Читать книгу Boys' and Girls' Circus Book - Enid blyton - Страница 6

Table of Contents

The days slid by, and Jerry and the two children became fast friends. All too soon the ten days came to an end.

The next day the circus was to pack up and go on its travels once more. Susy-Ann, Pip, Mister Binks, and Jerry sat under the sweet-smelling hawthorn hedge and felt very sad.

“Our father said good-bye to us to-day and went off to catch his ship to Australia,” said Pip, gloomily. “When he has made a lot of money out there he will send for us. But now we are all alone, and soon Susy-Ann and I will have to say good-bye to one another too.”

Susy-Ann was crying. Jerry put his arm round her and hugged her. He was very fond of the golden-headed little girl.

“I do wish you could come with us,” he said.

“So do I,” sobbed Susy-Ann. “I do hate saying good-bye.”

Jerry took out his handkerchief and wiped Susy-Ann’s eyes. He was very thoughtful. Suddenly he went very red indeed, as he always did when a big idea came into his head.

“What’s the matter, Jerry?” asked Pip, staring at him. “You’ve gone as red as a tomato!”

“I’ve got an idea!” said Jerry, almost in a whisper.

“Well, what is it?” asked Pip in surprise.

“Sh! Don’t talk so loud. It’s a peculiar sort of idea—I don’t know if it will work—but ...”

“Oh, Jerry! Do say what it is!” said Susy-Ann, her eyes quite round with curiosity.

“Well, listen,” said Jerry, half-whispering again. “What about you two coming away with the circus to-morrow? I could hide you! Nobody would know.”

Pip and Susy-Ann stared at Jerry in the greatest astonishment. They couldn’t think of a word to say. Pip’s heart began to beat very fast indeed.

“Well?” said Jerry, impatiently. “Don’t you think it’s a good idea? You don’t seem very pleased about it.”

“Jerry!” said Susy-Ann, finding her tongue first. “Oh, Jerry! It’s the most wonderful idea in the world. Can we really come?”

“I don’t see why not,” said Jerry. “There is a little old caravan, very dirty and creaky, that we use to store all kinds of odds and ends in. I could hide you in that and nobody would know you were there!”

“But what about Mister Binks?” asked Susy-Ann.

“Oh, he can come with me,” said Jerry. “I can tell people that you’ve given him to me. He’ll be all right!”

“But what will happen when we’re found out?” said Pip.

“Oh, perhaps you won’t be,” said Jerry. “Or, if you are, maybe nobody will bother about you and you can stay with us for always, and perhaps do something in the circus.”

Pip and Susy-Ann stared at Jerry with shining eyes. It sounded too good to be true. To go with Jerry and the circus! To hide away in a caravan! To be together instead of being apart! The children didn’t think of any difficulties. They didn’t think that people might look for them. They just wanted to do what dear old Jerry said!

“We’ll come!” said Pip. Susy-Ann squeezed Pip’s hand. She was so happy that she could hardly speak. Mister Binks gave a little snort, and Jerry patted him.

“Yes, you shall come too,” he said. “You are a bit smelly, and your appetite is dreadful, but you are a beautiful goat, and you shall belong to the circus too!”

They made their plans. Pip and Susy-Ann were supposed to catch the bus the next day to go to Kemmingtown, where somebody was to meet them and to take them to their new homes. They just wouldn’t go! Instead they would slip into the circus field, and Jerry would somehow smuggle them into the old caravan!

“Everyone will be very busy packing up,” he told the children. “They won’t take any notice of you. It’s my job to stack the odd things into the old caravan, so no one will look there but me. You’ll be quite safe there! If you’ve got anything in your larder in the way of food, bring it along, and your clothes too. You may have to live in the caravan for a day or two whilst we are on the road.”

There was no time to say anything more, because Jerry had to go. He took Mister Binks with him, for he thought it would be better to get him used to the camp that night. He tied the white goat outside his own blue caravan and gave him some water.

Mister Binks drank the water and then tried to eat the bucket. He nibbled at the string that tied the handle of the bucket on, for it was an old one, and the handle fell off with a clank!

“Binks!” said Jerry, sternly. “If you belong to a circus you must not do things like that!”

The goat snorted. He lowered his head and half ran at the little boy as if he were going to butt him over. But Jerry only laughed, and patted the goat.

“I know your funny little games!” said Jerry. “You can’t frighten me, Mister Binks! You’re a very nice goat, and I like you, but for goodness sake don’t try and eat the wheels off my caravan in the night!”

The next day Pip and Susy-Ann packed their few clothes into two old bags. Susy-Ann had one rag doll, very dirty, and she took that too. Pip had no toys at all, but he had Snowball, his white mouse.

They looked into the larder. There was nothing much there except for half a loaf of bread and some butter, and a pot of plum jam. Those went into a bag too.

Their next-door neighbour was coming in to see them off to the bus, and to shut up the house when they were gone. They slipped into the garden and over the fence without being seen by anyone. They were certainly not going to tell Mrs. Jones what they were going to do! She would wonder and wonder why they didn’t come along at bus-time, but that couldn’t be helped!

They sat under the hedge with their bags, watching the bustle and scurry of a circus camp breaking up. Oh, how busy everyone was! What shouts when the big tent was taken down! How everyone ran and called and beckoned and worked!

Jerry passed nearby and winked at them. “We shall be ready to go just after dinner-time,” he said. “I’ll slip you in last thing. I’ll have to bring the old caravan over here on its way to the gate, and you can get in then.”

Susy-Ann and Pip nodded in excitement. They thought Jerry was a wonderful boy; and indeed he was, for he worked like a man, helping here and helping there, carrying heavy loads, bringing fresh water to the animals to last them for their journey, and giving everyone a hand when he could. He whistled cheerily all the time, and whenever he passed the parrots’ caravan the birds whistled back, for they liked Jerry.

Mister Binks had seen Susy-Ann, and he did his best to get to her. But Jerry had tied him up with wire, and no matter how he tried to chew through that he could not bite it! So he stamped and snorted, making the grass fly under his sharp hoofs.

Snowball the mouse watched the busy camp from Jerry’s hand. She nibbled daintily at some crumbs, and was not a bit frightened. She could always run up Jerry’s sleeve whenever she wanted to!

Jerry brought the two children some cake at twelve o’clock. They ate it hungrily and drank some water. “Shan’t be long now!” whispered Jerry.

Pip peeped back through the hedge at his old home, wondering if Mrs. Jones was looking for them yet. But there was no sign of anyone. He hoped that Jerry would soon bring along the caravan so that he and Susy-Ann might get into it. He would not feel really safe till then.

The two children saw Jerry putting a big brown horse into the shafts of the dirty old caravan. He did up the straps, and then backed the caravan towards the children. Nobody was looking, for most of the circus-folk were having their dinners.

“Get in!” hissed Jerry. “Hurry!”

Pip and Susy-Ann almost fell up the steps of the little caravan, bags and all. Snowball disappeared up Jerry’s sleeve in a great hurry. Jerry shut the door with a bang and clicked to the horse. It lumbered off to its place in the row of carts, caravans, and cages, ready to go off when Mr. Phillipino gave the signal.

“We shall soon be off!” said Pip, with a great sigh.