“I’ll come down,” said George, flinging away her sulks at one go. “Tell Mrs Johnson I’ll go to the stable at once.”

“All right,” said the stolid William, and trotted off like a reliable little pony.

George went downstairs with Timmy, and into the yard. She wondered how far the others had gone. She couldn’t see them in the distance. Would they have a good day together, with that horrid Henry? Ugh!

The others were almost a mile away, cantering easily. What fun! A whole day before them, on Mystery Moor!

Chapter Six

A grand day

I think it’s got a jolly good name, Mystery Moor,’ said Dick, as the four of them went along. “Look at it stretching for miles, all blazing with gorse.”

“I don’t think it looks at all mysterious,” said Henry, surprised.

“Well, it’s got a sort of quietness and broodiness,” said Anne. “As if something big happened long ago in the past and it’s waiting for something to happen again.”

“Quiet and broody? It sounds like one of the farmyard hens sitting on her eggs!” said Henry with a laugh. “I think it might be a bit frightening and mysterious at night, but it’s just an ordinary stretch of country in the day-time, fine for riding over. I can’t think why it’s called Mystery Moor.”

“We’ll have to look it up in some book that tells about this part of the country,” said Dick. “I expect it was called that because of some queer happenings or other, hundreds of years ago, when people believed in witches and things like that.”

They followed no road or path, but rode where they pleased. There were great stretches of wiry grass, masses of heather springing up afresh, and, blazing its gold everywhere on this lovely April day, was the gorse.

Anne sniffed continually as they rode past the gorse bushes. Dick looked at her.

“You sound like Sniffer!” he said. “Have you got a cold?”

Anne laughed. “No, of course not. But I do so love the smell of the gorse. What does it smell of? Vanilla? Hot coconut? It’s a lovely warm smell!”

“Look! What’s that moving over there?” said Julian, suddenly reining in his horse. They all strained their eyes to see.

“Why, it’s caravans!” said Julian, at last. “Of course! They were setting out today, weren’t they? Well, they must find it very rough going, that’s all I can say. There’s no real road anywhere, as far as I can see.”

“Where can they be going?” wondered Anne. “What’s over in that direction?”

“They’ll come to the coast if they keep on the way they are going,” said Julian, considering. “Let’s ride over and have a look at them, shall we?”

“Yes. Good idea!” said Dick. So they turned their horses’ heads to the right, and rode towards the faraway caravans. These made quite a splash of colour as they went along. There were four of them - two red ones, a blue one and a yellow one. They went very slowly indeed, each pulled by a small, wiry horse.