Five Are Together Again (2 page)

The little joke made everyone feel better. They were all sitting on the grass now, and Timmy went lovingly from one to the other. Al his family back again - it was too good to be true! He settled down at last, his head on George"s knee, George"s hand caressing his ears.

„Aunt Fanny"s put down the telephone," said Anne. „Now she"ll come to the window."

„You"ve got ears like a dog - just as good as Timmy"s," said Dick. „I couldn"t hear a thing!"

„Here"s Mother!" said George, and leapt to her feet as Mrs Kirrin came to the window and leaned out.

„It"s al right, dears," she cal ed. „I"ve been able to arrange something for you. I have been telephoning the scientist that your father has been working with, George - Professor Hayling. He was coming here for a day or two, and when I told him he couldn"t because we"re in quarantine, he at once said that you must all go there - and that Tinker, his son -

you remember him, don"t you - would be delighted to have your company!"

„Tinker! Goodness, yes, I shal never forget him - or his monkey either!" said Julian. „He"s the boy who owns that old lighthouse at Demon"s Rocks, isn"t he? We went to stay there with him, and had a marvel ous time."

„Well - you"re not staying at the lighthouse, I"m afraid," said his aunt, from the window.

„Apparently a storm blew up one night and damaged it, and it"s not safe to live in any more."

Groans from all the Five, of course, Timmy joining in as usual! „Where are we to go then?

To Tinker"s home?" asked Dick.

„Yes. You can get a bus from here, at Little Hol ow, that wil take you almost to Big Hollow, where Professor Hayling lives," said Aunt Fanny. „You"re to go today. I"m so very sorry about this, dears, but it"s just one of those things we have to put up with. I"m sure you"l have a good time with Tinker, and that monkey of his. What was it called now?"

„Mischief," said everyone together, and Anne smiled in delight to think of being with the naughty little creature, and watching its wicked ways.

„The bus wil pass in ten minutes," said her aunt. „Julian, if you can"t manage to get your things on the bus, ask the gardener over the way to help you. And have a good time, dears, and send me a card or two. I"l let you know how we get on - but I real y don"t think that either your uncle or I wil catch scarlet fever, so don"t worry. And I"l send you some money to spend. You"d better run for the bus now."

„Right, Aunt Fanny, and thank you!" called Julian. „I"l look after everyone and keep them in order - especial y old George. Don"t worry at all - and I DO hope you or uncle don"t go down with the fever. Good-bye."

They all went to the front gate where the luggage stil stood. „Anne, go out into the road and stop the bus when it comes," ordered Julian. „Then Dick and I wil heave our bags aboard. Gosh, I wonder what it wil be like with old Tinker at Big Hol ow. I"ve a feeling it might be rather exciting!"

„I don"t think so," said George, mournful y. „I like Tinker all right - he"s funny - and that little monkey is a darling - such a naughty little thing too. But oh dear, don"t you remember what it was like when Tinker"s father came to stay with us? It was awful! He never remembered to come to meals, and was always losing his coat or his hanky or his money, and losing his temper too. I got very tired of him."

„Well, he"ll probably get very tired of us!" said Julian. „He won"t find it very funny to have four kids parked on him, especially if he"s in the middle of difficult work - to say nothing of a rather large, licky dog leaping round the house as wel ."

„Timmy isn"t likely to lick him," said George, at once, and put on one of her scowls. „I didn"t like Tinker"s father at al ."

„Well, don"t look like a thunderstorm," said Julian. „I don"t expect he"l like any of us either.

But it"s decent of him to give us an invitation to stay at Big Hol ow, and we"re jolly well going to behave ourselves, see? There"s to be no back-chat from you, George - even if he dares to disapprove of Timmy!"

„He"d better not," said George. „In fact, I"ve a good mind not to go. I think I"l live in the summer-house with Timmy, at the bottom of the garden!"

„You wil NOT!" said Julian, taking firm hold of her arm. „You"l play fair, come with us, and behave properly! Listen, there"s the bus. Come on, we"ll all wave, and hope the driver has a few empty seats."

Anne had already stopped the bus, and run round to the back of it to ask the conductor if he could help with the bags. He knew the children very wel , and leapt down at once.

„You"re going back to school pretty quick!" he said. „I thought the schools had only just broken up."

„They have," said Julian, „but we"re off to stay at Big Hollow. The bus goes there, doesn"t it?"

