Читать книгу The Ragamuffin Mystery - Enid blyton - Страница 3

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“This is going to be just about the most exciting holiday we’ve ever had!” said Roger, carrying a suitcase and bag down to the front door. “Diana, bring that pile of books, will you, before we forget them?”

Diana picked them up and ran down the stairs after Roger. At the front door stood a caravan. Diana stood and gloated over it for about the twentieth time.

“Fancy Dad buying a caravan!” she said. “And oh, what a pity he can’t come with us after all!”

“Yes—after all our plans!” said Roger. “Still, it’s a jolly good thing Mummy didn’t back out, when she heard Dad had to go off to America—I was awfully afraid she would! My heart went into my boots, I can tell you.”

“Same here,” said Diana, stacking the books neatly on a shelf in the caravan. “Have we got our bird-book—we’ll see plenty of birds on our travels, and that’s my holiday task—writing an essay on ‘Birds I have seen’.”

“Well, don’t forget to take the field-glasses then,” said Roger. “They’re hanging in the hall. I say—what did you think about Mummy asking Miss Pepper to come with us, now that Daddy can’t manage?”

Miss Pepper was a very old friend of their mother’s. The children were fond of her—but Roger felt rather doubtful about having her on a caravan holiday with them. “You see—she’s all right in a house,” he said to Diana. “But in a small caravan, with hardly any room—won’t she get fussed? We shall be so much on top of one another.”

“Oh well—Mummy must have someone to take turns at driving the car that pulls the caravan,” said Diana. “And she’ll be company for Mummy, too. She’s quite good fun—if only she won’t keep making us be tidy, and wash our hands and knees a dozen times a day, and ...”

“What are you two gossiping about?” said their mother, hurrying out to the caravan with some more things. “If we’re going to start off at eleven, we’d better hurry! We’ve got to pick Miss Pepper up at two o’clock, you know—and that means going over thirty miles an hour if we don’t start punctually. Too fast for a car with a caravan!”

“I wish Daddy was coming,” groaned Diana, helping her mother to pack in more luggage. “Miss Pepper’s all right—but Daddy’s such fun on a holiday!”

“Yes—it’s a pity,” said her mother. “But at least we haven’t got to put up with Snubby this time!”

“Gosh yes—Snubby with us in a small caravan—and Loony too—would be just about the limit!” said Roger. “Who’s he staying with these hols?”

Snubby was their cousin, a ginger-haired, freckled, snub-nosed twelve-year-old boy. He had no father or mother, and so spent his holidays with one or other of his aunts and uncles. Snubby by himself was bad enough, but with his quite mad dog, Loony, a beautiful black spaniel, he was enough to drive even the most patient aunt and uncle out of their minds.

“He’s staying with Auntie Pat, I think,” said Diana. “Isn’t he, Mummy? I bet he’s driving her crazy. Last time he stayed with her, Loony got a passion for goloshes, and took every single one from the hall cupboard and hid them in the rhododendron bushes ...”

“And the gardener couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw them, and he called Snubby, and Snubby asked him why he had sown golosh seed under the rhododendrons!” said Roger, with a sudden snort of laughter.

“Good old Snubby! He is a pest, but honestly you can’t help laughing at him half the time,” said Diana. “I bet he wishes he was coming on this caravan holiday with us.”

“Well, thank goodness he’s not,” said their mother. “Pack those rugs in the corner there, Diana. I really think that’s about all. Now I’ll go in and see that we’ve got absolutely everything—and if we have we’d better start.”

She hurried indoors. Diana looked round the neat little caravan, wondering how long it would be before it was anything but neat! She and her mother and Miss Pepper were to sleep in it at night, and Roger was to sleep in the back of the car. What fun to travel round the countryside, going where they liked—not knowing what county they would sleep in at night—waking up when they liked—picnicking in the most beautiful spots they could find. Yes—this was going to be something like a holiday!

