But don't disturb your father, George.
He's very busy."
The children went to wash.
"Idiot!" said Julian to Anne.
"Nearly gave us away twice!"
"I didn't mean what you thought I meant the first time!" began Anne indignantly.
George interrupted her.
"I'd rather you gave the secret of the wreck away than my secret about Tim," she said.
"I do think you've got a careless tongue."
"Yes, I have," said Anne, sorrowfully.
"I think I'd better not talk at meal-times any more.
I love Tim so much I just can't seem to help wanting to talk about him."
They all went to play in the other room.
Julian turned a table upside down with a crash.
"We'll play at wrecks," he said.
"This is the wreck.
Now we're going to explore it."
The door flew open and an angry, frowning face looked in. It was George's father!
"What was that noise?" he said.
"George! Did you overturn that table?"
"I did," said Julian.
"I'm sorry, sir. I quite forgot you were working."
"Any more noise like that and I shall keep you all in bed tomorrow!" said his Uncle Quentin.
"Georgina, keep your cousins quiet."
The door shut and Uncle Quentin went out.
The children looked at one another.
"Your father's awfully fierce, isn't he?" said Julian.
"I'm sorry I made that row.
I didn't think."
"We'd better do something really quiet," said George.
"Or he'll keep his word— and we'll find ourselves in bed tomorrow just when we want to explore the wreck."
This was a terrible thought.
Anne went to get one of her dolls to play with. She had managed to bring quite a number after all.
Julian fetched a book.
George took up a beautiful little boat she was carving out of a piece of wood.
Dick lay back on a chair and thought of the exciting wreck.
The rain poured down steadily, and everyone hoped it would have stopped by the morning.
"We'll have to be up most awfully early," said Dick, yawning.
"What about going to bed in good time tonight?
I'm tired with all that rowing."
In the ordinary way none of the children liked going to bed early— but with such an exciting thing to look forward to, early-bed seemed different that night.
"It will make the time go quickly," said Anne, putting down her doll.
"Shall we go now?"
"Whatever do you suppose Mother would say if we went just after tea?" said George.
"She'd think we were all ill.
No, let's go after supper.
We'll just say we're tired with rowing— which is perfectly true— and we'll get a good night's sleep, and be ready for our adventure tomorrow morning.
And it is an adventure, you know.
It isn't many people that have the chance of exploring an old, old wreck like that, which has always been at the bottom of the sea!"
So, by eight o'clock, all the children were in bed, rather to Aunt Fanny's surprise.