“Sorry, old thing. We discovered your little trick and avoided it when we set out — but blessed if we didn’t forget all about it coming back. We must have given your toe a frightful tug. Did we? I suppose you did tie the other end of the string to your toe?”

George looked as if she could throw all the breakfast things at him. Fortunately for everyone, Jock arrived at that moment. He didn’t wear his usual beaming smile but seemed rather subdued.

“Hallo, Jock!” said Julian. “Just in time for a spot of breakfast. Sit down and join us.”

“I can’t,” said Jock. “I’ve only a few minutes. Listen. Isn’t it rotten — I’m to go away and stay with my stepfather’s sister for two weeks! Two weeks! You’ll be gone when I come back, won’t you?”

“Yes. But, Jock — why have you got to go away?” said Dick, surprised. “Has there been a row or something?”

“I don’t know,” said Jock. “Mum won’t say, but she looks pretty miserable. My stepfather’s in a frightful temper. It’s my opinion they want me out of the way for some reason. I don’t know this sister of my stepfather’s very well — only met her once — but she’s pretty awful.”

“Well — come over here and stay with us, if they want to get rid of you,” said Julian, sorry for Jock. Jock’s face brightened.

“I say — that’s a fine idea!” he said.

“Smashing,” agreed Dick. “Well, I don’t see what’s to stop you. If they want to get rid of you, it can’t matter where you go for a fortnight. We’d love to have you.”

“Right. I’ll come,” said Jock. “I’ll not say a word about it, though, to my stepfather. I’ll let Mum into the secret. She was going to take me away to-day, but I’ll just tell her I’m coming to you instead. I don’t think she’ll split on me, and I hope she’ll square things with my step-aunt.”

Jock’s face beamed again now. The others beamed back, even George, and Timmy wagged his tail. It would be nice to have Jock — and what a lot they had to tell him.

He went off to break the news to his mother, whilst the others washed up and cleared things away. George became sulky again when Jock was gone. She simply could not or would not realise that Julian meant what he said!

When they began to discuss everything that had happened the night before, George refused to listen. “I’m not going to bother about your stupid spook-trains any more,” she said. “You wouldn’t let me join you when I wanted to, and now I shan’t take any interest in the matter.”

And she walked off with Timmy, not saying where she was going.

“Well — let her go,” said Julian, exasperated and cross. “What does she expect me to do? Climb down and say we’ll let her come the next night we go?”