George was in a very bad temper, but she tried to respond to Dick’s friendliness. She gave him a small smile.

“All right. Thanks for the bones. Don’t talk to me tonight anybody. I feel mad, but I’ll get over it.”

They left her sitting on the floor. It was always best to leave George severely alone when she was in one of her tempers. As long as Timmy was with her, she was all right, and he certainly would not leave her while she was cross and unhappy.

George did not come down to supper. Dick explained. “We had a bit of a row, Aunt Fanny, but we’ve made it up. George still feels sore about it though. Shall I take her supper up?”

“No, I will,” said Anne, and she took up a tray of food.

“I’m not hungry,” said George, so Anne prepared to take it away again. “Well, you can leave it,” said George hurriedly. “I expect Timmy will like it.”

So Anne, with a secret smile to herself left the tray. All the dishes were empty by the time she climbed the stairs to fetch the tray again!

“Dear me — Timmy was hungry!” she said to George, and her cousin smiled sheepishly. “Aren’t you coming down now? We’re going to play monopoly.”

“No thanks. You leave me alone this evening, and I’ll be all right tomorrow,” said George. “Really I will.”

So Julian, Dick, Anne and Aunt Fanny played monopoly without George. They went up to bed at the usual time and found George in bed, fast asleep, with Timmy curled up on her toes.

“I’ll look out for Uncle Quentin’s signal,” said Julian, as he got into bed. “Gosh, it’s a dark night tonight.”

He lay in bed and looked out of the window towards Kirrin Island. Then, at exactly half past ten the six flashes came — flash, flash, flash, through the darkness. Julian buried his head in his pillow. Now for a good sleep!

He was awakened by a throbbing noise some time later. He sat up and looked out of the window, expecting to see the top of the tower ablaze with light, as it sometimes was when his uncle conducted a special experiment. But nothing happened. There was no flare of light. The throbbing died away and Julian lay down again.

“I saw Uncle’s signals all right last night, Aunt Fanny,” he said next morning. “Did you?”

“Yes,” said his aunt. “Julian, do you think you would watch for them this morning, dear? I have to go and see the vicar about something, and I don’t believe I should be able to see the tower from the vicarage.”

“Yes, of course I will, Aunt Fanny,” said Julian. “What’s the time now? Half past nine. Right. I’ll write some letters sitting by the window in my room — and at half past ten I’ll watch for the signals.”

He wrote his letters interrupted first by Dick, then by George, Anne and Timmy, who wanted him to go on the beach with them. George had quite recovered herself now, and was trying to be specially nice to make up for yesterday’s temper.