THE three men stood at the edge of the sea, watching Stephen pull away strongly from the shore. They could do nothing. Their boat was quite useless.
"The fishing-smack they've got waiting out there is too big to use that little inlet," said Stephen, as she pulled hard at her oars. "They'll have to stay there till someone goes in with a boat. I guess they're as wild as can be!"
Their boat had to pass fairly near to the big fishing-boat. A man hailed them as they came by.
"Ahoy there! Have you come from Aucrea Island?"
"Don't answer," said Stephen. "Don't say a word." So no one said anything at all, but looked the other way as if they hadn't heard.
"AHOY THERE!" yelled the man, angrily. "Are you deaf? Have you come from the island?"
Still the children said nothing at all, but looked away while Stephen rowed steadily.
The man on the ship gave it up, and looked in a worried manner towards the island. He felt sure the children had come from there—and he knew enough of his comrades' adventures to wonder if everything was right on the island.
"He may put out a boat from the smack and go and see what's happening," said Stephen. "Well, he can't do much except take the men off— with a few ingots! I hardly think they'll dare to take any of the gold though, now that we've escaped to tell our tale!"
Justin looked behind at the ship. He saw after a time that the little boat it carried was being lowered into the sea. "You're right," he said to Stephen. "They're afraid something is up. They're going to rescue those three men. What a pity!"
Their little boat reached land. The children leapt out into the shallow water and dragged it up to the beach. Tim pulled at the rope too, wagging his tail. He loved to join in anything that the children were doing.
"Shall you take Tim to Alf?" asked Theo.
Stephen shook her head. "No," she said, "we haven't any time to waste. We must go and tell everything that has happened. I'll tie Tim up to the fence in the front garden."
They made their way to Aucrea Cottage at top speed. Aunt Fallonia was gardening there. She stared in surprise to see the hurrying children.
"Why," she said, "I thought you were not coming back till tomorrow or the next day! Has anything happened? What's the matter with Theo's cheek?"
"Nothing much," said Theo. The others chimed in.
"Aunt Fallonia, where's Uncle James? We have something important to tell him!"
"Mother, we've had such an adventure!"
"Aunt Fallonia, we've an awful lot to tell you! We really have!"
Aunt Fallonia looked at the untidy children in amazement. "Whatever has happened?" she said. Then she turned towards the cottage and called, "James! James! The children have something to tell us!"
Uncle James came out, looking rather cross, for he was in the middle of his work. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"Uncle, it's about Aucrea Island," said Justin, eagerly. "Those men haven't bought it yet, have they?"
"Well, it's practically sold," said his uncle. "I've signed my part, and they are to sign their part tomorrow. Why? What's that to do with you?"
"Uncle, those men won't sign tomorrow," said Justin. "Do you know why they wanted to buy the island and the castle? Not because they really wanted to build an hotel or anything like that—but because they knew the lost gold was hidden there!"
"What nonsense are you talking?" said his uncle.
"It isn't nonsense, Father!" cried Stephen indignantly. "It's all true. The map of the old castle was in that box you sold— and in the map was shown where the ingots were hidden by my great-great-great-grandfather!"
Stephen's father looked amazed and annoyed. He simply didn't believe a word! But his wife saw by the solemn and serious faces of the four children that something important really had happened. And then Mary suddenly burst into loud sobs! The excitement had been too much for her and she couldn't bear to think that her uncle wouldn't believe that everything was true.
"Aunt Fallonia, Aunt Fallonia, it's all true!" she sobbed. "Uncle James is horrid not to believe us. Oh, Aunt Fallonia, the man had a revolver— and oh, he made Justin and Stephen prisoners in the dungeons— and Theo had to climb down the well to rescue them. And Stephen has smashed up their motor-boat to stop them escaping!"
Her aunt and uncle couldn't make head or tail of this, but Uncle James suddenly seemed to think that the matter was serious and worth looking into. "Smashed up a motor-boat!" he said. "Whatever for? Come indoors. I shall have to hear the story from beginning to end. It seems quite unbelievable to me."
They all trooped indoors. Mary sat on her aunt's knee and listened to Stephen and Justin telling the whole story. They told it well and left nothing out. Aunt Fallonia grew quite pale as she listened, especially when she heard about Theo climbing down the well.
"You might have been killed," she said. "Oh, Theo! What a brave thing to do!"
Uncle James listened in the utmost amazement. He had never had much liking or admiration for any children— he always thought they were noisy, tiresome, and silly. But now, as he listened to Justin's tale, he changed his mind about these four children at once!
