George, suddenly spying a little collection of things on a rough shelf in another part of the trench. „Are these yours too?"
„Those? No," said the boy. „Nothing to do with me at all. Don"t touch them, please."
„Whose are they then?" asked George, curiously. The boy took no notice whatever of her question and went on talking to Julian. George took down a beautiful little round pot.
„Hey! I told you NOT to touch those!" yel ed the boy, so suddenly and angrily that George almost dropped the pot. „Put it back - and clear out if you can"t do what you"re told."
'Easy, old man, easy!" said Julian. „No need to yell at her like that. You scared that little dog of yours and made him jump almost out of his skin! We"d better go, I think."
„Well - I don"t like being disturbed too much," said the boy. „People always seem to be wandering around. I"ve turned off quite a lot."
„People?" said Julian, remembering Anne"s story of two or three figures standing outside the cottage the night before, and of someone looking in. „What kind of people?"
„Oh - nosey ones - wanting to get down and explore - disturbing me - it"s surprising how many idiots there are wandering about this lonely place," said the boy, picking up a tool again and setting to work. He grinned suddenly. „I don"t mean you. You real y know something about this kind of thing."
„Was anyone about last night?" asked Julian.
„Well - I rather think so," said the boy. „Because Jet here barked like mad. But it might have been the storm that frightened him - not that he"s usual y frightened of storms."
„What"s your name?" asked Dick.
„Guy Lawdler," said the boy, and Dick whistled.
„My word - is your father the famous explorer, Sir John Lawdler?" he asked. The boy nodded.
„Well, no wonder you"re so keen on archaeology!" said Dick. „Your father"s done pretty well in that line, hasn"t he?"
„Come on, Dick!" said George. „Let"s go now. We might have time for a swim in the pool.
We forgot to tell you about that."
„Right," said Dick. „Come on, Julian. Good-bye, Guy!"
They left the rather desolate old camp and went back to the cottage to get their swim-suits and change. It wasn"t long before they were running over the heather to the pool.
„Hal o - Guy"s having a swim!" said Dick, in surprise. Sure enough, a boy was there, his hair falling over his forehead as usual.
„Hey, Guy!" shouted George. „Have a swim with us!"
But the boy was already getting out of the water. Dick shouted. „Wait a minute - don"t go.
We"d like to have a swim with you, Guy!"
The boy turned defiantly. „Don"t be an ass!" he said. „My name"s not Guy!"
And, leaving four astonished people behind him, he ran lightly over the heather and disappeared.
„There you are - he"s mad after all!" said Anne. „Don"t bother about him. Come on in - the water"s lovely and warm."
They lazed about afterwards and began to feel hungry. „Though how any of us could feel hungry after eating about fifty sandwiches between us at dinner-time, I don"t know!" said Dick. „Race you back to the cottage, Ju!"
They changed back into ordinary clothes and then had tea - fruit cake, shortbread biscuits, and tinned pineapple on bread. They kept the juice and diluted it with cold spring water - it was simply delicious.
„Now let"s explore the cottage," said Dick.
„We already have, Anne and I," said George. „So I don"t expect you"l find anything much."
They went methodical y through the old house, and even up the old stone stairway to the two rooms upstairs - though they could hardly be cal ed rooms, for they had very little roof and not much wall!
„Nothing much here, that"s certain," said Dick clattering down the stone stairway. „Now let"s go to the out-buildings - not that there"s much left of them either!"
They examined everything, and came last of all to the old stables. It was dark inside, for the windows were very small, and it was some seconds before anyone
„Those? No," said the boy. „Nothing to do with me at all. Don"t touch them, please."
„Whose are they then?" asked George, curiously. The boy took no notice whatever of her question and went on talking to Julian. George took down a beautiful little round pot.
„Hey! I told you NOT to touch those!" yel ed the boy, so suddenly and angrily that George almost dropped the pot. „Put it back - and clear out if you can"t do what you"re told."
'Easy, old man, easy!" said Julian. „No need to yell at her like that. You scared that little dog of yours and made him jump almost out of his skin! We"d better go, I think."
„Well - I don"t like being disturbed too much," said the boy. „People always seem to be wandering around. I"ve turned off quite a lot."
„People?" said Julian, remembering Anne"s story of two or three figures standing outside the cottage the night before, and of someone looking in. „What kind of people?"
„Oh - nosey ones - wanting to get down and explore - disturbing me - it"s surprising how many idiots there are wandering about this lonely place," said the boy, picking up a tool again and setting to work. He grinned suddenly. „I don"t mean you. You real y know something about this kind of thing."
„Was anyone about last night?" asked Julian.
„Well - I rather think so," said the boy. „Because Jet here barked like mad. But it might have been the storm that frightened him - not that he"s usual y frightened of storms."
„What"s your name?" asked Dick.
„Guy Lawdler," said the boy, and Dick whistled.
„My word - is your father the famous explorer, Sir John Lawdler?" he asked. The boy nodded.
„Well, no wonder you"re so keen on archaeology!" said Dick. „Your father"s done pretty well in that line, hasn"t he?"
„Come on, Dick!" said George. „Let"s go now. We might have time for a swim in the pool.
We forgot to tell you about that."
„Right," said Dick. „Come on, Julian. Good-bye, Guy!"
They left the rather desolate old camp and went back to the cottage to get their swim-suits and change. It wasn"t long before they were running over the heather to the pool.
„Hal o - Guy"s having a swim!" said Dick, in surprise. Sure enough, a boy was there, his hair falling over his forehead as usual.
„Hey, Guy!" shouted George. „Have a swim with us!"
But the boy was already getting out of the water. Dick shouted. „Wait a minute - don"t go.
We"d like to have a swim with you, Guy!"
The boy turned defiantly. „Don"t be an ass!" he said. „My name"s not Guy!"
And, leaving four astonished people behind him, he ran lightly over the heather and disappeared.
„There you are - he"s mad after all!" said Anne. „Don"t bother about him. Come on in - the water"s lovely and warm."
They lazed about afterwards and began to feel hungry. „Though how any of us could feel hungry after eating about fifty sandwiches between us at dinner-time, I don"t know!" said Dick. „Race you back to the cottage, Ju!"
They changed back into ordinary clothes and then had tea - fruit cake, shortbread biscuits, and tinned pineapple on bread. They kept the juice and diluted it with cold spring water - it was simply delicious.
„Now let"s explore the cottage," said Dick.
„We already have, Anne and I," said George. „So I don"t expect you"l find anything much."
They went methodical y through the old house, and even up the old stone stairway to the two rooms upstairs - though they could hardly be cal ed rooms, for they had very little roof and not much wall!
„Nothing much here, that"s certain," said Dick clattering down the stone stairway. „Now let"s go to the out-buildings - not that there"s much left of them either!"
They examined everything, and came last of all to the old stables. It was dark inside, for the windows were very small, and it was some seconds before anyone
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