Chapter Two THE STRANGE COUSIN
　　The children's aunt had been watching for the car. She came running out of the old wooden door assoon as she saw it draw up outside. The children liked the look of her at once.
　　"Welcome to Kirrin!" she cried. "Hallo, all of you! It's lovely to see you. And what big children!"There were kisses all round, and then the children went into the house. They liked it. It felt old andrather mysterious somehow, and the furniture was old and very beautiful.
　　"Where's Georgina?" asked Anne, looking round for her unknown cousin.
　　"Oh, the naughty girl! I told her to wait in the garden for you," said her aunt. "Now she's gone offsomewhere. I must tell you, children, you may find George a bit difficult at first— she's always beenone on her own, you know. And at first may not like you being here. But you mustn't take 6any notice of that— she'll be all right in a short time. I was very glad for George's sake that you wereable to come. She badly needs other children to play with.""Do you call her 'George'?" asked Anne, in surprise. "I thought her name was Georgina.""So it is," said her aunt. "But George hates being a girl, and we have to call her George, as if she wasa boy. The naughty girl won't answer if we call her Georgina."The children thought that Georgina sounded rather exciting. They wished she would come. But shedidn't. Their Uncle Quentin suddenly appeared instead. He was a most extraordinary looking man,very tall, very dark, and with a rather fierce frown on his wide forehead.
　　"Hallo, Quentin!" said Daddy. "It's a long time since I've seen you. I hope these three won't disturbyou very much in your work."
　　"Quentin is working on a very difficult book," said Aunt Fanny. "But I've given him a room all tohimself on the other side of the house. So I don't expect he will be disturbed."Their uncle looked at the three children, and nodded to them. The frown didn't come off his face, andthey all felt a little scared, and were glad that he was to work in another part of the house.
　　"Where's George?" he said, in a deep voice.
　　"Gone off somewhere again," said Aunt Fanny, vexed¹. "I told her she was to stay here and meet hercousins."
　　"She wants spanking," said Uncle Quentin. The children couldn't quite make out whether he wasjoking or not. "Well, children, I hope you have a good time here, and maybe you will knock a littlecommon-sense into George!"
　　There was no room at Kirrin Cottage for Mother and Daddy to stay the night, so after a hurriedsupper they left to stay at a hotel in the nearest town. They would drive back to London immediatelyafter breakfast the next day. So they said goodbye to the children that night.

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