Chapter Ten. AN ASTONISHING OFFER

 

THE next morning the papers were full of the extraordinary way in which the old wreck had been thrown up out of the sea. The newspaper men had got out of the children's uncle the tale of the wreck and the lost gold, and some of them even managed to land on Kirrin Island and take pictures of the old ruined castle.

George was furious. " It's my castle! " she stormed to her mother. " It's my island. You said it could be mine. You did, you did! "

" I know, George dear, " said her mother. " But you really must be sensible. It can't hurt the island to be landed on, and it can't hurt the castle to be photographed."

" But I don't want it to be, " said George, her face dark and sulky. " It's mine. And the wreck is mine. You said so."

" Well, I didn't know it was going to be thrown up like that, " said her mother. " Do be sensible, George. What can it possibly matter if people go to look at the wreck? You can't stop them."

George couldn't stop them, but that didn't make her any the less angry about it. The children were astonished at the interest that the cast-up wreck caused, and because of that, Kirrin Island became an object of great interest too. Sightseers from the places all around came to see it, and the fishermen managed to find the little inlet and land the people there. George sobbed with rage, and Julian tried to comfort her.

" Listen, George! No one knows our secret yet. We'll wait till this excitement has died down, and then we'll go to Kirrin Castle and find the ingots."

" If someone doesn't find them first, " said George, drying her eyes. She was furious with herself for crying, but she really couldn't help it.

" How could they? " said Julian. " No one has seen inside the box yet! I'm going to wait my chance and get that map out before anyone sees it! "

But he didn't have a chance, because something dreadful happened. Uncle Quentin sold the old box to a man who bought antique things! He came out from his study, beaming, a day or two after the excitement began, and told Aunt Fanny and the children.

" I've struck a very good bargain with that man, " he said to his wife. " You know that old tin-lined box from the wreck? Well, this fellow collects curious things like that, and he gave me a very good price for it. Very good indeed. More even than I could expect for the writing of my book! As soon as he saw the old map there and the old diary he said at once that he would buy the whole collection."

The children stared at him in horror. The box was sold! Now someone would study that map and perhaps jump to what 'ingots' meant. The story of the lost gold had been put into all the newspapers now. Nobody could fail to know what the map showed if they studied it carefully.

The children did not dare to tell Uncle Quentin what they knew. It was true he was all smiles now, and was promising to buy them new shrimping-nets, and a raft for themselves- but he was such a changeable person. He might fly into a furious temper if he heard that Julian had taken the box and opened it himself, while his uncle was sleeping.

When they were alone the children discussed the whole matter. It seemed very serious indeed to them. They half-wondered if they should let Aunt Fanny into the secret-but it was such a precious secret, and so marvellous, that they felt they didn't want to give it away to anyone at all.

" Now listen! " said Julian, at last. " We'll ask Aunt Fanny if we can go to Kirrin Island and spend a day or two there- sleep there at night too, I mean. That will give us a little time to poke round and see what we can find. The sightseers won't come after a day or two, I'm sure. Maybe we'll get in before anyone tumbles to our secret. After all, the man who brought the box may not even guess that the map shows Kirrin Castle."

They felt more cheerful. It was so awful to do nothing. As soon as they had planned to act, they felt better. They decided to ask their aunt the next day if they might go and spend the week-end at the castle. The weather was gloriously fine, and it would be great fun. They could take plenty of food with them.

When they went to ask Aunt Fanny, Uncle Quentin was with her. He was all smiles again, and even clapped Julian on the back. " Well! " he said. " What's this deputation for? "

" We just wanted to ask Aunt Fanny something, " said Julian, politely. " Aunt Fanny, as the weather is so fine, do you think you would let us go for the week-end to Kirrin Castle, please, and spend a day or two there on the island? You can't think how we would love to! "

" Well- what do you think, Quentin? " asked their aunt, turning to her husband.

" If they want to, they can, " said Uncle Quentin. " They won't have a chance to, soon. My dears, we have had a marvellous offer for Kirrin Island! A man wants to buy it, rebuild the castle as a hotel, and make it into a proper holiday place! What do you think of that? "

All four children stared at the smiling man, shocked and horrified. Somebody was going to buy the island! Had their secret been discovered? Did the man want to buy the castle because he had read the map, and knew there was plenty of gold hidden there?

