Swallows and Amazons Chapter V: If not duffers won’t drown
From Mae Thinks
“…the mate and the able-seaman did some washing up… The captain and the boy took the telescope and found a high place… ‘Supposing Susan and Titty were here alone, while you and I had gone fishing… we should know something was the matter, and come back to help.’”
I’m watching you, Ransome.
“There are almost-bickery bits now, and I really like the way there’s so much character in so few words. Titty is an expert on telescopes, apparently, which comes as no surprise whatsoever – to the extent that I was recently pondering on possible tattoo art and had a very clear picture in my mind of Titty on the Peak of Darien with a telescope, which I can’t actually find in any of the books. And then John doesn’t want to show the harbour to mother because of Secrits, and Susan the ever-practical points out that it will actually be easier to carry stuff from the landing-place anyway.