Читать книгу The Children of Cherry Tree Farm - Enid blyton - Страница 3

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One early spring day three children looked out of a window in a tall London house. Below them was a busy street, and not far off was a patch of trees and grass with a tall railing round them.

‘The trees aren’t even budding yet,’ said the biggest boy, Rory. He was the oldest of the family, black-haired and brown-eyed. ‘How I do hate to be in London in the spring-time!’

‘Well, we always have been, and I suppose we always shall be,’ said Sheila. She was twelve, a year younger than Rory. Her curly hair hung over her shoulders, and her eyes were as brown as Rory’s.

The other boy rested his chin on his hand and looked thoughtfully down at the London square below.

‘What are you thinking about, Benjy?’ asked Sheila. ‘Wondering if there are any birds nesting in those trees, I suppose? Or if you might suddenly see a rabbit in the street, or a fox slinking by? You’ll have to wait till our summer holidays to see those things.’

‘I wish we were rich enough to have a cottage in the country, as some people have,’ said Benjy. ‘Wouldn’t I just love to see all the spring flowers coming out and to watch for frog spawn in the ponds!’

Benjy was ten—a thin, quiet boy who spent all his spare time reading about animals and birds. He was not the youngest; there was Penelope, who was only seven. She was downstairs with her mother, who was bandaging a cut finger for her.

And it was whilst she was there that Penelope heard the Great News. She listened with all her ears whilst the grownups were talking; and as soon as her finger was bandaged she flew up the stairs, bursting to tell the news!

She flung open the door, and stood there panting. The others turned round in surprise and saw Penelope’s blue eyes shining and her golden hair flying round her shoulders.

‘You’ll get into a row if you make such a noise,’ said Sheila. ‘You came upstairs like a dozen elephants.’

‘Rory! Sheila! Benjy! Listen! I’ve heard something marvellous!’ cried Penelope.

‘What?’ asked the others.

‘Well, we’re all going down to Cherry-Tree Farm to stay with Auntie Bess for at least six months!’ shouted Penelope, and she danced round the table in joy.

‘Penny! Are you sure?’ cried Rory.

‘Oh, Penny! It can’t be true!’ shrieked Sheila.

‘But what about school?’ asked Benjy in surprise.

‘Mummy said that the doctor advised a good long holiday for all of us,’ said Penny, still skipping about happily. ‘She said ...’

‘Penny, do stop still and tell us everything properly,’ begged Rory. So Penny sat down on a stool and told her brothers and sister what she had heard.

‘Well, we’ve all had measles, and then we had the flu, and then Benjy and I got that awful cough, and Mummy said we were all so thin and pale, and we didn’t eat enough, and the doctor said the only thing to do was to let us run wild down in the country, and Mummy said, “What about Cherry-Tree Farm?” and the doctor said, “Splendid,” and Daddy said, “Just the thing,” and I listened and didn’t say a word, and ...’

‘Oh, Penny, it’s too good to be true!’ said Benjy. ‘No school! Just going wild in the country. I’d like to go wild. I wish I could go down the rabbit-holes and live wild there. I wish I could get into a hollow tree and live wild there. I wish ...’

‘Benjy, don’t be silly! It will be much nicer to live at Cherry-Tree Farm with Auntie Bess and Uncle Tim!’ said Rory. ‘Golly! Cream every day! And those apple-pies with cheese that Auntie Bess makes! And strawberries straight out of the garden! What do people live in a town for?’

‘Oh, to ride on buses and go to cinemas, I expect,’ said Sheila. ‘When are we going, Penny?’

Penny didn’t know any more, but Mother soon came up and told them all about it.

‘You go on Thursday,’ she said. ‘You have all had such a lot of illness, so there must be no more school for you for some time. Just the country air and good food and lots of walks. I can’t come with you, because Daddy wants me to go to America with him—but Auntie Bess will look after you well.’

What an excitement there was for the next two days! The children were given one small trunk between them in which to pack any toys or books they wanted to take with them. Mother packed their clothes, but she said they might pack their toy trunk themselves.

Sheila wanted to take her biggest doll, but Rory wouldn’t let her. ‘It will take up half the trunk,’ he said. ‘Take a little one.’

Then Penny wanted to take her whole family of golliwogs. She had seven.

‘Well, if you take those golliwogs, you can’t take anything else at all,’ said Rory firmly. ‘Not a thing. No, not even that dreadful rabbit without any ears.’

In the end they all took what they wanted most. Rory took pencil-boxes, paint-boxes, and painting-books, for painting was his hobby. Sheila took her work-basket, some puzzles and a small doll. Benjy took nothing but books. Penny took three golliwogs, and as many other soft toys as she could squeeze in.

And then they were all ready. They were to go down by train, so Mummy and Daddy drove them to the big London station where their train waited for them. Cherry-Tree Farm was far away in the heart of the country, not very far from the sea. It would take them all day to get there.

‘Good-bye, my dears!’ said Mother. ‘Be good!’

‘Good-bye!’ said Daddy. ‘Remember that you will be in someone else’s house, so do exactly as you are told, and help whenever you can!’

‘Yes, we will!’ shouted the children in excitement. ‘Good-bye, Mummy! Good-bye, Daddy! Have a good time in America! Don’t forget to write to us!’

The engine whistled. Doors slammed. The guard waved a green flag and the train began to move slowly along the platform, chuffing as it went.

The chuffing grew faster. The platform came to an end. Mother and Daddy were only black specks in the distance, and the train came out of the big dark station into brilliant golden sunshine.

‘We’re off to Cherry-Tree Farm!’ cried Rory, and he banged on the seat so that dust flew up in a cloud.

‘We’re going to go wild, we’re going to go wild, we’re going to go wild!’ chanted Penny, in time to the noise that the train made. That made all the children laugh, and they sang Penny’s funny little song for a long time. It was a good thing they were all alone in their carriage!