Читать книгу The Boy Next Door - Enid blyton - Страница 7

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The three children made their way down beside the hedge that separated the two gardens. Sandy ran with them, astonished and excited. Could this be a rabbit-hunt in the middle of the night?

Two great gleaming eyes of green suddenly appeared in the light of the torch. Lucy gave a little scream of fright. Sandy stopped—then gave a glad yelp and rushed forward. The eyes disappeared, and there came the noise of something bounding up a tree.

“It was only Tiger,” said Betty, relieved. “Gracious, how queer her eyes looked, gleaming out of the darkness like that. Lucy, get Sandy back before he starts to bark.”

Sandy was hauled away from the tree up which Tiger sat, her eyes gleaming green again. The little company went on down the garden. Betty couldn’t help feel a little shaky at the knees. It was a bit too exciting!

They came to the hole under the fencing. Robin shone his torch on it. “You go first,” he said to Betty. “Then Lucy. Then I’ll come with the torch. I’ll stand here and shine it for you girls to see by.”

One by one they wriggled through the hole, and at last they all stood safely on the other side with Sandy at their heels, his tail wagging with pleasure. Robin shone his torch on the thick undergrowth.

“I hope the light of my torch won’t be seen,” he whispered. “I’ll keep my hand over it as much as I can. Let’s all take hands and try and walk in a single file.”

So they did that, and stumbled along in the long grass and round thick bushes until they came to the little wooded part that surrounded the lawn.

“Now, whereabouts is the summer-house?” said Robin in a whisper. “Oooh—what’s that?”

They all stared at a red glow a little way off. It disappeared. Then it came again. Then it vanished once more.

“It’s the light of a red lantern being turned on and off,” whispered Robin. “I bet it’s Kit in the summer-house. Look, we’re on the lawn now. Keep hold of hands, and we’ll go across the grass in the dark, towards the light.”

So they went silently across the lawn, and came to a dark shape, which was the summer-house. Inside there came a red glow again, and vanished.

“Kit! Is it you?” whispered Robin.

A low voice answered him: “Yes! My, you’re punctual! It’s just striking twelve! Hark!”

A clock could be heard striking from the house. The children crowded inside the summer-house with Sandy at their heels, his tail banging against their legs as he wagged it.

“Are we safe here?” asked Robin, feeling for the seat that ran round the little summer-house. “What’s that you’ve got? A lantern?”

“Yes,” said Kit, and he switched on the dim red glow again. “I thought it would be a signal to show you where to come. We’re quite safe here now. I heard my tutor snoring away in bed, and I know the dragon couldn’t guess I’m out, because I left a bolster down the middle of my bed, in case she looked into my room.”

“Good,” said Lucy. “Kit, that was a smart idea of yours to send us a message inside your old ball. We dug a hole under the fencing, just as you said.”

“Good for you!” said Kit. “I thought you would manage to do it. I’m glad you’re next door. I may perhaps have a bit of fun sometimes now.”

“Kit, why did the dragon say there was no boy here?” asked Robin curiously. “It was an awful fib.”

“Well—there’s a reason for it,” said Kit. “If I tell you, will you promise faithfully not to tell a single soul?”

“Of course,” said all three at once.

“You can trust us,” said Robin.

Sandy licked Kit’s leg, meaning to say that he, too, could be trusted.

“Well, I’ll tell you,” said Kit solemnly. He switched on the red glow again, and his face shone queerly in the crimson light. “There’s somebody after my life!”

Nobody said anything for a minute. This was a very strange thing to hear!

“What do you mean, Kit?” asked Robin at last.

“It’s like this,” said Kit. “I’m an American boy, and I’m very, very rich. My grandfather left an enormous fortune to my father, and when he disappeared and was thought to be dead in an aeroplane crash, the money came to me.”

“Oh—did your father die when the plane crashed, then?” said Robin, feeling sorry for Kit.

“The plane was burnt,” said Kit. “Nobody could be rescued from it. My father was known to be travelling in it, so I expect he lost his life when it crashed and burnt out. Anyway—I came into his fortune.”

“But I don’t see why anyone should be after your life just because you’re rich,” said Betty, puzzled.

“Ah, but, you see—if I died, there’s a horrible uncle of mine who would get my money,” said Kit. “It’s an uncle I’ve never seen. He’s tried to kidnap me twice already. I guess I wouldn’t have much chance if he got hold of me!”

This all sounded most extraordinary to the three children. They felt as if they must be in a dream, hearing about enormous riches, and a wicked uncle who was after a small boy! They looked at Kit’s earnest face glowing in the red light.

“Oh—is that why you’re in hiding, then?” said Lucy. “Because you are in hiding, aren’t you? Is the dragon looking after you—and your tutor? What’s a tutor?”

