Five Have Plenty of Fun (7 page)

„Lesley is the name," said Aunt Fanny with a little laugh. „Quentin, do try and remember."

Another day passed peaceful y by, and the five children and two dogs were out of doors all day long, swimming, boating, exploring, really enjoying themselves.

Berta wanted to go over to Kirrin Island, but George kept making excuses not to go.

„Don"t be mean," said Dick. „We all want to go. It"s ages since we went. It"s just that you don"t want to let Lesley do something she"d like to do!"

„It isn"t," said George. „Perhaps we"ll go tomorrow."

But when tomorrow came something happened that upset their plans for going to Kirrin Island. A telephone cal came for Uncle Quentin, and immediately he was in a panic.

„Fanny! Fanny, where are you?" he cal ed. „Pack my bag at once. At once, do you hear?"

His wife came running down the stairs at top speed. „Quentin, why? What"s happened?"

„Elbur"s found a mistake in our calculations," said Uncle Quentin. „What nonsense! There"s no mistake. None at al ."

„But why can"t he come here and work it out with you?" asked his wife. „Why have you got to rush off like this? Tell him to come here, Quentin. I"l find him a bed somehow."

„He says he doesn"t want to, while his daughter - his daughter - what"s her name now?"

„Lesley," said his wife. „Al right, don"t bother to explain. I see now that it would be foolish for him to come while Lesley"s here - she"d be cal ing him Pops, and..."

„Pops?" said her husband, startled. „What do you mean - Pops?"

„It"s what she cal s her father, dear," said Aunt Fanny, patiently. „Anyway, he"s quite right.

It would be foolish to hide Lesley here so well, and then have everyone hear her calling him Pops, and him cal ing her Berta - if any kidnappers followed him, they would soon find out where his daughter was - here, with our four!"

„Yes - that"s what I was trying to tell you," said her husband, impatiently. „Anyway I must go to Elbur straightaway. So pack my bag, please. I"l be back in two days" time."

„In that case I"l go with you, Quentin," said his wife. „I could do with a quiet two days -

and you"re not much good when you"re alone, are you - losing your socks, and forgetting to have your shoes cleaned, and..."

Her husband gave a sudden smile that lighted up his face and made him seem quite young. „Wil you real y come with me? I thought you"d hate to leave the children."

„It"s only for two days," said his wife. „And Joan is very good with them. I"l arrange that they shall go out on all-day picnics in the boat - they"l be quite safe then. If any kidnappers were around they"d find it difficult to snatch Lesley out of a boat! But I"m beginning not to believe that tale of Elbur"s. He just got into a panic when he heard the rumour, I expect."

The children were told of the sudden decision when they got back to lunch that day.

Joan had to tell them, because Aunt Fanny and her husband had already departed, complete with two suitcases, one containing precious papers and the other clothes for two days.

„Gosh!" said Julian, surprised. „I hope nothing horrid"s happened."

„Oh no - it was just a sudden telephone call from Master Lesley"s father," said Joan, smiling at Berta. „He had to see your uncle in a hurry - about some figures."

„Why didn"t Pops come down here - then he could have seen me?" demanded Berta at once.

„Because everyone would have known who you are, then," said Dick. „We"re hiding you, don"t forget!"

„Oh yes - well I do believe I had forgotten," said Berta, rather surprised at herself. „It"s so lovely down here in Kirrin with you all. The days seem to swim by!"

„Your mother said you had better go off on all-day picnics in the boat," said Joan to George. „That was to make things easy for me, of course. But I don"t mind what you do -

you can come back to lunch each day, if you like."

„I do so like you, Joan!" said Berta, giving the surprised cook a sudden hug. „You"re a real honey!"

„In fact, she"s quite wunnerful!" said Dick. „It"s all right, Joan - we"ll go out for the midday meal, and for tea, til my aunt comes back. And we"ll make the sandwiches and pack up everything ourselves."

„Well, that"s nice of you," said Joan. „Why don"t you go across to Kirrin Island for the day?

Master Lesley keeps wanting to go."

Berta grinned at Joan. It always struck her as extremely funny to be cal ed Master Lesley, and Joan never once forgot.

„We"ll go if the boat is ready," said George, rather reluctantly. „You know James is mending one of the row-locks. We"ll go and see if it"s finished."

They all went to see, but James was not there. His father was working on another boat, over by the jetty, and he cal ed to them.

