Читать книгу The Four Cousins - Enid blyton - Страница 4

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“Whatever were you two talking about with Granny?” said Mummy, when they came in from the garden. “You all looked so serious!”

“Granny wants us to help her with a poor little boy and girl she knows,” said Sarah. “They simply must go away for a holiday by the sea, Mummy.”

“Well, darling, I’d be very glad if you would do something like that,” said Mummy. “But you always seem so busy—why, you hardly have time to run an errand for me sometimes! And as for you, John, you always say you haven’t time even to clean your new scooter! So how will you find time to help Granny? And how are you going to help her?”

“Well,” said John, “There’s Daddy’s bike, for instance. Would Daddy let me earn sixpence a week if I kept it clean?”

“He certainly would!” said Mummy. “And if Sarah would run errands for me when I’m busy, I would pay her threepence each errand.”

“Oh, Mummy—we’d soon earn money then!” said Sarah. “Then Billy and Betty could go away for a lovely long seaside holiday. Mummy, isn’t it dreadful, they are left alone all day while their Mummy goes out to work!”

“They aren’t the only children who need help,” said Mummy. “There are plenty of unhappy children in the world—and I think it’s right that happy children should try to help them. Look—here’s Daddy—tell him about Granny’s idea.”

So the two children told him, and he nodded his head, pleased. “Just like Granny,” he said. “Always helping other people. Well, well—to think she has managed to get you two to help her! I was beginning to think you were really a very selfish little pair.”

“We’re not,” said Sarah, and she went very red in the face. “You wait and see! We’re going to do a lot of jobs of all kinds—and we’ll put the money into our money-box, and you’ll see—we’ll soon send that little girl and boy away for a holiday.”

“Right,” said Daddy. “Sixpence a week to you if you keep my bicycle clean, John. And sixpence a week to you, Sarah, if you keep the bicycle shed swept out—it gets so dirty.”

“But where shall I get a broom?” said Sarah.

“That’s up to you,” said Daddy. “I’ve no doubt Mummy has a stiff broom. And, John, if you want to earn any more money, you can do a spot of weeding for me. That bed by the front gate is full of weeds—I’m really ashamed of it.”

“How much for that?” asked John.

“Well—if it’s really properly done, I’ll give you a shilling,” said Daddy. “But mind—I’m not paying for bad work—only for good work!”

Daddy went off, whistling, looking rather pleased. Well, well—to think that John and Sarah wanted to do something for other people! That was a change—they were usually so selfish.

“Too many aunts and uncles giving them presents and spoiling them,” thought Daddy. “Now I wonder—will John clean my bicycle each week—or will he do it just once and then not bother any more?”

Sarah went to her mother. “Mummy—would you trust me to do the washing-up sometimes?” she said. “I promise to be very, very careful. Granny says that Susie does it for her mother, and gets paid a penny a time. She’s helping Granny too—to send that boy and girl away on holiday, you know.”

“Yes—I will trust you to do the washing-up if you’ll promise me to do it very, very carefully,” said Mummy. “You know how you hurry over jobs—well, you can’t hurry over washing-up, you’ll break things if you do.”

“Oh, I’ll do it very, very carefully,” said Sarah. “I can do it just as well as Susie, I’m sure!”

“Well, listen—you shall have a penny a time, just like Susie—but if you break anything you must give me back the money you have earned,” said Mummy. “Then I can buy a new cup, or saucer, or whatever it is you break. That’s fair enough, isn’t it?”

“Well, as I shan’t break anything, it’s quite fair!” said Sarah. “Any other job, Mummy? I do want to earn a lot of money—just like Susie!”

“Right,” said Mummy. “Well, if you want to earn any more money, you can help me to darn Daddy’s socks. You have learnt how to darn at school, and that would be a great help to me. I’ll pay you threepence a sock, because Daddy’s socks do get rather big holes in them.”

“But I don’t like darning,” said Sarah.

“All right—it’s up to you!” said Mummy. “If you want to earn as much as you can, you will have to take what jobs are offered to you!”

Sarah went off, pleased. Why, she could earn a great deal of money every week. She counted it up for herself. “Washing-up—sevenpence; darning two socks—sixpence; sweeping out Daddy’s shed—sixpence; running errands, say one shilling. How much is all that?”

She wrote it all down, and then added up the money. “Good gracious! I should earn at least two shillings and sevenpence! I’m sure that’s more than Susie would earn! Won’t Granny be pleased!”

She went to get her book to read. It was an exciting story, and she settled down comfortably on the garden seat. She had read just two pages when Mummy called her.

“Sarah! Will you run down to Mrs. Day’s, please, and tell her I’d be glad if she could come in and help me tomorrow morning?”

“Oh, Mummy—must I?” said Sarah. “I’m reading. Can’t John go?”

Oh, Sarah, Sarah! Is that the way to earn money? Have you forgotten your plans already?