Suddenly she felt Sally stiffen in her arms, and growl. Grrrrrrr! George stood quite still. What had Sally heard?

Then things happened very suddenly indeed. A torch was flashed in her face, and before she could cry out, a cloth was thrown over her head so that she could not make a sound.

“This is the one!” said a low voice. “The one with curly hair! And this is her dog, the poodle. Put him in that kennel, quick, before he barks the place down.”

Sally, too scared even to growl, was pushed into the kennel and the door shut on her. George, struggling and trying vainly to call out, was lifted off her feet and carried swiftly down to the front gate.

The garden door swung creaking to and fro in the night wind. Sally whimpered in her kennel. But no one heard either door or dog. Everyone in Kirrin Cottage was sound asleep!

Chapter Fourteen

Where is George?

Next morning, about half-past seven, Joan went downstairs as usual. Berta was awake and decided to fetch Sally from George’s bedroom. She put on her dressing-gown and padded downstairs with Timmy behind her, to George’s room on the floor below. The door was shut, and she knocked gently.

“Come in,” said Anne’s sleepy voice. “Oh, it’s you, Berta.”

“Yes. I’ve come for Sally,” said Berta. “Hallo — where’s George?”

Anne looked at the empty bed beside hers. “I don’t know. The last thing I heard of her was in the middle of the night when we got cross because Sally wouldn’t settle down, and George said she would take her down to the kennel.”

“Oh. Well, probably George has gone down to fetch her back,” said Berta. “I’ll go up and dress. It’s a heavenly morning again. Are you going to bathe before breakfast, because if so I’ll just put on my swim-suit.”

“Yes. I think we might today — we’re nice and early,” said Anne, scrambling out of bed. “Go and wake the boys. Timmy, go down and find George.”

Dick and Julian were awake, and quite ready for a before-breakfast bathe. Anne joined them as they went downstairs. Berta had already gone down and had discovered Sally in the kennel, most excited to see her. She pranced round barking happily.

Timmy came up to the children, looking puzzled. He had hunted everywhere for George and hadn’t found her. “Woof,” he said to Anne. “Woof, woof!” It was just as if he were saying, “Please, where is George?”

“Haven’t you found George yet?” said Anne in surprise. She called to Joan. “Joan, where’s George? Has she gone down to bathe already?”

“I haven’t seen her,” said Joan. “But I expect she has, because the garden-door was open when I came down, and I guessed one of you had gone for an early bathe.”

“Well, George must be down on the beach then,” said Anne, feeling rather puzzled. Why hadn’t George wakened her and told her to come too?