So after that they all called her Dimmy, and the name suited her beautifully.
When they had eaten their tea Dimmy got up to clear away. She did all the cooking and housework herself.
“Would you like us to help you?” asked Peggy politely.
“Oh no, thank you,” said Dimmy, stacking up the cups and saucers. “You’ve come here to have a holiday, not to help me. But there are one or two rules I want you to keep, all of you.”
“What are they?” asked Mike, rather alarmed. This sounded a bit like school to him.
“Oh, nothing very much,” said Dimmy, smiling. “You must make your own beds each morning. You must be in good time for meals - though if you want to picnic out of doors you can tell me and I’ll put you up lunch or tea any time you like. And the third thing is something your mother asked me - that is, you must be in bed by half-past eight.”
“All right, Dimmy.” said Mike. “We’ll keep the rules. We’ve all got watches, so we know the time. Now can we go and explore a bit?”
“Yes - go out for an hour, then come back in time for bed,” said Dimmy. “I’ll unpack for you, if you like.”
“Oh goody!” said Peggy, pleased. “Thanks very much. Come on, you others!”
They all trooped out of the house and ran to the path that led down to the beach. It was a steep path, made of steps that were cut into the rock itself.