“You see?” said her mother. “He agrees with me. You’ve always said that Timmy was a good dog, and this proves it. He knows what his duty is. You ought to be proud of him.”

“I am,” said George, in a choky voice. She got up and walked off. “All right,” she said over her shoulder. “I’ll leave him on the island with Father. I’ll come back in a minute.”

Anne got up to go after poor George, but Julian pulled her down again. “Leave her alone! She’ll be all right. Good old Timmy — you know what’s right and what’s wrong, don’t you? Good dog, splendid dog!”

Timmy wagged his tail. He did not attempt to follow George. No — he meant to stay by her father now, even though he would much rather be with his mistress. He was sorry that George was unhappy — but sometimes it was better to do a hard thing and be unhappy about it, than try to be happy without doing it.

“Oh Quentin dear, I don’t like this business of you being here and somebody else spying on you,” said his wife, “I really don’t. How long will you be before you’ve finished your work?”

“A few days more,” said her husband. He looked at Timmy admiringly. “That dog might almost have known what you were saying, Fanny, just now. It was remarkable the way he walked straight over to me.”

“He’s a very clever dog,” said Anne warmly. “Aren’t you, Tim? You’ll be quite safe with him, Uncle Quentin. He’s terribly fierce when he wants to be!”

“Yes. I shouldn’t care to have him leaping at my throat,” said her uncle. “He’s so big and powerful. Are there any more pieces of cake?”

“Quentin, it’s really too bad of you to go without your meals,” said his wife. “It’s no good telling me you haven’t, because you wouldn’t be as ravenous as this if you had had your food regularly.”

Her husband took no notice of what she was saying. He was looking up at his tower. “Do you ever see those wires at the top blaze out?” he asked. “Wonderful sight, isn’t it?”

“Uncle, you’re not inventing a new atom bomb, or anything are you?” asked Anne.

Her uncle looked at her scornfully. “I wouldn’t waste my time inventing things that will be used to kill and maim people! No — I’m inventing something that will be of the greatest use to mankind. You wait and see!”

George came back. “Father,” she said, “I’m leaving Timmy behind for you — but please will you do something for me?”

“What?” asked her father. “No silly conditions now! I shall feed Timmy regularly, and look after him, if that’s what you want to ask me. I may forget my own meals, but you ought to know me well enough to know I shouldn’t neglect any animal dependent on me.”

“Yes — I know, Father,” said George, looking a bit doubtful all the same. “What I wanted to ask you was this — when you go up in the tower to signal each morning, will you please take Timmy with you? I shall be up at the coastguard’s cottage, looking through his telescope at the glass room in the tower — and I shall be able to see Timmy then. If I catch just a glimpse of him each day and know he’s all right, I shan’t worry so much.”