Читать книгу Come to the Circus! - Enid blyton - Страница 6

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Willie took Fenella to his caravan to meet his mother. “This is my Mum,” he said. Fenella looked at his mother. She was thin and worn-looking, with untidy brown hair with a good deal of grey in it, and she looked untidy in her dress, too. She needed a button on her blouse, and a hook on her skirt. Both were done up with big safety pins.

But she had dimples just like Willie’s, and such a lovely smile that Fenella liked her at once.

“Well, so you’re Fenella,” she said, and she gave the little girl a kiss. Fenella was not used to being kissed, and it warmed her heart. “I’ve heard about you from your Aunt Lou. You’ve come to help her, haven’t you? She’ll keep you at it all right!”

“Got anything to eat, Mum?” asked Willie. “I bet Fenella’s hungry!”

“There’s some buns in the cupboard there, and some strawberry jam somewhere,” said Willie’s mother.

“What’s your mother’s name?” whispered Fenella.

“Aggie,” said Willie, giving Fenella a bun.

“I can’t call her Aggie,” said Fenella, shocked.

“Well, everyone does,” said Willie. “You can call her Aunt Aggie, if you’re so particular.”

So Fenella called her Aunt Aggie, and she seemed quite pleased.

“Nice manners you’ve got,” she said to Fenella. “And what pretty neat clothes you’re wearing, too. Clever with your needle, aren’t you? Wish I was. But I’m not. Can’t even get myself to sew a button on! And as for Willie there, well, if he wants anything mending, he does it himself.”

“I’ll do it for him,” said Fenella, eagerly. “I’d like to. And I’ll sew a button on your blouse for you, Aunt Aggie, and a hook on your skirt.”

“There’s no call to point out I’ve got safety pins where buttons ought to be!” said Aunt Aggie, looking suddenly offended. Fenella went red. But Willie nudged her and grinned.

“It’s all right. Don’t worry. Mum’s never annoyed for long.”

He was right. Before two minutes had gone by Willie’s mother was rattling on about the circus, and how it was to open the next night, and what a good show they hoped to have.

“And my Willie here, he always gets the most claps, him and his old goose,” she said.

“I don’t, Mum!” said Willie, but his mother would have it that he did. The two of them finished their buns and jam, and then, with Cackles waddling beside them, Willie took Fenella round the camp to show her everything.

It was an astonishing walk for the little girl. She half-wondered if she was dreaming when she saw so many strange sights.

There were the three elephants, Dolly, Dick and Domo, in charge of a little man not much taller than Fenella herself.

“This is Mr. Tiny,” said Willie, and the little man bowed gravely to Fenella. He was dressed all in white, with white boots and a white hat. “Just trying my things on for tomorrow night,” he explained to Fenella. “Your aunt has made me some new ones. Do you like them?”

He swung himself round and round to show Fenella. “Fine, aren’t they?” he said.

“You look lovely!” Fenella said, and the small man beamed. Beside his enormous elephants he looked tinier than ever. Fenella kept well away from the tremendous creatures.

“You needn’t be afraid of them,” said Mr. Tiny. “They won’t hurt you. Harmless as me, they are!”

He went up to Dolly, the smallest of the elephants. “Hup!” he said. “Hup!”

And Dolly put down her trunk, wound it gently round the waist of the little man, and set him on the top of her big head. Fenella was startled.

“Hup!” said Willie, too. “Hup!” And Dick, the next elephant, did exactly the same, winding his trunk round Willie’s waist, and lifting the boy high up on his head.

“You say ‘Hup!’ to Domo!” called Mr. Tiny. “And he’ll lift you up, too.”

But Fenella backed away quickly. What! Be lifted up by an elephant’s trunk and set on his head! She couldn’t imagine anything she would hate more. Mr. Tiny and Willie laughed at her horrified face. Willie slid cleverly down to the ground.

“Come on! We’ll see Mr. Holla. He’s teaching his chimps to play cricket this year. It’s funny to watch them.”

“I’m afraid to go near the chimpanzees,” said Fenella, pulling back.

“Don’t be silly! You’ll love them,” said Willie. “See that one grinning at us? He’s called Grin, and he’s the wickedest, comicalest chimp you ever saw. There’s the other, looking hurt and solemn. He’s always like that. He’s called Bearit. Grin and Bearit. Look out for Grin. He’ll have the sweets out of your pocket if you’re not careful.”

Grin was like his name, one big grin. He showed very white teeth, and Fenella couldn’t help feeling afraid of him. But he put out a gentle, hairy paw and stroked her arm softly, making a funny, loving little noise as he did so.

“He likes you!” said Willie. “He doesn’t do that to many people, I can tell you. Here’s their trainer, Mr. Holla. How are you getting on teaching your chimps cricket, Mr. Holla?”

Mr. Holla was a jolly-looking man, with long, powerful arms like his chimpanzees. They adored him. They liked nothing better than to put their hairy arms round his neck and hug him. Each chimpanzee was dressed carefully. Grin wore a pair of red shorts and a yellow jersey. Bearit wore a pair of yellow shorts and a red jersey.