„Yes, we go right through the vil age of Big Hollow," said the conductor, carrying three bags at once, much to Julian"s envy. „Whereabouts are you staying there?"

„At Professor Hayling"s house," said Julian. „I think that"s called Big Hollow too, like the vil age."

„Ah, we pass it," said the conductor, „I"l stop the bus just outside and give you a hand with your things again. My word - you"l have to mind your p"s and q"s there - old Professor Hayling"s a bit peculiar, you know. Goes off the handle properly if things don"t go his way!

Once a horse got into his garden and believe it or not he chased that horse for two miles, shouting at it al the way. And bless me, when he got back home, tired out, there was that horse, chewing up his garden again. The horse was cute - he"d taken a short cut back.

Yes - you be careful how you behave at Big Hollow. The old man might get cross and pop you into one of his queer machines and grind you up into little pieces!"

The four children laughed. „Oh, the old Professor is al right," said Julian. „A bit forgetful, like most people who work with their brains al the time. My brain goes fairly slowly - but my Uncle Quentin"s goes about a hundred miles an hour, and I bet the Professor"s does too!

We"ll be al right!"

Away went the bus, bumping over the road from Kirrin and Little Hol ow, and on to Big Hollow. The four children gazed out of the windows as they passed alongside the shore, where the sea shone as blue as cornflowers, and once more saw Kirrin Island out in the big bay.

„Wish we were going there!" sighed George. „We"ll have to take a picnic meal there sometime, and enjoy ourselves. I"d like old Tinker to visit my island. He may have a lighthouse of his own, but having an island is MUCH better!"

„I think I agree with you," said Julian. „Tinker"s lighthouse is certainly lovely and al on its own, and the view from it is amazing - but there"s something about Kirrin Island that I love.

Islands are quite different from anything else!"

„Yes. They are," said Anne. „I"d like one too. A very little one, so that I could see all round it at one glance. And I"d like one little cave to sleep in - just big enough for me."

„You"d soon be lonely, Anne," said Dick, giving his sister a friendly pat. „You love to have people round you, you like to be friendly!"

„So does Timmy!" said Julian, as Timmy left his place by George"s knee and went to sniff at a net-bag held by an old man, who at once fondled the big dog, and fumbled for a biscuit out of a paper bag. „Timmy doesn"t mind how many people there are around, so long as one or two of them has a biscuit or a bone to hand out!"

„Come to heel, Timmy," said George. „You"re not to go round begging, telling people you are half-starved! I should think you eat more than any other dog in Kirrin. Who eats the cat"s dinner whenever he can, I should like to know?"

Timmy gave George a loving lick and settled down beside her, his head on her shoes. He got up politely every time someone entered or left the bus. The conductor was most impressed.

„I wish all dogs were as good on my bus as yours," he told George. „You"d better get ready to jump out. Our next stop is supposed to be a little way beyond Big Hol ow, but I"l ring my bel , and the driver wil stop for a moment, and you can get out."

„Thanks awful y," said Julian, grateful y, and when the bus stopped with a jerk a minute later, all the Five were ready to jump out.

The bus went on, and left them standing outside a large wooden gate. The drive from it led steeply downwards, and a large house could just be seen hidden in a hol ow by great trees.

„Big Hol ow!" said Julian. „Well - here we are. What a queer place - sort of mysterious and brooding. Now to find old Tinker! I bet he"l be pleased to see us al , especial y Timmy! Help me with the bags, Dick!"

The four children and Timmy went through the big, heavy gate, which groaned loudly.

Timmy was very startled to hear the mournful creak, and barked sharply.

„Sh!" said George. „You"ll get into trouble with the Professor, Timmy, if you raise your voice like that. I expect we"ll have to talk in whispers, so as not to disturb the Professor - so just see if you can whisper too."

Timmy gave a small whine. He knew he couldn"t whisper! He trotted at George"s heel as they all went down the steep drive to the house. It was a queer house, built sideways to the drive, and had astonishingly few windows.

„I expect Professor Hayling is afraid of people peering in at his work," said Anne. „It"s very, very secret, isn"t it?"

„I know he uses miles and miles of figures," said Dick. „Tinker told me one day that his monkey Mischief once chewed up a page of figures when he was very smal - and Professor Hayling chased him for a whole hour, hoping to catch him and find even a few bits of paper stil in his mouth, so that he could rescue at least part of his figures. But Mischief fled down a rabbit-hole and didn"t come up for two days, so it wasn"t any good."

