There was a silence. Nobody ever knew quite how to treat George when she was in one of her moods. It was really best to leave her to herself, but they couldn’t very well go off and leave the camp just because George was there, cross and sulky.

Anne took hold of George’s arm. She was miserable when George behaved like this. “George,” she began. “There’s no need to be cross with me, too. I haven’t done anything!”

“If you weren’t such a little coward, too afraid to go with us, I’d have been able to go too,” said George unkindly, dragging her arm away.

Julian was disgusted. He saw Anne’s hurt face and was angry with George.

“Shut up, George,” he said. “You’re behaving like a girl, for all you think you’re as good as a boy! Saying catty things like that! I’m astonished at you.”

George was ashamed of herself, but she was too proud to say so. She glared at Julian.

“And I’m astonished at you!” she said. “After all the adventures we’ve had together, you try to keep me out of this one. But you will let me come next time, won’t you, Julian?”

“What! After your frightful behaviour to-day?” said Julian, who could be just as obstinate as George when he wanted to. “Certainly not. This is my adventure and Dick’s — and perhaps Jock’s. Not yours or Anne’s.”

He got up and stalked down the hill with Dick. George sat pulling bits of heather off the stems, looking mutinous and angry. Anne blinked back tears. She hated this sort of thing. She got up to get dinner ready. Perhaps after a good meal they would all feel better.

Mr. Luffy was sitting outside his tent, reading. He had already seen the children that morning. He looked up, smiling.

“Hallo! Come to talk to me?”

“Yes,” said Julian, an idea uncurling itself in his mind. “Could I have a look at that map of yours, Mr. Luffy? The big one you’ve got showing every mile of these moorlands?”

“Of course. It’s in the tent somewhere,” said Mr. Luffy.

The boys found it and opened it. Dick at once guessed why Julian wanted it. Mr. Luffy went on reading.

“It shows the railways that run under the moorlands too, doesn’t it?” said Julian. Mr. Luffy nodded.

“Yes. There are quite a few lines. I suppose it was easier to tunnel under the moors from valley to valley rather than make a permanent way over the top of them. In any case, a railway over the moors would probably be completely snowed up in the winter-time.”

The boys bent their heads over the big map; it showed the railways as dotted lines when they went underground, but by long black lines when they appeared in the open air, in the various valleys.

They found exactly where they were. Then Julian’s finger ran down the map a little and came to where a small line showed itself at the end of a dotted line.