The Picts and the Martyrs

I think this is the best book of the series, although it's not typical: the Walkers (Swallows) are absent, and the Blacketts (Amazons) are greatly constrained by the presence of their formidable Great Aunt (Miss Maria Turner), leaving much of the story to the two Callums (Dorothea and Dick: the Ds), who entered the series in book 4.However, the only really typical book in the series is [b:Swallows and Amazons 2384505 Swallows and Amazons (Swallows and Amazons, #1) Arthur Ransome https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327962777l/2384505.SY75.jpg 231599], after which Ransome experimented with one variation after another. I don't really miss the Swallows here; they're fine in a story that suits them, but the Amazons and Ds are actually more lively and interesting as characters.The main theme of this story could be described as “O, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!” Although the neat thing about it is that the deception is all done with the best of intentions.What makes this one the best of the series for me is the plot, which is more complex than usual, and makes use of a variety of adult characters as well as the four children (plus another child, Jacky Warriner, who makes a guest appearance).The Ds were invited to stay at Beckfoot with the Amazons. However, when the Great Aunt arrives uninvited, the Ds find themselves living secretly (as Picts) in a hut in the woods for ten days.The hut has a fireplace but no bathroom; it has a stream outside in which they can wash their faces, hands, and plates, but as far as I can tell they live for ten days without a bath, a change of clothes, or the use of a water closet—and no-one who knows what they're doing (including various adults) seems to think this is a problem. Nor do they comment on it themselves, although the Ds are city children, not accustomed to camping out. Well, the book was published in the early 1940s. “The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.”The story ends well with an excellent turn of the plot, and the departure of the Great Aunt. The Swallows are expected to arrive soon; with five weeks of the summer holidays still to go, there's ample space for several more books. Ransome probably anticipated writing at least one further book to fill that gap, but alas, he never did; probably discouraged by his wife's criticism.There is a small puzzle about the date of first publication of this book. Most sources say 1943, but my paperback copy (bought in England in 1979) says 1942.