Free Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

take it away from you," said his uncle. "Disturbing me like this! Give it to me. Where did you get it?"
    Nobody answered. Uncle Quentin frowned till his glasses nearly fell off. "Where did you get it?" he barked, glaring at poor Anne, who was nearest.
    "Out of the wreck," stammered the little girl, scared.
    "Out of the wreck !" said her uncle, in surprise. "The old wreck that was thrown up yesterday? I heard about that. Do you mean to say you've been in it?"
    "Yes," said Dick. Julian joined them at that moment, looking worried. It would be too awful if his uncle took the box just as they got it open. But that was exactly what he did do!
    "Well, this box may contain something important," he said, and he took it from Dick's hands. "You've no right to go prying about in that old wreck. You might take something that mattered."

    "Well, it's my wreck," said George, in a
    defiant tone. "Please, Father, let us have
    the box. We'd just got it opened. We
    thought it might hold— a gold bar— or
    something like that!"
    "A gold bar!" said her father, with a
    snort. "What a baby you are! This small
    box would never hold a thing like that! It's
    much more likely to contain particulars of
    what happened to the bars! I have always
    thought that the gold was safely delivered
    somewhere— and that the ship, empty of
    its valuable cargo, got wrecked as it left the
    bay!"
    "Oh, Father— please, please let us have
    our box," begged George, almost in tears.
    She suddenly felt certain that it did contain
    papers that might tell them what had
    happened to the gold. But without another word her father turned and went into the house, carrying the box, burst open and cracked, its tin lining showing through under his arm.
    Anne burst into tears. "Don't blame me for telling him we got it from the wreck," she sobbed. "Please don't. He glared at me so. I just had to tell him."
    "All right, Baby," said Julian, putting his arm round Anne. He looked furious. He thought it was very unfair of his uncle to take the box like that. "Listen— I'm not going to stand this. We'll get hold of that box somehow and look into it. I'm sure your father won't bother himself with it, George— he'll start writing his book again and forget all about it.
    I'll wait my chance and slip into his study and get it, even if it means a spanking if I'm discovered!"
    "Good!" said George. "We'll all keep a watch and see if Father goes out."
    So they took it in turns to keep watch, but most annoyingly their Uncle Quentin remained in his study all the morning. Aunt Fanny was surprised to see one or two children always about the garden that day, instead of down on the beach.
    "Why don't you all keep together and bathe or do something?" she said. "Have you quarrelled with one another?"
    "No," said Dick. "Of course not." But he didn't say why they were in the garden!
    "Doesn't your father ever go out?" he said to George, when it was her turn to keep watch. "I don't think he leads a very healthy life."
    "Scientists never do," said George, as if she knew all about them. "But I tell you what— he may go to sleep this afternoon! He sometimes does!"
    Julian was left behind in the garden that afternoon. He sat down under a tree and opened a book. Soon he heard a curious noise that made him look up. He knew at once what it was!

    "That's Uncle Quentin snoring!" he said in excitement. "It is! Oh— I wonder if I could possibly creep in at the french windows and get our box!"
    He stole to the windows and looked in. One was a little way open and Julian opened it a little more. He saw his uncle lying back in a comfortable arm-chair, his mouth a little open, his eyes closed, fast asleep! Every time he took a breath, he snored.
    "Well, he really does look sound asleep," thought the boy. "And there's the box, just behind him, on that table. I'll risk it. I bet I'll get an awful spanking if I'm caught, but I can't help that!"
    He stole in. His uncle still snored. He tiptoed by him to the table behind