy-cold drops falling on their hot bodies made them squeal and yell. Timmy didn’t in the least mind the iciness of the water. He rolled over and over in it, enjoying himself.

“Look at him, showing off!” said Dick. “Aha, Timmy, if I could bathe in a fur coat like you, I wouldn’t mind the cold water either.”

“Woof,” said Timmy, and climbed up the shallow bank. He shook himself violently and thousands of icy-cold silvery drops flew from him and landed on the three shivering children. They yelled and chased him away.

It was a pleasant, lazy evening. Mr. Luffy didn’t appear at all. Anne got a light meal of bread and cream cheese and a piece of gingerbread. Nobody felt like facing another big meal that day. They lay in the heather and talked comfortably.

“This is the kind of holiday I like,” said Dick.

“So do I,” said Anne. “Except for the spook-trains. That’s spoilt it a bit for me.”

“Don’t be silly, Anne,” said George. “If they are not real it’s just a silly story, and if they are real, well, it might be an adventure.”

There was a little silence. “Are we going down to that yard again?” asked Dick lazily.

“Yes, I think so,” said Julian. “I’m not going to be scared off it by weird warnings from Pa Andrews.”