We haven't had any tea.
We've been working, and wandering about those dungeons for hours."
"Well, let's have a kind of tea-supper before we do anything else," said Dick.
I don't feel as if I've had anything to eat for about twelve months."
"Well, considering you ate about twice as much as anyone else at dinner-time," began Julian, indignantly.
Then he grinned.
"I feel the same as you," he said.
"Come on!—let's get a really good meal.
George, what about boiling a kettle and making some cocoa, or something?
I feel cold after all that time underground."
It was fun boiling the kettle on a fire of dry sticks.
It was lovely to lie about in the warmth of the evening sun and munch bread and cheese and enjoy cake and biscuits.
They all enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
Tim had a good meal too.
He hadn't very much liked being underground, and had followed the others very closely indeed, his tail well down.
He had been very frightened, too, of the curious echoes here and there.
Once he had barked, and it had seemed to Tim as if the whole of the dungeons were full of other dogs, all barking far more loudly than he could.
He hadn't even dared to whine after that!
But now he was happy again, eating the tit-bits that the children gave him, and licking George whenever he was near her.
It was past eight o'clock by the time that the children had finished their meal and tidied up.
Julian looked at the others.
The sun was sinking, and the day was no longer so warm.
"Well," he said,
"I don't know what you feel. But I don't somehow want to go down into those dungeons again today, not even for the sake of smashing in that door with the axe and opening it!
I'm tired, and I don't like the thought of losing my way in those dungeons at night."
The others heartily agreed with him, especially Anne, who had secretly been dreading going down again with the night coming on.
The little girl was almost asleep; she was so tired out with hard work and excitement.
"Come on, Anne!" said George, pulling her to her feet. "Bed for you.
We'll cuddle up together in the rugs on the floor of that little room— and in the morning when we wake we'll be simply thrilled to think of opening that big wooden door."
All four children, with Tim close behind, went off to the little stone room.
They curled up on their piles of rugs, and Tim crept in with George and Anne.
He lay down on them, and felt so heavy that Anne had to push him off her legs.
He sat himself down on her again, and she groaned, half-asleep.
Tim wagged his tail and thumped it hard against her ankles.
Then George pulled him on to her own legs and lay there, feeling him breathe.
She was very happy. She was spending the night on her island. They had almost found the ingots, she was sure.
She had Tim with her, actually sleeping on her rugs.
Perhaps everything would come right after all— somehow.
She fell asleep.
The children felt perfectly safe with Tim on guard.
They slept peacefully until the morning, when Tim saw a rabbit through the broken archway leading to the little room, and sped away to chase it.
He awoke George as he got up from the rugs, and she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Wake up!" she cried to the others.
"Wake up, all of you!
It's morning!
And we're on the island!"
They all awoke.
It was really thrilling to sit up and remember everything.
Julian thought of the big wooden door at once.
He would soon smash it in with his axe, he felt sure.