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Cottage."
    "But it isn't," said George, wildly. "It isn't. It's all horrid. Can't the Sticks go and let us manage things by ourselves?"
    "Good gracious me, of course not," said her father's voice, surprised and annoyed.
    "What can you be thinking of? I did hope, George, that you would be sensible and helpful. I must say..."
    "You talk to him, Julian," said George, helplessly, and thrust the receiver into Julian's hand. The boy put it to his ear and spoke into the telephone in his clear voice."
    "Good morning, sir. This is Julian! I'm glad my aunt is no worse."
    "Well, she will be if she thinks things are going wrong at Kirrin Cottage," said Uncle Quentin, in an exasperated voice. "Can't you manage George and make her see reason?
    Good gracious, can't she put up with the Sticks for a week or two? I tell you frankly, Julian, I am not going to sack the Sticks in my absence—I want the house ready for me to bring back your aunt. If you can't put up with them, you had better find out from your own parents if they can take you back for the rest of the holidays. But George is not to go with you. She is to stay at Kirrin Cottage. That's my last word on the subject."
    "But, sir," began Julian, wondering how in the world he could deal properly with his hot-tempered uncle, "I must tell you that . . ."
    There was a click at the other end of the "phone. Uncle Quentin had put down his receiver and gone. There was no more to be said. Blow! Julian pursed up his mouth and looked round at the others, frowning.
    "He's gone!" he said. "Cut me off just as I was trying to reason with him."
    "Serves you right!" said Mrs. Stick's harsh voice from the end of the hall. "Now you know where you stand. I'm here and I'm staying here, on your uncle's orders. And you're all going to behave yourselves, or it'll be the worse for you."

Chapter Six
    JULIAN DEFEATS THE STICKS

    THERE was a slam. The kitchen door shut, and Mrs. Stick could be heard telling the news triumphantly to Edgar and Mr. Stick. The children went into the sitting-room, sat down and stared at one another gloomily.
    "Father's awful!" said George, furiously. "He never will listen to anything."
    "Well, after all, he is very upset," said Dick, reasonably. "It was a great pity that he rang before nine, so that Mrs. Stick got her say in first."
    "What did Father say to you?" said George. "Tell us exactly."
    "He said that if we couldn't put up with the Sticks, Anne and Dick and I were to go back to our own parents," said Julian. "But you were to stay here."
    George stared at Julian. "Well," she said at last, "you can't put up with the Sticks, so you'd better all go back. I can look after myself."
    "Don't be an idiot!" said Julian, giving her arm a friendly shake, "You know we wouldn't desert you. I can't say I look forward to the idea of being under the thumb of the amiable Sticks for a week or two, but there are worse things than that. We'll
    "stick" it together."
    But the feeble little joke didn't raise a smile, even from Anne. The idea of being under the Sticks" three thumbs
    was a most unpleasant prospect. Timothy put his head on George's knee. She patted him and looked round.
    "You go back home," she said to the others. "I've got a plan of my own, and you're not in it. I've got Timmy, and he'll look after me. Telephone to your parents and go home tomorrow."
    George stared round defiantly. Her head was up, and there was no doubt but that she had made a plan of some sort.
    Julian felt uneasy.
    "Don't be silly," he said. "I tell you we all stand together in this. If you've got a plan, we'll come into it. But we're staying here with you, whatever happens."
    "Stay if you like," said George, "but my plan goes on, and you'll find you'll have to go home in the end. Come on, Timothy! Let's go to Jim and see if my boat is ready."
    "We'll go with you," said Dick. He was sorry for George. He could see below her defiance, and he knew she was very unhappy, worried about her mother, angry with her father,