Nevertheless Anna was bent on trying, and grew quite cross because the rock would not move for her.  “No, I don’t believe it,” she snapped.  “You Cornish people are so suppositios; and it is dreadfully ignorant to be so.  Mother said so.”

Dan fairly shrieked with delight; he always did when Anna or Betty used a wrong word, particularly if it was a long one.

“Though it is so early, I am going to light the fire now,” said Kitty, anxious to make a diversion and prevent squabbles, “because I want to smell the smell of the burning fuz.”

Which she did then and there; and then, perhaps in absent-mindedness, she put the kettle on, and it boiled before any one could believe the water was even warm, and then, of course, there was nothing to be done but make the tea and drink it.  But the air up there was so wonderful that no matter how quickly the meals came the appetites were ready.

“The smell of the smoke was feast enough in itself,” Kitty said.

But she did not omit to take a liberal share of more solid food as well.  And oh! how good it all tasted—­the tea, the bread and butter, the saffron cake, all had a flavour such as they never had elsewhere, and the air was growing fresh enough to make the hot tea very acceptable and comfortable.

They did not sit long after they had done, for it really was beginning to grow chilly.

“Now you had all better go and have a game of some kind or other,” said Kitty, “and I will pack the baskets ready to go into the cart, and then I’ll come and play too.”

It took her longer, though, than she had counted on to pack all the things so that they would travel safely, and she had put them in and taken them out again so many times that when at last she had done, and glanced up with a sigh of relief to look for the others, she saw with dismay that the short winter’s day was well-nigh over.  The sun had disappeared quite suddenly, leaving behind it a leaden, lowering sky, while in the distance hung a thick mist, which told of heavy rain not far off.

“I will call the others.  I think we had better be starting soon; the weather has changed,” she murmured, and, springing to her feet, she shouted, and shouted, and shouted again.  No answer came.

Still calling, she went around the tors to another point, but she could catch no glimpse of any living being, and in that great waste of rocks and furze and underbrush it was not surprising.  Kitty, though, was surprised and a little bit alarmed, and she ran from point to point, calling and calling again; but for a long time the only answer was the long sighs the wind gave as it rushed over the level land, and lost itself with a little wail of anger amongst the old tors.  Then at last came a long shout, and Dan appeared, and almost at the same moment a drop fell smartly on Kitty’s cheek, then another and another, and suddenly a heavy downpour descended on them.