At breakfast the next morning the twins realized that their oath of silence about the Lone Pine Club was going to be very difficult to keep. Their mother was the sort of grown-up who had always proved remarkably intelligent and sympathetic about their adventures - not really like a grown-up at all - and now they had a lot to tell her. Twice the "solemn swear" had nearly been broken, and twice David had glared at them so fiercely and kicked them under the table that they were beginning to wonder if all this secrecy was worth while. "An adventure that you mustn't talk about isn't much of an adventure," Dickie thought.

The odd thing was that Mrs. Morton did not seem to be particularly curious. It was annoying in a way, but she was a well-trained mother! Mary would have given a lot to have told her how she had crawled so bravely through the gorse tunnel to find the camp, and was just wondering whether there was any way of doing so without getting a third kick from David, when she saw him look up towards the open window. As they listened, there came the sound of running footsteps and the peewit's whistle.

"Who's that, I wonder?" said Mrs, Morton.

"It's Tom," said David, "Excuse me, Mother, I'll go and see what he wants. He's in a hurry."

In a minute the two boys were back. Tom was out of breath and looking rather worried.

"I'm sorry to come so early, Mrs. Morton, but Uncle sent me. Auntie fell down in the dairy, and she's hurt her ankle so badly she can't walk. Uncle has gone down to Onnybrook for Doctor himself, and says could you possibly come down for a bit to be with Auntie till he comes back? He's given me some jobs to do on the farm, and wouldn't let me go for Doctor. We're very sorry to bother you, Uncle says, but he doesn't like to leave Auntie alone for too long, and sometimes Doctor is difficult to catch."

Mrs. Morton jumped up. "Of course I'll come, Tom. What bad luck for Mrs. Ingles! Why don't you come too, David, and then you can go on down to Onnybrook and see if your bicycles have come?... The twins are not to go too far... No, Dickie, it's no use looking like that. You must both have a quiet day and stay about here till I come back. You've got your jobs to do, and can go and get in some wood for Agnes."

David and Tom went outside to wait.

"Funny we should have to use the peewit's call so soon," Tom said. "It's decent of your mother to come so quickly."

The twins came to the gate to see them all off and didn't seem to mind being left behind, which made Mrs. Morton rather suspicious.