“Let’s come and have something to eat,” said Julian, loudly, to the others. “After all, we have as much right to be here as these people have. We don’t need to take any notice of them - and we shan’t be in their way!”

The four children marched forward. Timmy was still loose. He barked savagely once or twice as he came close to the unpleasant couple, and they shrank back at once. Timmy was such a big dog and he looked so very powerful! They eyed the children angrily as they went by, and watched them go into the ruined house.

“On guard, Timmy,” said George, as soon as they were in, pointing to the ruined doorway. Timmy understood at once, and stood in the doorway, a menacing figure with hackles up and snarling mouth. The children went down to the cellar room. They looked round to see if anyone had been there while they were away, but nothing seemed to have been moved.

“They probably haven’t even noticed the cellars,” said Julian. “I hope there’s plenty of bread left. I’m hungry. I wish to goodness we were going to have a dinner like the one we had yesterday! I say - what an unpleasant pair Maggie and Dick are!”

“Yes. Very,” said Dick. “I can’t bear Maggie. Horrid common voice and hard face. Ugh!”

“I think Dirty Dick is worse,” said Anne. “He looks like a gorilla or something with his broad hunched-up body. And WHY doesn’t he cut his hair?”

“Fancies himself like that, I expect,” said George, cutting a loaf of bread. “His surname ought to be Golliwog. Or Tarzan. I’m jolly glad we’ve got Timmy.”

“So am I,” said Anne, “Good old Timmy, He hated them, didn’t he? I bet they won’t come near the doorway with Timmy there!”

“I wonder where they are,” said Dick picking up a great hunk of bread and butter and potted meat. “I’m going to look.”

He came back in half a minute. “They’ve gone to the boat-house, I think,” he said. “I just caught a sight of one of them moving in that direction. Looking for Saucy Jane, I expect.”

“Let’s sit down and eat and talk over what we’ll do next,” said Julian. “And what we think they will do next! That’s quite important. They may be able to read the clues on that paper better than we can. If we watch what they do it may give us a guide as to what we must do.”

“That’s true,” said Dick. “I imagine that the plan Nailer sent must mean something to Dirty Dick and Maggie, just as the message did.” He chewed at his bread, thinking hard, trying once more to fathom the meaning of that mysterious piece of paper.

“I think on the whole we will follow out our original plan for this afternoon,” said Julian, after a little silence. “We’ll get out that raft and go on the lake with it. It’s a harmless looking thing to do. We can examine the banks as we go - and if Maggie and Dick are out in a boat too, we can keep an eye on them as well.”