“They’ve got caps, too,” said Mr. Holla to Fenella. “But they were naughty with them yesterday, so I’ve taken them away for a punishment today.”

“Oh. What did they do?” asked Fenella curiously.

“They wear caps,” said Mr. Holla. “And Grin climbed up on top of your aunt’s caravan yesterday and put his red cap on her chimney, and Bearit put his on Aggie’s chimney. So both their stoves smoked and they were angry. And now today I won’t let either of the chimps wear their caps, so maybe they won’t do that again. They’re full of tricks.”

Grin had sidled up to Fenella. Somehow she couldn’t help liking him. He looked so comical in his shorts and jersey, and he stroked her arm as if he thought she was the nicest little girl in the world.

Then he suddenly bounded off at top speed, with Bearit after him. He leapt up on to the top of Mr. Holla’s van, which was nearby, and began to look at something he held.

“It’s my sweets!” said Fenella indignantly. “He’s taken them out of my pocket. And all the time he was stroking my arm and pretending to be so friendly.”

“Well, you won’t see your sweets again,” said Mr. Holla. “They won’t come down till they’ve eaten them all. Rascals they are. Worse than a dozen children!”

Mr. Holla went into his caravan and came out with an orange. “Here you are,” he said. “You have that instead of your sweets. And don’t be too cross with Grin and Bearit. Come and make friends with them some time. They love children.”

A pack of dogs suddenly came rushing over to Willie. Fenella shrank behind him, but the dogs took no notice of her.

“Here are all the performing dogs!” said Willie to Fenella. “I help with them. This is Tric. This is Fanny. This is Corker. This is Bouncer. Will you get down, Buster! Stop it now! And leave my shoe-lace alone, Scamp. Aren’t they lovely, Fenella?”

They were all so merry and full of fun that Fenella couldn’t help liking them. Most of them were terriers, but there were two poodles and one mongrel.

“He’s about the cleverest of the lot,” said Willie, patting him. “Hup, Pickles, hup.”

And up went Pickles on his hind legs at once, and then threw himself light-heartedly over and over in the air, somersaulting time after time. Fenella stared in wonder at him. But when Willie began to make a fuss of him, all the other dogs were jealous and came rubbing against Willie for some affection, too.

“Don’t they love you!” said Fenella, and began to think it must be very nice to be so much loved by animals as Willie was. She held out her hand to one of the poodles, feeling very brave, meaning him to come and sniff at it, and perhaps lick it.

But the poodle very gravely put up his paw, too, and shook hands. Fenella laughed. “Oh, they’re so clever. Who teaches them? Do they like being taught?”

“We only teach the clever ones,” said Willie, “and they love it, of course—just as clever children enjoy their lessons. We never whip them—only reward them when they have done well. Now let’s go and look at Mrs. Connie’s monkeys.”

He sent the dogs on and walked with Fenella to the other side of the field, where there were two caravans, both painted a bright green, with yellow wheels. Across each was painted “MRS. CONNIE AND HER MARVELLOUS MONKEYS.”

Outside one of the caravans a tea-party was going on. Seven monkeys sat at a table, each on a small chair. Each had a banana in his or her hand, and they watched a tiny, wizened woman, looking rather like a monkey herself, who sat at the head of the table. She was talking to them.

“Now Millie, now Minnie, now Mollie, remember your manners. Peel your banana neatly like this. That’s right. Only peel it half-way, remember, Jimmy! You’ve taken your peel right off! Naughty, naughty!”

Jimmy looked like a bad child caught doing something wrong. He whimpered and tried to put the peel back on his banana. The others had half-peeled theirs and were patiently waiting for Mrs. Connie to let them bite a bit off the top. Fenella saw that each monkey had its own tiny mug with its name painted on it. How lovely!

Mrs. Connie suddenly saw them. “Hallo, Willie. Who’s this? A friend of yours?”

“It’s Fenella, who’s come to live with her Aunt Lou,” said Willie. A scowl came over Mrs. Connie’s face.

“That Lou! Mean, selfish woman! She makes such a fuss when she has to sew something for my monkeys. Well, girl, I hope you’re not as mean as your aunt, that’s all. If you are, I’ll have nothing to do with you. Nothing! Jimmy! Behave yourself! You’ve thrown your skin on the floor. Pick it up at once!”

Jimmy picked it up. Then, when the next monkey wasn’t looking, he took a neat bite off the top of its banana. The monkey howled loudly and chattered to Mrs. Connie.

Fenella laughed and laughed. Mrs. Connie looked pleased. “Comical, aren’t they?” she said. “Good as gold, really.”

Fenella thought they looked sweet. Some were dressed in tiny skirts, others in tiny shorts. Willie pulled at her hand.

“Come on. There’s lots more to see. Let Mrs. Connie get on with her tea-party. Well, you do like us all?”

“Oh, I do,” said Fenella, her face glowing. “I do, Willie. I’m so glad I didn’t run away!”