Читать книгу Five on a Secret Trail - Enid blyton - Страница 6

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It was now tea-time, according to Anne’s watch and also according to everyone’s feelings, including Timmy’s. Timmy felt the heat very much and was always wandering off to the little spring to lap the crystal-cold water. Anne wished that she and George had a big jug that they could fill—it was such a nuisance to have to keep running to and fro with just a mug.

They had tea—biscuits, a sandwich each, and a bar of rather soft chocolate. George examined Timmy’s ear for the hundredth time that day, and pronounced it very much better.

‘Well, don’t take off that collar yet,’ said Anne. ‘He’ll only open the wound by scratching if you do.’

‘I’m not going to take it off!’ said George, touchily. ‘What shall we do now, Anne? Go for a walk?’

‘Yes,’ said Anne. ‘Listen—you can hear those sharp, metallic noises again—that’s the boy at work again, I expect. Funny boy he must be—coming to dig about all on his own with his comical little dog. I wish we could see what he’s doing.’

‘We promised we wouldn’t,’ said George. ‘So I don’t feel that we even ought to go and peep.’

‘Of course not!’ said Anne. ‘Come on—let’s go in the opposite direction, George—right away from the boy. I hope we shan’t get lost!’

‘Not while Timmy’s with us, silly!’ said George. ‘You’d find your way home from the moon, wouldn’t you, Tim?’

‘Woof,’ agreed Timmy.

‘He always says yes to whatever you say, George,’ said Anne. ‘I say—isn’t it a lovely evening? I wonder what Julian and Dick are doing?’

George immediately looked downcast. She felt that her two cousins had no right to go rushing across France when she wanted them at Kirrin. Didn’t they like Kirrin? Would they be having magnificent adventures on the Continent, and not want to spend even a week at Kirrin? She looked so lost in miserable thoughts that Anne laughed at her.

‘Cheer up! At least I am here with you—though I agree that compared with Ju and Dick I’m very poor company, and not at all adventurous!’

They had a lovely walk, and sat down half-way to watch hordes of rabbits playing together. Timmy was very unhappy about this. Why sit down to watch silly rabbits? Rabbits were made to chase, weren’t they? Why did George always put a restraining hand on his collar when she sat down to watch rabbits? He whined continually, as he watched with her.

‘Shut up, Timmy, you ass,’ said George. ‘You’d only spoil the entertainment if you sent them to their holes.’

They watched for a long while and then got up to go back to the camp. When they came near, they heard the sound of low whistling. Someone was about that evening, quite near their camp. Who was it?

They came round a big gorse bush, and almost bumped into a boy. He got out of their way politely, but said nothing.

‘Why—it’s you!’ said George, in surprise. ‘I don’t know your name. What are you doing here? You said you wouldn’t come near us.’

The boy stared, looking very surprised. His tousled hair fell right across his forehead, and he brushed it back.

‘I said nothing of the sort,’ he said.

‘Oh, you did!’ said Anne. ‘You know you did. Well, if you break your promise, there’s no reason for us to keep ours. We shall come and visit your camp.’

‘I never made you any promise,’ said the boy, looking quite startled. ‘You’re mad!’

‘Don’t be an idiot,’ said George, getting cross. ‘I suppose you’ll be saying next that you didn’t act like a hen, and a duck, and a horse this afternoon ...’

‘And a cat,’ said Anne.

‘Barmy!’ said the boy, looking at them pityingly. ‘Quite barmy.’

‘Are you coming here again?’ demanded George.

‘If I want to,’ said the boy. ‘The water in this spring is better than the one over by my camp.’

‘Then we shall come and explore your camp,’ said George, firmly. ‘If you don’t keep your promise, we shan’t keep ours.’

‘By all means come if you want to,’ said the boy. ‘You seem quite mad, but I daresay you’re harmless. But don’t bring your dog. He might eat mine.’

‘You know he wouldn’t eat Jet!’ said Anne. ‘They’re good friends.’

‘I don’t know anything of the sort,’ said the boy, and went off, brushing his hair out of his eyes again.

‘What do you make of that?’ said George, staring after him. ‘Not a bit the same as he was this afternoon. Do you think he really had forgotten about his promise and everything?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Anne, puzzled. ‘He was so perky and jolly and full of fun before—grinning all the time—but just now he seemed quite serious—not a smile in him!’

