Читать книгу The Buttercup Farm Family - Enid blyton - Страница 5

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On the way to Buttercup Farm Clopper slipped on the frosty road and fell down with a crash. Ann screamed in fright.

“Clopper! You’ve hurt yourself!”

Daddy leapt down and ran to poor old Clopper. Clopper looked up at him out of puzzled brown eyes that seemed to say, “What has happened? I’m frightened.”

“Get up, then, old fellow,” said Daddy, gently. “Let’s see if you’re hurt. No—you haven’t broken your leg, old boy. You’re all right.”

But Clopper simply wouldn’t get up. He lay there on the road, and wouldn’t move. Daddy and Mike tugged at him, but he was much too heavy.

He lay there for almost three hours, and Daddy was quite in despair. “We’ll have to go to the nearest farm and get ropes and a couple of men and pull him up,” he said. “He really must have hurt himself somewhere, poor old boy.”

Daddy got two men and a strong rope—and then, as they hurried over to Clopper, a surprising thing happened. Clopper heaved himself over, gave a funny groan, and stood up! He seemed a bit wobbly, but certainly he had no broken legs.

“Look at that, now!” said one of the men. “Just thought he’d lie down for a rest! Nothing wrong with him. Bit scared, I expect, after slipping like that. You walk at his head, sir, for a while.”

So Daddy walked at Clopper’s head, and he seemed to be quite all right. But how late it made them all in arriving at Buttercup Farm!

“Instead of arriving at half-past two, we shan’t be there till half-past five, in the dark,” said Mummy. “And we shall all be so cold and hungry. Oh dear, whatever will Auntie Clara say when we arrive so late!”

It was quite dark when the two caravans reached Buttercup Farm. There was the farmhouse, with lights shining out of all the downstairs windows. A dog came bounding to meet them, barking loudly.

“Oh, Gilly!” cried Ann, pleased. “You know us, don’t you, and you’re so pleased to see us.”

Gilly was a spaniel, with lovely long, drooping ears and a silky coat. She licked each of the children in turn and then ran barking indoors to tell Auntie Clara that the family had arrived.

Auntie Clara gave them a lovely welcome. She stood at the door, plump and beaming, and a most delicious smell came from the house. The hungry children sniffed it eagerly.

“Oooh—bacon and eggs, isn’t it? Just what I feel like!” said Mike. “Hullo, Auntie Clara! We’re late because Clopper fell down on the frosty roads, and wouldn’t get up.”

“Oh, you poor things—you must be so cold and hungry,” said kind Auntie Clara, and she took their cold hands in her warm ones, and pulled them into the house.

“Ned, Ned!” she called to her husband. “See to the horses for them—they’re all so tired and hungry!”

“I’m going to love living with you, Auntie Clara,” said Ann, pleased to be in the warm farmhouse kitchen with its big red fire.

“That’s right,” said Auntie Clara. “Now, if you’re not too tired, there’s hot water in the bathroom, and then there’s a hot meal down here, just waiting to be served. So hurry!”

They hurried. They were soon downstairs again, sitting round the big wooden table. Ann liked it because it was quite round. “Nobody can sit at the top or the bottom, because it’s round,” she said to Belinda.

Bacon and eggs. New bread and honey. Hot scones with creamy farm butter. A great big fruit cake with almonds on top. Big mugs of creamy milk. What a meal! Mummy looked round at the hungry children and smiled.

“Clara, if you feed them like this all the time, I shan’t know them when I come back. They’ll be so big and fat!”

“Like Uncle Ned,” said Belinda, and they all laughed. Uncle Ned was very big indeed, and getting rather fat, but all the children loved him because he was so jolly.

“Where are Davey and Clopper?” said Ann. “Are they having a meal too?”

“Of course,” said Uncle Ned. “Let me see, Clara, did we send bacon and eggs out to them—or was it scones and butter?”

“Uncle Ned, you always make jokes,” said Ann. “Nobody would give horses bacon and eggs.”

“Well, you’re a clever little girl, so I dare say you’re right,” said Uncle Ned with one of his booming laughs. “You needn’t worry your head about Davey and Clopper, little Ann. They’re in the stables along with my horses, eating a fine meal of oats. And the caravans are put into the big barn, where they’re saying how-do-you-do to the wagons and the carts!”

“It’s lovely to be at Buttercup Farm,” said Belinda. “Oh, Auntie Clara, you really will let us help, won’t you? I want to feed the hens.”

“And I’m going to milk the cows,” said Mike.

“And I shall look after the piglets if you’ve got any,” said Ann.

“You shall all help,” said Auntie Clara. “But mind, now—farming is hard work, and you’ll have to stick to your jobs and do them well, week in and week out! Just like real farmers do.”

“Oh, we will,” said Mike earnestly. “It’s very kind of you to have us, and we’ll be sure to do all we can.”

“Now—if you’ve all finished, I think it’s time Ann went to bed,” said Mummy. “And then, Belinda, you come along with Mike.”

“So early!” said Mike, surprised.

“Ah,” said Uncle Ned, “early to bed and early to rise is the farmer’s motto, young man. There are no lie-abeds here! Breakfast at seven o’clock sharp!”

“I don’t care if it’s at six!” said Mike. “So long as I’m at Buttercup Farm!”