George gave a curious choke. Her eyes burned as if they were on fire. " Mother! You can't sell my island! You can't sell my castle! I won't let them be sold."

Her father frowned. " Don't be silly, Georgina, " he said. " It isn't really yours. You know that. It belongs to your mother, and naturally she would like to sell it if she could. We need the money very badly. You will be able to have a great many nice things once we sell the island."

" I don't want nice things! " cried poor George. " My castle and my island are the nicest things I could ever have. Mother! Mother! You know you said I could have them. You know you did! I believed you."

" George dear, I did mean you to have them to play on, when I thought they couldn't possibly be worth anything, " said her mother, looking distressed. " But now things are different. Your father has been offered quite a good sum, far more than we ever thought of getting- and we really can't afford to turn it down."

" So you only gave me the island when you thought it wasn't worth anything, " said George, her face white and angry. " As soon as it is worth money you take it away again. I think that's horrid. It- it isn't honourable."

" That's enough, Georgina, " said her father, angrily. " Your mother is guided by me. You're only a child. Your mother didn't really mean what she said- it was only to please you. But you know well enough you will share in the money we get and have anything you want."

" I won't touch a penny! " said George, in a low, choking voice. " You'll be sorry you sold it."

The girl turned and stumbled out of the room. The others felt very sorry for her. They knew what she was feeling. She took things so very seriously. Julian thought she didn't understand grown-ups very well. It wasn't a bit of good fighting grown-ups. They could do exactly as they liked. If they wanted to take away George's island and castle, they could. If they wanted to sell it, they could! But what Uncle Quentin didn't know was the fact that there might be a store of gold-ingots there! Julian stared at his uncle and wondered whether to warn him. Then he decided not to. There was just a chance that the four children could find the gold first!

" When are you selling the island, Uncle? " he asked quietly.

" The deeds will be signed in about a week's time, " was the answer. " So if you really want to spend a day or two there, you'd better do so quickly, for after that you may not get permission from the new owners."

" Was it the man who bought the old box who wants to buy the island? " asked Julian.

" Yes", said his uncle. " I was a little surprised myself, for I thought he was just a buyer of old things. It was astonishing to me that he should get the idea of buying the island to rebuild the castle as a hotel. Still, I dare say there will be big money in running an hotel there- very romantic, staying on a little island like that- people will like it. I'm no businessman myself, and I certainly shouldn't care to invest my money in a place like Kirrin Island. But I should think he knows what he is doing all right."

" Yes, he certainly does, " thought Julian to himself, as he went out of the room with Dick and Anne. " He's read that map- and has jumped to the same idea that we did-the store of hidden ingots is somewhere on that island-and he's going to get it! He doesn't want to build an hotel! He's after the treasure! I expect he's offered Uncle Quentin some silly low price that poor old uncle thinks is marvellous! Oh dear- this is a horrible thing to happen."

He went to find George. She was in the tool-shed, looking quite green. She said she felt sick.

" It's only because you're so upset, " said Julian. He slipped his arm round her. For once in a way George didn't push it away. She felt comforted. Tears came into her eyes, and she angrily tried to blink them away.

" Listen, George! " said Julian. " We mustn't give up hope. We'll go to Kirrin Island tomorrow, and we'll do our very, very best to get down into the dungeons somehow and find the ingots. We'll jolly well stay there till we do. See? Now cheer up, because we'll want your help in planning everything. Thank goodness we took a tracing of the map."

George cheered up a little. She still felt angry with her father and mother, but the thought of going to Kirrin Island for a day or two, and taking Timothy too, certainly seemed rather good.

" I do think my father and mother are unkind, " she said.

" Well, they're not really, " said Julian, wisely. " After all, if they need money badly, they would be silly not to part with something they think is quite useless. And you know, your father did say you could have anything you want. I know what I would ask for, if I were you! "

" What? " asked George.

" Timothy, of course! " said Julian. And that made George smile and cheer up tremendously!

 

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