Читать книгу The Four Cousins - Enid blyton - Страница 3

Table of Contents

“Granny’s come to tea!” called Mummy as soon as John and Sarah came running in from school. “She’s in the garden—go and see her.”

“Oh good!” said John. “I’ll show her the lovely new scooter Daddy’s given me!”

“And I’ll show her my new baby doll,” said Sarah. “The one that can speak! Oh—and where’s our new barrow? Granny will like to see that.”

Granny was sitting out in the garden, enjoying the sunshine. She smiled when Sarah and John came up, Sarah with her new doll, and John dragging the barrow behind him as he rode on his new scooter.

“Well, well—new toys again!” said Granny. “What a beautiful doll, Sarah! Who gave you that—Auntie Sue?”

“Yes,” said Sarah. “She’s always giving us lovely presents—and it isn’t even my birthday!”

“You know,” said Granny, “I could tell you about some children who have only a dirty little dish-cloth wrapped round a stick for a doll.”

“Why haven’t they a proper doll?” asked Sarah in surprise. “I’ve six dolls, not counting my dolls’ house dolls.”

“Billy and Betty haven’t a Daddy, and their Mummy has very little money,” said Granny. “They are often hungry, and hardly ever go out for a walk, or to play, as you do.”

“But why doesn’t their Mummy take them out for walks, as ours does?” said John.

“Because she has to go out to work all day, and she leaves them behind in the one room she has,” said Granny. “And from breakfast-time to tea-time they have nothing to eat, because there is no one to see to them. Sometimes a neighbour looks in, but that’s all.”

Sarah’s eyes filled with tears. “Granny, can’t you help them?” she said.

“I do,” said Granny. “Whenever I hear of any sick, lonely, unhappy children, I do all I can to help them to be well and happy. And, you see, when I come to visit you, and see your beautiful toys, and the lovely food Mummy gets for you, and the warm fires, and kisses and hugs, I can’t help remembering these other children. I suppose you wouldn’t like to help me, would you?”

“Oh yes, Granny!” said Sarah. “We’ll come with you and play with the poor little things.”

“No—they need much more than a playmate,” said Granny. “They need a lovely long holiday by the sea—and that costs money. Do you think you could set to work to do little jobs, and earn some money to help me to send little Betty and Billy away to the sea?”

“But what little jobs could we do?” said Sarah. “I don’t know any that would earn me money.”

“And we’re always so busy,” said John. “I don’t know how we’d find the time.”

“Ah well—I rather thought you would say that,” said Granny, getting up. “I’ll ask your two cousins to help me—Sam and Susie—they’re a kind-hearted pair, bless them.”

“Granny, we will help you,” said Sarah. “But do tell us how to get some jobs! I don’t want Sam and Susie to help you, and not us. Please sit down, Granny.”

“Well, Sam and Susie are a grand pair of children,” said Granny, sitting down again. “They already do such a lot of things for other people, that I hardly like to ask them to help in this too. But I know they would say yes, at once!”

“We’re saying yes, too,” said Sarah. “Granny, can we do jobs for any of your friends? Then if we get paid we will give you the money for Billy and Betty. Truly we will.”

“Very well,” said Granny, smiling. “But mind now—once you take on something, you must go on with it! I’ll tell you the kind of jobs that Sam and Susie do, when they want to earn money for anything.”

“What do they do?” asked John.

“Well, Susie does the washing-up after tea,” said Granny. “Her Mummy pays her a penny a time—that’s sevenpence a week. She runs errands any day—and gets tuppence an errand. She even goes shopping for some of the neighbours on Saturday morning, and they pay her sixpence for fetching a full basket of goods, and threepence for a small basket of goods.”

“I wouldn’t mind doing that,” said Sarah. “It would be fun—if people would let me do it!”

“As for Sam, he does quite a lot of jobs,” said Granny. “He cleans his father’s bicycle once a week—that’s a shilling job if it’s done properly. And he takes three dogs for a walk each evening—three puppies—at tuppence a walk.”

“What does all that money go to?” asked John. “Do they buy toys for themselves?”

“No. They are saving up to help sick or hurt animals,” said Granny. “You know how fond of birds and animals they are. They have a money-box, and I can tell you that it is getting very full! I could hardly pick it up last time I saw it!”

“Granny, we will help,” said Sarah. “Truly we will. You just see! We’ll be every bit as good as Sam and Susie at earning money. It sounds quite easy, really.”

“Well—talk it over with Mummy and see what she says,” said Granny, getting up. “I’ll hear what you’ve done when I come to tea again next week—so you’d better begin straight away!”

And off went Granny to say good-bye to Mummy. The two children looked at one another. “We’ll begin as soon as we can,” said Sarah. “Now—let’s make a few plans, John. How can we earn some money?”