“Very well,” said her mother, and tea began. What a tea! It looked as if it was a spread for a party of twenty. Good old Joanna! She must have baked all day. Well, there wouldn’t be much left when the Five had finished!

Chapter Three

Off to Kirrin Island

Next day was fine and warm. “We can go across to the island this morning,” said Aunt Fanny. “We’ll take our own food, because I’m sure Uncle Quentin will have forgotten we’re coming.”

“Has he a boat there?” asked George. “Mother — he hasn’t taken my boat, has he?”

“No, dear,” said her mother. “He’s got another boat. I was afraid he would never be able to get it in and out of all those dangerous rocks round the island, but he got one of the fishermen to take him, and had his own boat towed behind, with all its stuff in.”

“Who built the tower?” asked Julian.

“Oh, he made out the plans himself and some men were sent down from the Ministry of Research to put the tower up for him,” said Aunt Fanny. “It was all rather hush-hush really. The people here were most curious about it, but they don’t know any more than I do! No local man helped in the building, but one or two fishermen were hired to take the material to the island, and to land the men and so on.”

“It’s all very mysterious,” said Julian. “Uncle Quentin leads rather an exciting life, really, doesn’t he? I wouldn’t mind being a scientist myself. I want to be something really worthwhile when I grow up — I’m not just going into somebody’s office. I’m going to be on my own.”

“I think I shall be a doctor,” said Dick.

“I’m off to get my boat,” said George, rather bored with this talk. She knew what she was going to do when she was grown-up — live on Kirrin Island with Timmy!

Aunt Fanny had got ready plenty of food to take across to the island. She was quite looking forward to the trip. She had not seen her husband for some days, and was anxious to know that he was all right.

They all went down to the beach, Julian carrying the bag of food. George was already there with her boat. James, a fisher-boy friend of George’s, was there too, ready to push the boat out for them.

He grinned at the children. He knew them all well. In the old days he had looked after Timmy for George when her father had said the dog must be given away. George had never forgotten James’s kindness to Timmy, and always went to see him every holiday.

“Going off to the island?” said James. “That’s a queer thing in the middle of it, isn’t it? Kind of lighthouse, it looks. Take my hand, Miss, and let me help you in.”

Anne took his hand and jumped into the boat. George was already there with Timmy. Soon they were all in. Julian and George took the oars. James gave them a shove and off they went on the calm, clear water. Anne could see every stone on the bottom!