Новые приключения Великолепной Пятерки

[548] 'Well, Tim must go outside and live in the kennel,' said George's father. 'I won't have him in the house. It will be a punishment for him, and a punishment for you too, George. I will not have this kind of behaviour. Mr. Roland has been extremely kind to you all.'

[549] 'I won't let Tim live outside,' said George furiously. 'It's such cold weather, and it would simply break his heart.'

[550] 'Well, his heart must be broken then,' said her father. 'It will depend entirely on your behaviour from now on whether Tim is allowed in the house at all these holidays. I shall ask Mr. Roland each day how you have behaved. If you have a bad report, then Tim stays outside. Now you know! Go back to bed but first apologize to Mr. Roland!'

[551] 'I won't!' said George, and choked by feelings of anger and dismay, she tore out of the room and up the stairs. The two men stared after her.

[552] 'Let her be,' said Mr. Roland. 'She's a very difficult child - and has made up her mind not to like me, that's quite plain. But I shall be very glad, sir, to know that that dog isn't in the house. I'm not at all certain that Georgina wouldn't set him on me, if she could!'

[553] 'I'm sorry about all this,' said George's father. 'I wonder what the noise was that you heard - a log falling in the grate I expect. Now - what am I to do about that tiresome dog tonight? Go and take him outside, I suppose!'

[554] 'Leave him tonight,' said Mr. Roland. 'I can hear noises upstairs - the others are awake by now! Don't let's make any more disturbance tonight.'

[555] 'Perhaps you are right,' said George's father, thankfully. He didn't at all want to tackle a defiant little girl and an angry big dog in the middle of a cold night!

[556] The two men went to bed and slept. George did not sleep. The others had been awake when she got upstairs, and she had told them what had happened.

[557] 'George! You really are an idiot!' said Dick. 'After all, why shouldn't Mr. Roland go down if he heard a noise! You went down! Now we shan't have darling old Tim in the house this cold weather!'

[558

] Anne began to cry. She didn't like hearing that the tutor she liked so much had been knocked down by Tim, and she hated hearing that Tim was to be punished.

[559] 'Don't be a baby,' said George. 'I'm not crying, and it's my dog!'

[560] But, when everyone had settled down again in bed, and slept peacefully, George's pillow was very wet indeed. Tim crept up beside her and licked the salt tears off her cheek. He whined softly. Tim was always unhappy when his little mistress was sad.

[561] Chapter Nine

A HUNT FOR THE SECRET WAY

[562] THERE were no lessons the next day. George looked rather pale, and was very quiet. Tim was already out in the yard-kennel, and the children could hear him whining unhappily. They were all upset to hear him.

[563] 'Oh, George, I'm awfully sorry about it all,' said Dick. 'I wish you wouldn't get so fierce about things. You only get yourself into trouble - and poor old Tim.'

[564] George was full of mixed feelings. She disliked Mr. Roland so much now that she could hardly bear to look at him - and yet she did not dare to be openly rude and rebellious because she was afraid that if she was, the tutor would give her a bad report, and perhaps she would not be allowed even to see Timothy. It was very hard for a defiant nature like hers to force herself to behave properly.

[565] Mr. Roland took no notice of her at all. The other children tried to bring George into their talks and plans, but she remained quiet and uninterested.

[566] 'George! We're going over to Kirrin Farm-house today,' said Dick. 'Coming? We're going to try and find the entrance to the Secret Way. It must start somewhere there.'

[567] The children had told George what Mr. Roland had said about the piece of marked linen. They had all been thrilled about this, though the excitements of Christmas Day had made them forget about it for a while.

[568

] 'Yes - of course I'll come,' said George, looking more cheerful. 'Timothy can come too. He wants a walk.'

[569] But when the little girl found that Mr. Roland was also going, she changed her mind at once. Not for anything would she go with the tutor! No - she would go for a walk alone with Timothy.

[570] 'But, George - think of the excitement we'll have trying to find the Secret Way,' said Julian, taking hold of her arm. George wrenched it away.

[571] ‘I’m not going if Mr. Roland is,' she said, obstinately, and the others knew that it was no good trying to coax her.

[572] 'I shall go alone with Tim,' said George. 'You go off together with your dear Mr. Roland!'

[573] She set out with Timothy, a lonely little figure going down the garden path. The others stared after her. This was horrid. George was being more and more left out, but what could they do about it?