Читать книгу Five are Together Again - Enid blyton - Страница 5

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The four children and Timmy went through the big, heavy gate, which groaned loudly. Timmy was very startled to hear the mournful creak, and barked sharply.

‘Sh!’ said George. ‘You’ll get into trouble with the Professor, Timmy, if you raise your voice like that. I expect we’ll have to talk in whispers, so as not to disturb the Professor—so just see if you can whisper too.’

Timmy gave a small whine. He knew he couldn’t whisper! He trotted at George’s heel as they all went down the steep drive to the house. It was a queer house, built sideways to the drive, and had astonishingly few windows.

‘I expect Professor Hayling is afraid of people peering in at his work,’ said Anne. ‘It’s very, very secret, isn’t it?’

‘I know he uses miles and miles of figures,’ said Dick. ‘Tinker told me one day that his monkey Mischief once chewed up a page of figures when he was very small—and Professor Hayling chased him for a whole hour, hoping to catch him and find even a few bits of paper still in his mouth, so that he could rescue at least part of his figures. But Mischief fled down a rabbit-hole and didn’t come up for two days, so it wasn’t any good.’

Everyone smiled at the thought of poor Mischief hiding down a rabbit-hole. ‘You couldn’t do that, Timmy old thing!’ said Julian. ‘So just be careful of any paper you eat.’

‘He wouldn’t be so silly,’ said George, at once. ‘He knows perfectly well what’s eatable and what’s not.’

‘Ha! Does he!’ said Anne. ‘Well, I’d just like to know what kind of food he thought my blue slipper was that he chewed up last hols!’

‘Don’t tell tales of him,’ said George. ‘He only chewed it because someone shut him in your bedroom and he hadn’t anything else to do.’

‘Woof,’ said Timmy, quite agreeing. He gave Anne’s hand a little lick, as if to say, ‘Very sorry, Anne—but I was so bored!’

‘Dear Timmy! I wouldn’t mind if you chewed up all my slippers!’ said Anne. ‘But it would be nice if you chose the very oldest ones!’

Timmy suddenly stopped and looked into the bushes. He gave a low growl! George put her hand on his collar at once. She was always afraid of snakes in the spring time.

‘It might be an adder!’ she said. ‘The dog next door trod on one last year, so I heard, and his leg swelled up terribly, and he was in great pain. Come away now, Timmy—it’s an adder, with poison in its fangs!’

But Timmy went on growling. Then he suddenly stood still and sniffed hard. He gave an excited whimper and pulled away from George, jumping into the bushes—and out came, not a snake, but Mischief, Tinker’s bright-eyed little monkey!

He at once leapt on to the dog’s broad back, put his little monkey fingers under Timmy’s collar, and chattered in delight. Timmy nearly dislocated his neck trying to twist his head round to lick him!

‘Mischief!’ cried everyone at once, in real delight. ‘You’ve come to welcome us!’

And the little monkey, jabbering away excitedly in monkey-language, leapt first on to George’s shoulder, and then on to Julian’s. He pulled Julian’s hair, twisted his right ear round, and then leapt from him to Dick, and on to Anne’s shoulder. He cuddled into her neck, his eyes bright and brown, looking very happy.

‘Oh! Isn’t he pleased to see us again!’ said Anne, delighted. ‘Mischief, where’s Tinker?’

Mischief jumped off Anne’s shoulder and scampered down the drive as if he quite understood all that Anne had said. The children raced after him—and then a stentorian voice suddenly roared at them from one side of the drive.

‘What are you doing here? Clear out! This is private ground. I’ll fetch the police. Clear out!’

The Five stopped still in fright—and then Julian saw who it was—Professor Hayling! He stepped forward at once. ‘Good afternoon, sir,’ he said. ‘I hope we didn’t disturb you, but you did tell my aunt we could come here.’

‘Your aunt? Who’s your aunt? I don’t know any aunt!’ roared the Professor. ‘You’re sight-seers, that’s what you are! Come to pry into my work, just because there was a piece about it in some silly paper! You’re the third lot today. Clear out, I tell you—and take that dog too. How dare you!’

‘But sir—don’t you really know us?’ said Julian, very startled. ‘You came to stay at our house, you know, and ...’

‘Stuff and nonsense! I haven’t been away for years!’ shouted the Professor. Mischief, the monkey, was so frightened that he leapt away into the bushes, making a funny little crying noise.

‘I hope he fetches Tinker,’ said Julian, in a low voice to Dick. ‘The Professor has forgotten who we are, and why we’ve come. Let’s retreat a bit.’

But as they went cautiously back up the steep path, followed by the angry Professor, a loud voice hailed them, and Tinker came racing up with Mischief on his shoulder, clinging to his hair. So the little monkey had gone to fetch him. ‘Good for him!’ thought Julian, pleased.

‘Dad! Don’t yell at our friends like that!’ cried Tinker, dancing about in front of his angry father. ‘You asked them here yourself, you know you did!’