‘Oh well—perhaps he’s a bit crazy,’ said George. ‘Are you sleepy Anne? I am, though I can’t think why!’

‘Not very—but I’d like to lie down on this springy heather and watch the stars gradually come sparkling into the sky,’ said Anne. ‘I don’t think I’ll sleep in the tent, George. You’ll want Timmy with you, and honestly there’s so little room inside the tent that I’m quite sure Timmy would lie on my legs all night long.’

‘I’ll sleep in the open air as well,’ said George. ‘I only slept in the tent last night because it looked a bit like rain. Let’s get some more heather and make a kind of mattress of it. We can put a rug on top of it, and lie on that.’

The two of them pulled a lot of heather and carried it to their ‘bed’. Soon they had a fine pile, and Timmy went to lie on it.

‘Hey—it’s not for you!’ cried George. ‘Get off—you’ll flatten it right down. Where’s the rug, Anne?’

They laid the rug on the heather-pile and then went to the spring to wash and clean their teeth. Timmy immediately got on to the heather-bed again, and shut his eyes.

‘You old fraud!’ said George, lugging him off. ‘You’re not asleep. Keep off our bed! Look—there’s a nice soft patch of grass for you. That’s your bed!’

George lay down on the rug, and the heathery-bed sank a little beneath her weight. ‘Very comfortable!’ said George. ‘Shall we want a rug over us, Anne?’

‘Well, I did bring one,’ said Anne. ‘But I don’t think we’ll want it, the night’s so hot. Look—there is a star already!’

Soon there were six or seven—and then gradually hundreds more pricked through the evening sky as the twilight deepened. It was a wonderful night.

‘Don’t the stars look big and bright?’ said Anne, sleepily. ‘They make me feel very small, they’re such millions of miles away. George, are you asleep?’

There was no answer. George hadn’t heard a word. She was fast asleep. Her hand fell down the side of the heather and rested on the ground below. Timmy moved a little nearer and gave it a small lick. Then he too fell asleep, and gave some small doggy snores.

The night darkened. There was no moon but the stars shone out well from the midnight sky. It was very quiet out there on the common, far away from streets and villages and towns. Not even an owl hooted.

Anne didn’t quite know why she awoke. At first she had no idea where she was, and she lay gazing up at the stars in astonishment, thinking she must still be asleep.

She suddenly felt very thirsty. She groped about in the nearby tent for the mug, couldn’t find it and gave it up.

‘I’ll drink from my cupped hands,’ she thought, and set off for the little spring. Timmy wondered whether to follow her. No—he would stay with George. She wouldn’t like it if she awoke and found him gone with Anne. So he settled his head down on his paws again and slept, leaving one ear open for Anne.

Anne found the little spring. Its tinkling gurgling sound guided her as soon as she heard it. She sat down on one of the stones nearby, and held out her cupped hands. How very cold the water was—and how delicious to drink on this hot night! She sipped thirstily, slopping some of the water down her front.

She got up to go back, and walked a few steps in the starlight. Then she stopped. Wait—was she going in the right direction? She wasn’t sure.

‘I think I am!’ she decided, and went on, carefully and quietly. Surely she must be near their little camp now?

Then all at once she stood still, and felt herself stiffen. She had suddenly seen a light. It had flashed and disappeared. Ah—there it was again! Whatever could it be?

Then, as her eyes strained through the starlit darkness, she suddenly saw that she had taken the wrong way—she had gone in the direction of the old ruined cottage, and not the camp—and the light had come from there!

She didn’t dare go any nearer. She felt glued to the grass she was standing on! Now she could hear sounds—whispering sounds—and the noise of a footfall on the stone floor of the cottage—and then the flash of a light came again! Yes, it was from the old cottage!

Anne began to breathe fast. Who was it in the old cottage? She simply dared not go and see. She must go back to George, and to Timmy’s protection. As fast and as silently as she could she found her way back to the spring—and then, almost stumbling now, made her way to where George was still lying peacefully asleep.

‘Woof,’ said Timmy, sleepily, and tried to lick her hand. Anne climbed on to the heathery-bed beside George, her heart still beating fast.

‘George!’ she whispered. ‘George, do wake up. I’ve something queer to tell you!’