Chapter Eight EXPLORING THE WRECK¹
　　JULIAN woke first the next morning. He awoke just as the sun was slipping over the horizon in theeast, and filling the sky with gold. Julian stared at the ceiling for a moment, and then, in a rush, heremembered all that had happened the day before. He sat up straight in bed and whispered as loudlyas he could.
　　"Dick! Wake up! We're going to see the wreck! Do wake up!"Dick woke and grinned at Julian. A feeling of happiness crept over him. They were going on anadventure. He leapt out of bed and ran quietly to the girls' room. He opened the door. Both the girlswere fast asleep, Anne curled up like a dormouse under the sheet.
　　Dick shook George and then dug Anne in the back. They awoke and sat up. "Buck² up!"whispered Dick. "The sun is just rising. We'll have to hurry."George's blue eyes shone as she dressed. Anne skipped about quietly, finding her few clothes—just a bathing suit, jeans and jersey— and rubber shoes for her feet. It wasn't many minutes beforethey were all ready.
　　"Now, not a creak on the stairs— not a cough or a giggle³!" warned Julian, as they stood together onthe landing. Anne was a dreadful giggler⁴, and had often given secret plans away by her suddenexplosive choke. But this time the little girl was as solemn as the others, and as careful.
　　They crept down the stairs and undid⁵ the little front door. Not a sound was made. They shut the doorquietly and made their way down the garden path to the gate. The gate always creaked, so theyclimbed over it instead of opening it.
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　　The sun was now shining brightly, though it was still low in the eastern sky. It felt warm already.
　　The sky was so beautifully blue that Anne couldn't help feeling it had been freshly washed! "It looksjust as if it had come back from the laundry," she told the others.
　　They squealed⁶ with laughter at her. She did say odd things at times. But they knew what she meant.
　　The day had a lovely new feeling about it - the clouds were so pink in the bright blue sky, and the sealooked so smooth and fresh. It was impossible to imagine that it had been so rough the day before.

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