“You’re just silly,” said Dick, in disgust. “As if freckles are boyish! Girls have them just as much as boys. I don’t believe that boy thought you were a boy at all. He was just sucking up to you. He must have heard how much you like playing at being what you aren’t.”

George walked up to Dick with such a furious look on her face that Julian hastily put himself in between them. “Now, no brawls,” he said. “You’re both too old to begin slapping each other like kids in the nursery. Let me tell you, you’re both behaving like babies, not like boys or girls!”

Anne was looking on with scared eyes. George didn’t go off the deep end like this usually. And it was funny of Dick to have spoken so rudely to the boy on the cliff. Timmy gave a sudden little whine. His tail was down, and he looked very miserable.

“Oh George — Timmy can’t bear you to quarrel with Dick!” said Anne. “Look at him! He’s just miserable!”

“He didn’t like that boy a bit,” said Dick. “That was another thing I thought was funny. If Timmy doesn’t like a person, I don’t like him either.”

“Timmy doesn’t always rush round new people,” said George. “He didn’t growl or snarl, anyway. All right, all right, Julian; I’m not going to start brawling. But I do think Dick is being silly. Making a mountain out of a molehill — just because someone was interested in Kirrin Island and Father’s work, and just because Timmy didn’t caper all round him. He was such a solemn sort of boy that I’m not surprised Timmy wasn’t all over him. He probably knew the boy wouldn’t like it. Timmy’s clever like that.”

“Oh, do stop,” said Dick. “I give in — gracefully! I may be making a fuss. Probably am. I couldn’t help my feelings, though.”

Anne gave a sigh of relief. The squabble was over. She hoped it wouldn’t crop up again. George had been very touchy since she had been home. If only Uncle Quentin would hurry up and finish his work, and they could all go to the island as much as they liked, things would be all right.

“I’d rather like to see that television set,” said George. “We might go up some afternoon.”

“Right,” said Julian. “But on the whole, I think it would be best if we steered clear of any talk about your father’s work. Not that we know much. Still, we do know that once before there were people after one of his theories. The secrets of the scientists are very, very important these days, you know, George. Scientists are VIP!”

“What’s VIP?” asked Anne.

“Very Important People, baby!” said Julian, with a laugh. “What did you think it meant? Violet, Indigo, Purple? I guess those are the colours Uncle Quentin would go if he knew anyone was trying to snoop into his secrets!”

Everyone laughed, even George. She looked affectionately at Julian. He was always so sensible and good-tempered. She really would go by what he said.