“Oh, a teacher,” said Kit. “They found this lonely house in this desolate bit of country—sorry, I know it’s lovely with its rivers and hills, but it’s boring to a boy like me, who is used to living in towns—well, they found this house and rented it to hide me till they can track down my wicked uncle and stop him coming after me. We travelled over from America and gave him the slip.”

“Will he come to this country and look for you?” asked Betty, a little shiver going down her back.

“You bet he will!” said Kit. “But don’t you worry! I’m not afraid. The only thing I’m afraid of is being bored and lonely. I guess if the dragon had known there were three children in your house she’d never have come here! But she heard there was one little girl and that was all.”

“Well, that’s all there is usually,” said Betty. “The little girl is me. But Robin comes home from boarding school in the hols, and this summer our cousin Lucy is staying with us, too.”

“And we’re going to have some fun,” said Kit. “Like me to teach you that war dance? It was taught me by a real live Red Indian. And my Red Indian suit is a real one, not a toy one like yours.”

Kit sounded very exciting. The three children thought he would be a marvellous friend to have—just right for Robin.

“Robin was feeling rather vexed these hols, because he only had two girls to play with,” said Betty. “Now he will have you. But I hope you’ll let me and Lucy play with you sometimes.”

“You bet!” said Kit. “I haven’t got any sisters, and I always wanted some. You can play with me any time. We’ll have some fun!”

“Is that dragon-woman very fierce?” asked Betty. “Who is she?”

“Oh, she’s not bad,” said Kit. “My tutor, Mr Barton, got her to keep an eye on me, and to watch out that nobody came near me, or knew about me here—and I’m not supposed to leave this garden at all, or show myself. If I obey her, she’s all right—but honestly I believe she’d get a stick and spank me if I didn’t do what she said!”

“I shouldn’t be surprised if she did, either,” said Betty. “She looks like that. I hope she never discovers us here!”

“Do you think you really are safe here?” asked Lucy anxiously. “It would be so awful if your wicked uncle discovered you and tried to get you.”

“I don’t see how he can possibly know,” said Kit. “Anyway, as I told you—I’m not afraid! Now, don’t you go and tell my secret to anyone at all, will you? I want to be friends with you.”

“You did give us a fright when you tied us up to trees yesterday,” said Lucy with a giggle. “We meant to give you a fright!”

“I know,” said Kit with a laugh. “Now—let’s make plans. I don’t see why I shouldn’t sometimes get through that tunnel of yours and go into your garden, if I can be somewhere that no one can spot me.”

“Well—if you do that, why can’t you come out boating with us on the river one day?” said Robin eagerly. “We know a secret way down to the river. You’ll be quite safe. We’ve a boat of our own, and we can have fun. We could take our dinner out sometimes and picnic on a little island we know, and bathe there. Wouldn’t you like that?”

“Would I not!” said Kit, and his eyes shone in the red light. “I’ll have to think of some way to outwit the dragon, though. It would have to be some day she goes out, I expect, and leaves me safely penned up here in the grounds! We’d better wait till she’s settled down here a bit. You can come in to see me, can’t you? There’s a big attic at the top of the house that Mr Barton has given me to play in. We could go there. I can lock the door so that no one can come in.”

“Oooh, yes,” said Robin. “And we could play all sorts of games in your grounds, too, because they are so thick and old and overgrown. Marvellous for Red Indians.”

“Well, listen—you come along in again to-morrow,” said Kit. “After dinner, see? The dragon often has a nap then, and we could have fine fun playing about at the bottom of our grounds. Bring that dog, too. I like him.”

“All right,” said Robin. “I say, this is going to be fun, isn’t it? Sort of secret and exciting. I hope that wicked uncle of yours doesn’t find out where you are. It would be tiresome if you had to leave and hide somewhere else just as we had got used to you!”

“We’ll come to-morrow, then,” said Lucy. “And we’ll bring our Red Indian things. You can teach us that war-dance.”

“We’d better go now,” said Robin, getting up. “See you to-morrow. Come on, girls. We’ll skirt round the edge of the lawn before I put on my torch. Take hands. Good night, Kit.”

“Good night, and thanks awfully for coming,” said the American boy in his nice drawly voice. “I’ll be right at the very bottom of our grounds, waiting for you. So long!”

The three children went out of the little summer-house, with Sandy at their heels, his hot breath on their bare legs. It was exciting finding their way by the light of Robin’s little torch to the hole under the fence. They wriggled through and then made their way up to their own house.

“Good night!” whispered Robin at his bedroom door. “Now, not a word about all this, mind!”

“Of course not!” whispered back Lucy and Betty. They slipped into their bedroom and snuggled into bed.

“It’s going to be exciting!” said Betty. But she didn’t guess quite how exciting everything was going to be!