„Do you want my James? He"s gone off in his uncle"s boat for a day"s fishing. He said to tell you the row-lock"s not mended yet, but he"ll do it for certain tonight when he comes back."

„Right. Thank you," called back Julian. Berta looked very disappointed. „Cheer up," he said. „We"ll be able to go tomorrow."

„We shan"t," said Berta, mournfully. „Something else wil happen to prevent us - or George wil think of another excuse not to go. Gee, if I had a wunnerful - wonDERful - island like that, I"d go and live on it."

They went back to Kirrin Cottage and packed up a very good lunch for themselves.

Berta"s father had sent down a parcel of American goodies three days before, and they meant to try them.

„Snick-snacks!" said Dick, reading the name on a tin. „Shrimp, lobster, crab and a dozen other things al in one tin. Sounds good. We"ll make sandwiches with this!"

„Gorgies," said Anne, reading the name on another tin. „What a peculiar name! Oh - I suppose it"s something you gorge yourself with. Let"s open it."

They opened half a dozen tins with most exciting names and made themselves so many sandwiches that Joan exclaimed in amazement. „However many have you made for each of you?"

„Twenny each - I mean twenTY," said Berta. „But we won"t be back to lunch or tea, Joan. I guess we"ll be plenny hungry."

„PlenTy!" chorused everyone, and Berta obediently repeated the word, a grin on her sun-tanned face.

What a day they had! They walked for miles and picnicked in a shady wood near a little stream that bubbled along near by, sounding very cool and enticing. They decided to sit with their feet in it as they ate, and Anne gave continual little squeals because she said the water tickled the soles of her feet.

They were so tired when they got home that night that it was al they could do to eat their supper and stagger upstairs to bed.

„I shan"t wake til half past twelve tomorrow morning," yawned Dick. „Oh my poor feet!

Gosh, I"m so tired I shall probably fal asleep cleaning my teeth."

„What a peaceful night!" said Anne, looking out of her window. „Well - sleep tight, everyone. I don"t expect any of us wil open an eye til late tomorrow morning. I know I shan"t!"

But she did. She opened both eyes very wide indeed in the middle of the night.

Al was quiet in Kirrin Cottage. The two boys slept soundly in their room, and George and Anne slept without stirring in theirs. Berta was up in Joan"s attic room, and hadn"t moved since she had flopped into bed.

Timmy was on George"s feet, as usual, and Sally the poodle was curled up in the crook of Berta"s knees, looking like a bal of black wool! Nobody stirred.

A black cloud crept up the sky and blotted out the stars one by one. Then a low roll of thunder came. It was far off, and only a rumble, but it woke both the dogs, and it woke Anne too.

She opened her eyes, wondering what the noise was. Then she knew - it was thunder.

„Oh, I hope a storm won"t come and break up this wonderful weather!" she thought, as she lay and listened. She turned towards the open window and looked for the stars, but there were none to see.

„Well, if a storm"s coming, I"l go and watch it at the window," thought Anne. „It should be a magnificent sight over Kirrin Bay. I"m so hot too - I"d like a breath of fresh air at the window!"

She got quietly out of bed and padded over to the open window. She leaned out, sniffing the cool air outside. The night was very dark indeed, because of the great black cloud.

The thunder came again, but not very near - just a low growl. Timmy jumped off George"s bed and went to join Anne. He put his great paws up on the windowsil and looked out solemnly over the bay.

And then both he and Anne heard another sound - a faraway chug-chug-chug-chug-chug.

„It"s a motor-boat," said Anne, listening. „Isn"t it Timmy? Someone"s having a very late trip!

Can you see any ship-lights, Tim? I can"t."

The engine of the motor-boat cut out just then, and there was complete silence except for the swish-swash-swish of the waves on the beach. Anne strained her eyes to see if she could spot any light anywhere to show where the motor-boat was. It sounded quite far out on the bay. Why had it stopped on the water? Why hadn"t it gone to the jetty?

Then she did see a light, but a very faint one, right out at the entrance of the bay, about the middle. It shone for a while, moved here and there, and then disappeared. Anne was puzzled.

„Surely that"s just about where Kirrin Island is?" she whispered to Timmy. „Is anyone there?

Has the motor-boat gone there, do you suppose? Well, we"ll listen to see if it leaves again and goes away."

