The man stood at the door, shouting angrily after Dick. But he didn’t chase him. He went back into the house and after a while came out again with a pail of steaming food. Dick guessed he was going to feed the chickens, wherever they were.

He had to take this chance of fetching Anne.

He waited till he heard the crash of the distant gate again and then he rushed to the house. Anne’s face was at the window, scared. She had heard all that the man had said to Dick, and then to his mother about allowing boys to come to the house.

“Anne! Come down at once. He’s gone,” shouted Dick. “Hurry!”

Anne’s face disappeared from the window, She ran to the door, tumbled quickly down the stairs, and ran through the kitchen. The old woman flapped a cloth at her, screaming at her.

Dick ran into the kitchen and put twenty pence on the table. Then he caught Anne’s arm and both children tore out of the house and down the path. They came to the hedge they had followed the night before.

Anne was quite scared. “That awful man!” she said. “Oh Dick - what a horrible place. Honestly I think Julian must be mad to choose a place like that to sleep in for the night - horrible little house! And it didn’t look a bit like a farm. There were no cows or pigs that I could see and not even a farm-dog!”

“You know, Anne, I don’t think it could possibly have been Blue Pond Farm-house,” said Dick, as they walked beside the hedge, looking for the gate that they had come through the night before. “We made a mistake. It was an ordinary cottage. If we hadn’t lost our way we’d have come to the proper Blue Pond Farm-house I’m sure.”

“Whatever will George and Julian be thinking?” said Anne. “They’ll be dreadfully worried, won’t they, wondering what has become of us. Do you suppose they’re at the real Blue Pond Farm-house?”

“We’ll have to find out,” said Dick “Do I look very messy and untidy, Anne? I feel awful.”

“Yes. Haven’t you a comb?” said Anne. “Your hair’s all up on end. And your face is very dirty. Look, there’s a little stream over there. Let’s get our flannels out and wash our hands and faces with them.”

They did a little washing in the cold water of the stream, and Dick combed back his hair.

“You look a lot better,” said Anne, “Oh dear - I wish we could have some breakfast. I’m really starving! I didn’t sleep awfully well, did you, Dick? My mattress was so hard, and I was rather scared, up in that funny little room all alone.”

Before Dick could answer, a boy came whistling through the gate. He looked astonished to see Dick and Anne.

“Hallo!” he said. “You hiking?”

“Yes,” said Dick. “Can you tell me if that place up there is Blue Pond Farm-house?”