“There’s just one thing I do wish,” said Diana to Roger, as they went indoors to say good-bye to their cook and daily woman. “I wish and wish that old Barney was coming with us.”

“Gosh—so do I!” said Roger. “And Miranda his monkey too. Dear little Miranda. We haven’t seen her for ages.”

“Well, Barney’s been travelling about with his father,” said Diana. “I wonder if he often thinks how he travelled about before—you know, when he was a child and didn’t know who his father was, and went about with the people of circuses and fairs. He did plenty of travelling then!”

“And now he’s found his father—and a real family of his own—and he’s no longer a poor circus boy, all alone in the world,” said Roger. “And Miranda isn’t a lonely little monkey, going everywhere with him, often hungry and cold—but a spoilt little pet, loved by every single one of Barney’s family! And thank goodness, Barney hasn’t changed a bit.”

“No—he’s still the same kind, strong Barney,” said Diana. “I do hope we see him these hols. Mummy! Mummy, where are you? We really ought to start, you know.”

“Just coming!” called their mother, hurrying downstairs. “I remembered I must find the sunburn lotion, in case we all get too burnt for words, in this hot weather. Go and say good-bye, dears—then we’ll start.”

Diana and Roger said good-bye to their cheery old cook, and she pressed a bag into their hands. “Just a few of my special sugar-biscuits to keep you going till dinner-time,” she said. “Have a good time! And see and look after your mother; she’s tired after all the packing up.”

At last they were in the car, and it moved slowly towards the front gate, pulling the caravan behind it. Fortunately the gates were wide and the posts were not even scraped. Away they went down the lane, the caravan running smoothly behind them, rocking just a little now and again when they went over a rut. Soon they were out on the main road—the holiday had begun!

They stopped for a picnic lunch on the way, and then drove on towards Miss Pepper’s. “We shall be late,” said Roger, “but it doesn’t matter, Mummy—Miss Pepper would be most surprised if we were punctual!”

“I dare say—but she’s sure to be quite ready ten minutes beforehand,” said his mother. “And I shall feel just as I used to when she looked after me in my teens—very very guilty!”

Miss Pepper was waiting for them on her doorstep, her suitcases beside her. She looked as tall and thin as ever, but her eyes twinkled as usual behind their glasses, and she smiled warmly.

“Well, here you all are, bless you!” she said. “And wonder of wonders not more than fifteen minutes late! Had your dinner?”

“Yes, Miss Pepper,” said everyone, and Roger leapt out to take her luggage. He stowed it away in the caravan.

“What a fine caravan!” said Miss Pepper, approvingly. “Well, well—I never thought I’d ever sleep in a caravan—and here I am, quite looking forward to it!”

“I’ll drive on for some way,” said the children’s mother. “Then you can take a short turn at driving if you will. We thought we’d make for that lovely little lake at Yesterley. The children can bathe then. Isn’t it a mercy it’s such glorious weather?”

“It certainly is,” said Miss Pepper, settling herself in the front seat. “Dear me—it seems strange not to have Snubby with us. He’s always come with the children when I’ve been with them before.”

“He’s staying with Auntie Pat—and I expect he’s driving her mad,” said Diana. “All the same, I wish his dog Loony was with us—darling Loony—I do love him.”

“H’m,” said Miss Pepper, doubtfully. “I’m fond of him too—but I don’t think I should be fond of him long if he went for a caravan holiday with us. He’s not a very restful dog.”

It was very pleasant driving along that sunny day, with three weeks stretching before them, lazy, lovely weeks, full of picnics, bathes, ice-creams—and perhaps sleeping out in the open air instead of in the caravan? Roger made up his mind to suggest it that very first night—not for his mother or Miss Pepper, just for himself and Diana.

The car purred on and on—where would they stop for the night? Nobody knew and nobody cared. The caravan rolled on behind them, and every now and again Roger looked back to make sure it was still safely there.

“We’re going to have fun!” he said to Diana. “For three whole weeks—nothing but fun!”