But no further sound came from across the bay, and no light shone either. „Perhaps the motor-boat is behind Kirrin Island," thought Anne, suddenly. „And then I wouldn"t be able to see any lights on it - the island would hide the boat and its lights. But what was that moving light I saw? Was it someone on the island? Oh dear, my eyes are getting so sleepy again that I can hardly keep them open. Perhaps I didn"t hear or see anything after al !"

There was no more thunder, and no lightning at all. The big black cloud began to thin out and one or two stars appeared in the gaps. Anne yawned and crawled into bed. Timmy jumped back on George"s bed and curled himself up with a little sigh.

In the morning Anne had almost forgotten her watch at the open window the night before. It was only when Joan mentioned that a big storm had burst over a town fifty miles away that Anne remembered the thunder she had heard.

„Oh!" she said, suddenly. „Yes - I heard thunder too, and I got out of bed, hoping to watch a storm. But it didn"t come. And I heard a motor-boat far out on the bay, but I couldn"t see any lights - except for a faint, moving one I thought was on Kirrin Island."

George sat up in her chair as if she had had an electric shock. „On Kirrin Island! Whatever do you mean? Nobody"s there. Nobody"s al owed there!"

„Well - I may have been mistaken," said Anne. „I was so very sleepy. I didn"t hear the motor-boat go away. I just went back to bed."

„You might have waked me, if you thought you saw a light on my island," said George.

„You real y might!"

„Oh, Miss Anne - it wouldn"t be kidnappers, would it!" said Joan, at once.

Julian laughed. „No, Joan. What would be the use of them going to Kirrin Island? They couldn"t do any kidnapping there, in ful view of all the houses round the bay!"

„I guess it was only a dream, Anne," said Berta. „I guess you heard the thunder in your sleep and it turned into the sound of a motor-boat chugging - dreams do that sort of thing. I know once I left the tap running in my basin when I went to sleep, and I dreamed all night long I was riding over the Niagara Fal s!"

Everyone laughed. Berta could be very drol at times. „If the boat"s ready, we"ll certainly go over to Kirrin Island today," said George. „If any trippers are there I"l send Timmy after them!"

„There wil only be the rabbits," said Dick. „I wonder if there are stil hundreds there - my word, last time we went they were so tame that we nearly fel over them!"

„Yes - but we didn"t have Timmy with us," said Anne. „George, it wil be nice to go to Kirrin Island again. We"ll have to tell Lesley about the adventures we"ve had there."

They washed up after breakfast, made the beds and did their rooms. Joan put her head round Julian"s bedroom door.

„Wil you want a packed lunch for a picnic again, Master Julian?" she said. „If you don"t, I can get you a nice bit of cold ham for lunch. The grocer"s just rung up."

„If the boat"s mended, we"re going over to the island, Joan," said Julian. „And then we"d like a packed lunch. But if we don"t go, we"ll stay for lunch. It wil be easier for you in a way, won"t it? We all got up so late this morning that there"s not much time to make sandwiches and pick fruit and so on."

„Well, you tell me, as soon as you know about the boat," said Joan, and disappeared.

George came in. „I"m going to see if the boat is mended," she said. „I"l only be gone a minute. Joan wants to know."

She was back almost at once. „It"s not ready," she said, disappointed. „But it wil be ready at two o"clock this afternoon. So we"ll have lunch here, shal we, and then go over to the island afterwards. We"ll pack up a picnic tea."

„Right," said Julian. „I vote we bathe from the beach this morning, then. The tide wil be nice and high and we can have some fun with the big breakers."

„And also keep an eye on James to see that he keeps his word about the boat," said Dick.

So, when all their jobs were finished - and they were very conscientious about them - the five children and the two dogs went off down to the beach. It was a little cooler after the thunder, but not much, and they were quite warm enough in their swim-suits, with a blazer to wear after a bathe.

„There"s nothing nicer than to feel hot and go into the sea and get cool, and then come out and get hot in the sun again, and then go back into the sea," began Berta.

„You say that every single day!" said George. „It"s like a gramophone record! Stil , I must say that I agree with you! Come on - let"s have a jolly good swim!"

They all plunged through the big, curling breakers, squealing as the water dashed over their bodies, cold and stinging. They chased one another, swam under water and grabbed at the legs swimming there, floated on their backs, and wished they hadn"t forgotten to bring the big red rubber ball with them. But nobody wanted to go and fetch it so they had to do without it.