‘i did not!’ said the Professor. ‘Who are they?’

‘Well, George, that girl, is the daughter of Mr Kirrin, and the others are his niece and nephews. And that’s their dog, Timmy. And you asked them all here because Mr and Mrs Kirrin are in quarantine for scarlet fever,’ shouted Tinker, still dancing about in front of his father.

‘Stop jigging about like that,’ said the Professor, crossly. ‘I don’t remember asking them. I would have told Jenny the maid, if I had.’

‘You did tell her!’ shouted Tinker, still jigging about, with Mischief the monkey jigging too in delight. ‘She’s already made up the beds. I helped her. She’s angry because you left your breakfast and now it’s almost dinner-time. She’s cleared it away.’

‘Bless us all—so that’s why I feel so hungry and cross!’ said Professor Hayling, and he began to laugh. He had a tremendous laugh, and the children couldn’t help laughing too. What an odd fellow—so brainy, such a fine scientist—with the most enormous amount of knowledge in his head—and yet no memory for such ordinary things as breakfast and visitors and telephone calls.

‘It was just a misunderstanding, sir,’ said Julian, politely. ‘It was very, very kind of you to invite us here when we can’t be at home because of the scarlet fever. We’ll try not to be a nuisance, and if there’s anything we can do to help you, please ask us. We’ll make as little noise as possible, and keep out of your way, of course.’

‘You hear that, Tinker?’ said Professor Hayling, suddenly swinging round on the startled Tinker. ‘Why can’t you do the same—make a very little noise, and keep out of my way? You know I’m very busy now—on a most important project.’ He turned to Julian. ‘You’ll be very welcome if you keep Tinker out of my way. And nobody—absolutely nobody—is to go up into that tower. Understand?’

They all looked up to where he was pointing, and saw a tall, slender tower rising up amid the trees. It had curious tentacle-like rods sticking out at the top, and these shook slightly in the breeze.

‘And don’t ask me questions about it,’ went on the Professor, looking fiercely at George. ‘Your father’s the only other man who knows what it’s for, and he knows how to keep his mouth shut.’

‘None of us would dream of prying, sir,’ said Julian. ‘It’s very, very kind of you to offer to have us here, and do believe me when I say we shan’t be any trouble to you at all—but a help if you’ll allow us.’

‘Ah well, you sound a sensible fellow, I must say,’ said the Professor, who had now calmed down, and looked quite peaceable. ‘Well, I’ll say good-bye for now and go and have my breakfast. I hope it’s fried eggs and bacon. I’m very hungry.’

‘Dad—Jenny’s cleared your breakfast away! I told you that before!’ said Tinker in despair. ‘It’s almost dinner-time, now.’

‘Ah good—good!’ said the Professor. ‘I’ll come at once.’

And he led the way indoors, followed by the five children, with Timmy and Mischief, all looking rather worried. Really, nobody ever knew what the Professor was going to do or say next!

Jenny certainly had a good dinner for them all. There was a large and delicious stew with carrots, onions and peas swimming in the gravy, and plenty of potatoes. Everyone tucked in well, and Mischief, who loved the peas, took quite a few from Tinker’s plate, his little paw creeping up, and neatly snatching a pea from the gravy.

The girls went out to help bring in the next course, which was a big steamed pudding with plenty of raisins in it. Mischief at once jigged up and down in delight, for he loved raisins. He leapt on to the table, and received a sharp smack from the Professor, who unfortunately smacked the pudding dish at the same time, making the pudding jump in the air.

‘Good gracious, Dad—we nearly lost the pudding!’ cried Tinker. ‘And it’s my favourite. Oh, don’t give us such small pieces! Mischief, get off the table. You are not to put your paw into the white sauce!’

So Mischief disappeared under the table, where he received quite a lot of raisins from various kindly hands, unseen by the Professor. Timmy felt rather left out. He was under the table too, having been rather scared by the Professor’s angry voice, but as he didn’t very much like raisins, he wasn’t as lucky as Mischief.

‘Ha—I enjoyed that!’ said the Professor, having cleaned his plate thoroughly. ‘Nothing like a good breakfast!’

‘It was midday dinner, Dad!’ said Tinker. ‘You don’t have pudding at breakfast.’

‘Dear me, of course—that was pudding!’ said his father, and laughed his great laugh. ‘Now you can all do exactly what you like, so long as you do not go into my study, or my workroom or that tower. and don’t meddle with anything! Mischief, get off the water-jug, you’ll upset it. Can’t you teach that monkey some table-manners, Tinker?’

And with that he marched out of the room, and disappeared into some mysterious passage that apparently led to his study or workroom. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

‘We’ll clear away and then I’ll show you your rooms,’ said Tinker. ‘I do hope you won’t be too dull here.’

Dull, Tinker! You needn’t worry! There is far too much excitement waiting for the Five—and you too! Just wait a bit, and see!