"You've been very clever," he said. "And very brave too. I'm proud of you. Yes, I'm very proud of you all. No wonder you didn't want me to sell the island, Stephen, when you knew about the ingots! But why didn't you tell me?"
The four children stared at him and didn't answer. They couldn't very well say, "Well, firstly, you wouldn't have believed us. Secondly, you are bad-tempered and unjust and we are frightened of you. Thirdly, we didn't trust you enough to do the right thing."
"Why don't you answer?" said their uncle. His wife answered for them, in a gentle voice.
"James, you scare the children, you know, and I don't expect they liked to go to you. But now that they have, you will be able to take matters into your own hands. The children cannot do any more. You must ring up the police and see what they have to say about all this."
"Right," said Uncle James, and he got up at once. He patted Justin on the back. "You have all done well," he said. Then he ruffled Stephen's short curly hair. "And I'm proud of you, too, Stephen," he said. "You're as good as a boy any day!"
"Oh Father!" said Stephen, going red with surprise and pleasure. She smiled at him and he smiled back. The children noticed that he had a very nice face when he smiled. He and Stephen were really very alike to look at. Both looked ugly when they sulked and frowned— and both were good to look at when they laughed or smiled!
Stephen's father went off to telephone the police and his lawyer too. The children sat and ate biscuits and plums, telling their aunt a great many little details they had forgotten when telling the story before.
As they sat there, there came a loud and angry bark from the front garden. Stephen looked up. "That's Tim," she said, with an anxious look at her mother. "I hadn't time to take him to Alf, who keeps him for me. Mother, Tim was such a comfort to us on the island, you know. I'm sorry he's barking now— but I expect he's hungry."
"Well, fetch him in," said her mother, unexpectedly. "He's quite a hero, too— we must give him a good dinner."
Stephen smiled in delight. She sped out of the door and went to Tim. She set him free and he came bounding indoors, wagging his long tail. He licked Stephen's mother and cocked his ears at her.
"Good dog," she said, and actually patted him. "I'll get you some dinner!"
Tim trotted out to the kitchen with her. Justin grinned at Stephen. "Well, look at that," he said. "Your mother's a brick, isn't she?"
"Yes— but I don't know what Father will say when he sees Tim in the cottage again," said Stephen, doubtfully.
Her father came back at that minute, his face grave. "The police take a serious view of all this," he said, "and so does my lawyer. They all agree in thinking that you children have been remarkably clever and brave. And Stephen— my lawyer says that the ingots definitely belong to us. Are there really a lot?"
"Father! There are hundreds!" cried Stephen. "Simply hundreds— all in a big pile in the dungeon. Oh, Father—shall we be rich now?"
"Yes", said her father. "We shall. Rich enough to give you and your mother all the things I've longed to give you for so many years and couldn't. I've worked hard enough for you— but it's not the kind of work that brings in a lot of money, and so I've become irritable and bad-tempered. But now you shall have everything you want!"
"I don't really want anything I haven't already got," said Stephen. "But Father, there is one thing I'd like more than anything else in the world— and it won't cost you a penny!"
"You shall have it, my dear!" said her father, slipping his arm round Stephen, much to her surprise. "Just say what it is— and even if it costs a hundred pounds you shall have it!"
Just then there came the pattering of big feet down the passage to the room they were in. A big hairy head pushed itself through the door and looked inquiringly at everyone there. It was Tim, of course!
Uncle James stared at him in surprise. "Why, isn't that Tim?" he asked.
"Hallo, Tim!"
"Father! Tim is the thing I want most in all the world," said Stephen, squeezing her father's arm. "You can't think what a friend he was to us on the island— and he wanted to fly at those men and fight them. Oh, Father, I don't want any other present— I only want to keep Tim and have him here for my very own. We could afford to give him a proper kennel to sleep in now, and I'd see that he didn't disturb you, I really would."
"Well, of course you can have him!" said her father—and Tim came right into the room at once, wagging his tail, looking for all the world as if he had understood every word that had been said. He actually licked Uncle James's hand! Mary thought that was very brave of him.
But Uncle James was quite different now. It seemed as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. They were rich now— Stephen could go to a good school— and his wife could have the things he had so much wanted her to have— and he would be able to go on with the work he loved without feeling that he was not earning enough to keep his family in comfort. He beamed round at everyone, looking as jolly a person as anyone could wish!
Stephen was overjoyed about Tim. She flung her arms round her father's neck and hugged him, a thing she had not done for a long time. He looked astonished but very pleased. "Well, well," he said,"this is all very pleasant. Hallo— is this the police already?"