Everyone smiled at the thought of poor Mischief hiding down a rabbit-hole. „You couldn"t do that, Timmy old thing!" said Julian. „So just be careful of any paper you eat."

„He wouldn"t be so sil y," said George, at once. „He knows perfectly well what"s eatable and what"s not."

„Ha! Does he!" said Anne. „Well, I"d just like to know what kind of food he thought my blue slipper was that he chewed up last hols!"

„Don"t tell tales of him," said George. „He only chewed it because someone shut him in your bedroom and he hadn"t anything else to do."

„Woof," said Timmy, quite agreeing. He gave Anne"s hand a little lick, as if to say, „Very sorry, Anne - but I was so bored!"

„Dear Timmy! I wouldn"t mind if you chewed up all my slippers!" said Anne. „But it would be nice if you chose the very oldest ones!"

Timmy suddenly stopped and looked into the bushes. He gave a low growl! George put her hand on his col ar at once. She was always afraid of snakes in the spring time.

„It might be an adder!" she said. „The dog next door trod on one last year, so I heard, and his leg swel ed up terribly, and he was in great pain. Come away now, Timmy - it"s an adder, with poison in its fangs!"

But Timmy went on growling. Then he suddenly stood stil and sniffed hard. He gave an excited whimper and pul ed away from George, jumping into the bushes - and out came, not a snake, but Mischief, Tinker"s bright-eyed little monkey!

He at once leapt on to the dog"s broad back, put his little monkey fingers under Timmy"s collar, and chattered in delight. Timmy nearly dislocated his neck trying to twist his head round to lick him!

„Mischief!" cried everyone at once, in real delight. „You"ve come to welcome us!"

And the little monkey, jabbering away excitedly in monkey-language, leapt first on to George"s shoulder, and then on to Julian"s. He pul ed Julian"s hair, twisted his right ear round, and then leapt from him to Dick, and on to Anne"s shoulder. He cuddled into her neck, his eyes bright and brown, looking very happy.

„Oh! Isn"t he pleased to see us again!" said Anne, delighted. „Mischief, where"s Tinker?"

Mischief jumped off Anne"s shoulder and scampered down the drive as if he quite understood al that Anne had said. The children raced after him - and then a stentorian voice suddenly roared at them from one side of the drive.

„What are you doing here? Clear out! This is private ground. I"l fetch the police. Clear OUT!"

The Five stopped stil in fright - and then Julian saw who it was - Professor Hayling! He stepped forward at once. „Good afternoon, sir," he said. „I hope we didn"t disturb you, but you did tell my aunt we could come here."

„Your aunt? Who"s your aunt? I don"t know any aunt!" roared the Professor. „You"re sight-seers, that"s what you are! Come to pry into my work, just because there was a piece about it in some sil y paper! You"re the third lot today. Clear out, I tell you - and take that dog too. How DARE you!"

„But sir - don"t you real y know us?" said Julian, very startled. „You came to stay at our house, you know, and..."

„Stuff and nonsense! I haven"t been away for years!" shouted the Professor. Mischief, the monkey, was so frightened that he leapt away into the bushes, making a funny little crying noise.

„I hope he fetches Tinker," said Julian, in a low voice to Dick. „The Professor has forgotten who we are, and why we"ve come. Let"s retreat a bit."

But as they went cautiously back up the steep path, followed by the angry Professor, a loud voice hailed them, and Tinker came racing up with Mischief on his shoulder, clinging to his hair. So the little monkey had gone to fetch him. „Good for him!" thought Julian, pleased.

„Dad! Don"t yell at our friends like that!" cried Tinker, dancing about in front of his angry father. „You asked them here yourself, you know you did!"

„I DID NOT!" said the Professor. „Who are they?"

„Well, George, that girl, is the daughter of Mr Kirrin, and the others are his niece and nephews. And that"s their dog, Timmy. And you asked them al here because Mr and Mrs Kirrin are in quarantine for scarlet fever," shouted Tinker, stil dancing about in front of his father.

„Stop jigging about like that," said the Professor, crossly. „I don"t remember asking them. I would have told Jenny the maid, if I had."

„You did tell her!" shouted Tinker, stil jigging about, with Mischief the monkey jigging too in delight. „She"s already made up the beds. I helped her. She"s angry because you left your breakfast and now it"s almost dinner-time. She"s cleared it away."