water on, or heating up anything," whispered George. "It's in the boat. That's what I bought the methylated spirit for, of course.
You didn't guess, did you? And the matches for lighting it. I say—what about candles?
We can't use our torches all the time, the batteries would soon run out."
They found a pound of candles in the kitchen cupboard, a kettle, a saucepan, some old knives and forks and spoons, and a good many other things they thought they might possibly want. They also came across some small bottles of ginger-beer, evidently stored for their own use by the Sticks.
"All bought out of my mother's money!" said George. "Well, we'll take the ginger-beer too. It will be nice to drink it on a hot day."
"Where are we going to sleep at night?" said Julian. "In that ruined part of the old castle, where there is just one room with a roof left, and walls?"
"That's where I planned to sleep," said George. "I was going to make my bed of some of the heather that grows on the island, covered by a rug or two, which I've got down in the boat."
"We'll take all the rugs we can find," said Julian. "And some cushions for pillows. I say, isn't this simply thrilling? I don't know when I've felt so excited. I feel like a prisoner .escaping to freedom! Won't the Sticks be amazed when they find us gone!"
"Yes — we'll have to decide what to say to them," said George, rather soberly. "We don't .want them sending
people after us to the island, making us come back. I don't think they should know we've gone there."
"We'll discuss that later," said Dick. "The thing is to get everything to the boat while it's dark. It will soon be dawn."
"How are we going to get all this down to George's boat?" said Anne, looking at the enormous pile of goods by the light of her torch. "We'll never be able to carry them all!"
Certainly it looked a great pile. Julian had an idea, as usual. "Are there any barrows in the shed?" he asked George. "If we could pile the things into a couple of barrows, we could easily take everything in one journey. We could wheel the barrows along on the sandy side of the road so that we don't make any noise."
"Oh, good idea!" said George, delighted. "I wish I'd thought of that before. I had to make about five journeys to and from the boat when I took my own things. There are two barrows in the shed. We'll get them. One has a squeaky wheel, but we'll hope no one hears it."
Stinker heard the squeak, as he lay in a corner of Mrs. Stick's room. He pricked up his ears and growled softly. He did not dare to bark, for he was afraid of bringing Timothy up. Mrs. Stick did not hear the growl. She slept soundly, not even stirring.
She had no idea what was going on downstairs.
The things were all stowed into the boat. The children didn't like leaving them there unguarded. In the end they decided to leave Dick there, sleeping on the rugs. They stood thinking for a moment before they went back without Dick.
"I do hope we've remembered all we shall want," said George, wrinkling up her forehead. "Golly—I know! We haven't remembered a tin-opener—nor a thing to take off the tops of the ginger-beer bottles. They've got those little tin lids that have to be forced off by an opener."
"We'll put those in our pockets when we get back to the house and find them," said Julian. "I remember seeing some in the sideboard drawer. Good-bye, Dick. We'll be down very early to row off. We must get some bread at the baker's as soon as he opens, because we've got hardly any, and we'll see if we can pick up a very large bone at the butcher's for Timmy. George has got a bag of biscuits in the boat for him too."
The three of them set off back to the house with Timmy, leaving Dick curled up comfortably on the rugs. He soon fell asleep again, his face upturned to the stars that would soon fade from the sky.
The others talked about what to tell the Sticks. "I think we won't tell them anything," said Julian, at last. "I don't particularly want to tell
You didn't guess, did you? And the matches for lighting it. I say—what about candles?
We can't use our torches all the time, the batteries would soon run out."
They found a pound of candles in the kitchen cupboard, a kettle, a saucepan, some old knives and forks and spoons, and a good many other things they thought they might possibly want. They also came across some small bottles of ginger-beer, evidently stored for their own use by the Sticks.
"All bought out of my mother's money!" said George. "Well, we'll take the ginger-beer too. It will be nice to drink it on a hot day."
"Where are we going to sleep at night?" said Julian. "In that ruined part of the old castle, where there is just one room with a roof left, and walls?"
"That's where I planned to sleep," said George. "I was going to make my bed of some of the heather that grows on the island, covered by a rug or two, which I've got down in the boat."
"We'll take all the rugs we can find," said Julian. "And some cushions for pillows. I say, isn't this simply thrilling? I don't know when I've felt so excited. I feel like a prisoner .escaping to freedom! Won't the Sticks be amazed when they find us gone!"
"Yes — we'll have to decide what to say to them," said George, rather soberly. "We don't .want them sending
people after us to the island, making us come back. I don't think they should know we've gone there."
"We'll discuss that later," said Dick. "The thing is to get everything to the boat while it's dark. It will soon be dawn."
"How are we going to get all this down to George's boat?" said Anne, looking at the enormous pile of goods by the light of her torch. "We'll never be able to carry them all!"
Certainly it looked a great pile. Julian had an idea, as usual. "Are there any barrows in the shed?" he asked George. "If we could pile the things into a couple of barrows, we could easily take everything in one journey. We could wheel the barrows along on the sandy side of the road so that we don't make any noise."
"Oh, good idea!" said George, delighted. "I wish I'd thought of that before. I had to make about five journeys to and from the boat when I took my own things. There are two barrows in the shed. We'll get them. One has a squeaky wheel, but we'll hope no one hears it."
Stinker heard the squeak, as he lay in a corner of Mrs. Stick's room. He pricked up his ears and growled softly. He did not dare to bark, for he was afraid of bringing Timothy up. Mrs. Stick did not hear the growl. She slept soundly, not even stirring.
She had no idea what was going on downstairs.
The things were all stowed into the boat. The children didn't like leaving them there unguarded. In the end they decided to leave Dick there, sleeping on the rugs. They stood thinking for a moment before they went back without Dick.
"I do hope we've remembered all we shall want," said George, wrinkling up her forehead. "Golly—I know! We haven't remembered a tin-opener—nor a thing to take off the tops of the ginger-beer bottles. They've got those little tin lids that have to be forced off by an opener."
"We'll put those in our pockets when we get back to the house and find them," said Julian. "I remember seeing some in the sideboard drawer. Good-bye, Dick. We'll be down very early to row off. We must get some bread at the baker's as soon as he opens, because we've got hardly any, and we'll see if we can pick up a very large bone at the butcher's for Timmy. George has got a bag of biscuits in the boat for him too."
The three of them set off back to the house with Timmy, leaving Dick curled up comfortably on the rugs. He soon fell asleep again, his face upturned to the stars that would soon fade from the sky.
The others talked about what to tell the Sticks. "I think we won't tell them anything," said Julian, at last. "I don't particularly want to tell
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