It was. They came up to the door and had a few words with Uncle James. Then one stayed behind to take down the children's story in his note-book and the others went off to get a boat to the island.
The men had gone from there! The boat from the fishing-smack had fetched them away!— and now both ship and boat had disappeared! The motor-boat was still there, quite unusable. The inspector looked at it with a grin.
"Fierce young lady, isn't she, that Miss Stephina?" he said. "Done this job pretty well— no one could get away in this boat. We'll have to get it towed into harbour."
The police brought back with them some of the ingots of gold to show Uncle James. They had sealed up the door of the dungeon so that no one else could get in until the children's uncle was ready to go and fetch the gold. Everything was being done thoroughly and properly— though far too slowly for the children! They had
hoped that the men would have been caught and taken to prison— and that the police would bring back the whole of the gold at once!
They were all very tired that night and didn't make any fuss at all when their aunt said that they must go to bed early. They undressed and then the boys went to eat their supper in the girls' bedroom. Tim was there, ready to lick up any fallen crumbs.
"Well, I must say we've had a wonderful adventure," said Justin, sleepily. "In a way I'm sorry it's ended -though at times I didn't enjoy it very much— especially when you and I, Stephen, were prisoners in that dungeon. That was awful."
Stephen was looking very happy as she nibbled her gingerbread biscuits. She grinned at Justin.
"And to think I hated the idea of you all coming here to stay!" she said. "I was going to be such a beast to you! I was going to make you wish you were all home again! And now the only thing that makes me sad is the idea of you going away— which you will do, of course, when the holidays end. And then, after having three friends with me, enjoying adventures like this, I'll be all on my own again. I've never been lonely before— but I know I shall be now."
"No, you won't," said Mary, suddenly. "You can do something that will stop you being lonely ever again."
"What?" said Stephen in surprise.
"You can ask to go to the same boarding-school as I go to," said Mary. "It's such a lovely one— and we are allowed to keep our pets, so Tim could come too!"
"Gracious! Could he really?" said Stephen, her eyes shining. "Well, I'll go then. I always said I wouldn't—but I will because I see now how much better and happier it is to be with others than all by myself. And if I can have Tim, well that's simply wonderful!"
"You'd better go back to your own bedroom now, boys," said Aunt Fallonia, appearing at the doorway. "Look at Theo, almost dropping with sleep! Well, you should all have pleasant dreams tonight, for you've had an adventure to be proud of. Stephen— is that Tim under your bed?"
"Well, yes it is, Mother," said Stephen, pretending to be surprised. "Dear me! Tim, what are you doing here?"
Tim crawled out and went over to Stephen's mother. He lay flat on his tummy and looked up at her most appealingly out of his soft brown eyes.
"Do you want to sleep in the girls' room tonight?" said Stephen's mother, with a laugh. "All right—just for once!"
"Mother!" yelled Stephen, overjoyed. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! How did you guess that I just didn't want to be parted from Tim tonight? Oh, Mother! Tim, you can sleep on the rug over there."
Four happy children snuggled down into their beds. Their wonderful adventure had come to a happy end. They had plenty of holidays still in front of them— and now that Uncle James was no longer poor, he would give them the little presents he wanted to. Stephen was going to school with Mary— and she had Tim for her own again! The island and castle still belonged to Stephen— everything was marvellous!
"I'm so glad Aucrea Island wasn't sold, Stephen," said Mary, sleepily. "I'm so glad it still belongs to you."
"It belongs to three other people too," said Stephen. "It belongs to me— and to you and Justin and Theo. I've discovered that it's fun to share things. So tomorrow I am going to draw up a deed, or whatever it's called, and put in it that I give you and the others a quarter-share each. Aucrea Island and Castle shall belong to us all!"
"Oh, Stephen— how lovely!" said Mary, delighted. "Won't the boys be pleased? I do feel so hap ..."
But before she could finish, the little girl was asleep. So was Stephen. In the other room the two boys slept, too, dreaming of ingots and dungeons and all kinds of exciting things.
Only one person was awake— and that was Tim. He had one ear up and was listening to the children's breathing. As soon as he knew they were asleep he got up quietly from his rug. He crept softly over to Stephen's bed. He put his front paws up and sniffed at the sleeping girl.
Then, with a bound he was on the bed, and snuggled himself down into the crook of her legs. He gave a sigh, and shut his eyes. The four children might be happy— but Tim was happiest of all.
"Oh, Tim," murmured Stephen, half waking up as she felt him against her. "Oh, Tim, you mustn't— but you do feel so nice. Tim— we'll have other adventures together, the five of us— won't we?"
They will— but that's another story!
