"It's like this," said Robin, as he hung over the side of the boat,
"at first I thought we couldn't do anything, but we _can_. It's
stupid to suggest that we should come and nurse Dick, because we'd be
sure to catch it, and give miles more trouble. Even if we _don't_
nurse him, there'll be the chance of infection. So--suppose we stay
_here_!"
"My dear boy," began Mrs. Vaughan, "but----"
"Don't 'but,' Mother; _do_ listen. We were to have a camp, weren't
we? Well, let's begin at once. I suppose Dick and his spots are now
in the bedroom leading out of Peter's and mine, so it's jolly
likely----"
"Yes," Mrs. Vaughan nodded her head. "I put him there before I had
realised----. Then, as he _had_ infected the place, I thought he'd
better stay. I meant to move him to one of the unoccupied rooms, but
so far I haven't managed it, and----"
"Well then, think of my idea. If we move into the house we'll be in
quarantine when term begins. No one--not even school--could say
we've been near infection if we stay here. There's Brown's house,
too, if----"
Mrs. Vaughan's face was beginning to clear: "You'd promise not to
sleep out if it were wet? I'm sure Brownie would arrange for Jan,
and anything you might want. Well, Robin--I'm not so sure that your
plan _isn't_ a good one after all. And, if it _does_ work, it will
be a decided help to me."
"Hurray!" shouted Robin. "Hurray!" shouted the other two. This was
Robin's plan, was it? they thought; well, it was a jolly good one.
Peter waved an oar in the air.
"Listen though," said their mother anxiously, "for if I _am_ going to
allow it, I have any amount to say first."
But in half an hour every single thing was arranged. Jan, despatched
to fetch Brownie, appeared in due course with the old woman, who
seemed as "adaptable as a jolly old glove," as Peter said, hugging
her. She was delighted to provide the campers with food and anything
that they might need, and was overjoyed that there was a possibility
of "Miss Jan" staying at the cottage. "And in bad weather, the young
gentlemen too! Yes, ma'am, to be sure," said Brownie. "But--" her
voice sounded a little fearful and dubious as she spoke--"there's
only the attic, ma'am, with the sloping roof; they wouldn't be fr----"
"Of course not." Mrs. Vaughan's voice sounded almost impatient; she
broke off hastily, and Brownie said no more. "Really, Robin,"
declared his mother, with a change of tone, "I don't know what I
should do without you. It seems a very good plan. Now, if only the
weather----"
"Wind's in the right quarter," said Peter, with sparkling eyes.
"And--you'll blow your horn every day after breakfast, Mother,"
begged Jan, "and come and talk to us, won't you? We won't come to
the house at all, but we'll send letters by Brown."
"Very well, good-bye till to-morrow." Mrs. Vaughan turned, looking
greatly relieved.
"Good luck to Dick; and take care of yourself, Mother," shouted the
three as she disappeared, waving her hand at the bend of the path.
"And _now_, what are we to do?" inquired Peter of his older brother.
"I'll jolly well show you _that_, old chap," said Robin. "We've got
to pitch a camp, and that pretty quickly too, for arrangements have
taken time. It's fortunate that we decided on the site; but we've
got to make our sleeping-place, you know."
"Better sleep to-night in the large attic, Master Robin, perhaps,"
suggested Brownie, but she looked relieved at the boys' emphatic
refusal of her offer. The attic wanted clearing out; no one had
slept there since the Browns took possession, and it was a veritable
ark of lumber. "And I've Miss Jan's room to get ready," thought the
old woman.
Jan herself was only too eager to help the boys in their
preparations; a camper she intended to be from morn till eve; only
for the nights would she condescend to the shelter of a roof. Guide
as she was, too, her services proved invaluable; with the boys she
collected fuel for the fire as to the manner born; dry bark and chips
were collected for kindling purposes, and larger pieces of dead wood
for the blaze later on. The sun was not strong enough at that time
in the afternoon for the fire to be lighted by the help of the
burning-glass that Robin always carried, but a single match sufficed
in his practised hands; then, when the flame was safely spluttering,
he left the fire to the tender mercies of his sister, and the two
boys turned their attention to the preparation of a sleeping-place.
"It's miles too late to get through with a real hut," said Robin.
"We're likely to be on this Island for a while, and we might spend
some of our time in building a real good one. What do you say to
working up for our Pioneer Badge while we're here, Peter? Good idea,
don't you think?"
Peter nodded; he was rather unusually silent, and was evidently
thinking something out.
"For to-night we'd better see about a temporary shelter"--Robin was
busily engaged in pulling armfuls of bracken as he spoke; "there's a
likely tree-trunk over there, and we might lay one of our staves
against that fork that comes some way up the trunk. We'll need a
jolly lot of bracken to thatch it across, so you and Jan had better
both come along here and pull some. It'll be better than sleeping in
the attic to spend the night under the stars."
Peter nodded again; then he spoke. "About that attic, Robin," he
said, "didn't you twig from the way Brownie spoke, that there is
something mysterious about the place?"