Five Get Into Trouble

1 Five make a holiday plan

'Real y, Quentin, you are most difficult to cope with!' said Aunt Fanny to her husband.

The four children sat at the table, eating breakfast, and looking very interested. What had Uncle Quentin done now? Julian winked at Dick, and Anne kicked George under the table. Would Uncle Quentin explode into a temper, as he sometimes did?

Uncle Quentin held a letter in his hand, which his wife had just given back to him after she had read it. It was the letter that was causing al the trouble, Uncle Quentin frowned

— and then decided not to explode. Instead he spoke quite mildly.

'Well, Fanny dear — how can I possibly be expected to remember exactly when the children's holidays come, and if they are going to be here with us or with your sister? You know I have my scientific work to do — and very important it is too, at the moment. I can't remember when the children's schools break up or go back!'

'You could always ask me,' said Aunt Fanny, exasperated. 'Real y, Quentin — have you forgotten how we discussed having Julian, Dick and Anne here these Easter holidays because they al enjoy Kirrin and the sea so much at this time of the year? You said you would arrange to go off to your conferences after they had had their holidays — not in the very middle of them!'

'But they've broken up so late!' said Uncle Quentin. 'I didn't know they were going to do that.'

'Well, but you know Easter came late this year, so they broke up late,' said Aunt Fanny, with a sigh.

'Father wouldn't think of that,' said George. 'What's the matter, Mother? Does Father want to go away in the middle of our holidays, or what?'

'Yes,' said Aunt Fanny, and she stretched out her hand for the letter again. 'Let me see

— he would have to go off in two days' time — and I must certainly go with him. I can't possibly leave you children alone here, with nobody in the house. If Joanna were not il it would be al right — but she won't be back for a week or two.'

Joanna was the cook. The children were al very fond of her, and had been sorry to find her missing when they had arrived for the holidays.

'We can look after ourselves,' said Dick. 'Anne is quite a good little cook.'

'I can help too,' said George. Her real name was Georgina, but everyone cal ed her George. Her mother smiled.

'Oh George — last time you boiled an egg you left it in the saucepan til it boiled dry! I don't think the others would like your cooking very much.'

'It was just that I forgot the egg was there,' said George. 'I went to fetch the clock to tune it, and on the way I remembered Timmy hadn't had his dinner, and . . .'

'Yes, we know all about that,' said her mother with a laugh. 'Timmy had his dinner, but your father had to go without his tea!'

'Woof,' said Timmy from under the table, hearing his name mentioned. He licked George's foot just to remind her he was there.

'Well, let's get back to the subject,' said Uncle Quentin, impatiently. 'I've got to go to these conferences, that's certain. I've to read some important papers there. You needn't come with me, Fanny — you can stay and look after the children.'

'Mother doesn't need to,' said George. 'We can do something we badly wanted to do, but thought we'd have to put off til the summer hols.'

'Oh yes,' said Anne, at once. 'So we could! Do let's!'

'Yes — I'd like that too,' said Dick.

'Well — what is it?' asked Aunt Fanny. 'I'm quite in the dark. If it's anything dangerous, I shal say no. So make up your minds about that!'

'When do we ever do anything dangerous?' cried George.

'Plenty of times,' said her mother. 'Now, what's this plan of yours?'

'It's nothing much,' said Julian. 'It's only that all our bikes happen to be in first-class order, Aunt Fanny, and you know you gave us two small tents for Christmas — so we just thought it would be great fun sometime to go off on our bikes, taking our tents with us — and do a little exploring round the countryside.'

'It's grand weather now — we could have fine fun,' said Dick. 'After all, you must have meant us to use the tents, Aunt Fanny! Here's our chance!'

'I meant you to use them in the garden, or on the beach,' said Aunt Fanny. 'Last time you went camping you had Mr Luffy with you to look after you. I don't think I like the idea of you going off by yourselves with tents.'

'Oh, Fanny, if Julian can't look after the others he must be a pretty feeble specimen,'

said her husband, sounding impatient. 'Let them go! I'd bank on Julian any time to keep the others in order and see they were al safe and sound.'

'Thanks, Uncle,' said Julian, who was not used to compliments from his Uncle Quentin! He glanced round at the other children and grinned. 'Of course, it's easy to manage this little lot — though Anne sometimes is very difficult!'

Anne opened her mouth indignantly. She was the smal est and the only really manageable one. She caught Julian's grin — he was teasing her, of course. She grinned back. 'I promise to be easy to manage,' she said in an innocent voice to her Uncle Quentin.

He looked surprised. 'Well, I must say I should have thought that George was the only difficult one to . . .' he began, but stopped when he saw his wife's warning frown. George was difficult, but it didn't make her any less difficult if that fact was pointed out!

'Quentin, you never know when Julian is pul ing your leg or not, do you?' said his wife.

'Well — if you really think Julian can be put in charge — and we can let them go off on a cycling tour — with their new tents . . .'

'Hurray! It's settled then!' yelled George, and began to thump Dick on the back in joy.

'We'll go off tomorrow. We'll . . .'

'GEORGE! There's no need to shout and thump like that,' said her mother. 'You know your father doesn't like it — and now you've excited Timmy too. Lie down, Timmy — there he's off round the room like a mad thing!'

Uncle Quentin got up to go. He didn't like it when meal-times turned into pandemonium.

He almost fel over the excited Timmy, and disappeared thankfully out of the room. What a household it was when the four children and the dog were there!

'Oh Aunt Fanny — can we real y go off tomorrow?' asked Anne, her eyes shining. 'It is such lovely April weather — honestly it's as hot as July. We hardly need to take any thick clothes with us.'

'Well, if you think that, you won't go,' said Aunt Fanny, firmly. 'It may be hot and sunny today — but you can never trust April to be the same two days together. It may be pouring tomorrow, and snowing on the next day! I shall have to give you money, Julian, so that you can go to an hotel any night the weather is bad.'

The four children immediately made up their minds that the weather would never be too bad!

'Won't it be fun?' said Dick. 'We can choose our own sleeping-place every night and put our tents there. We can bike half the night if it's moonlight, and we want to!'

'Ooooh — biking in moonlight — I've never done that,' said Anne. 'It sounds super.'

'Well — it's a good thing there is something you want to do while we are away,' said Aunt Fanny. 'Dear me — I've been married all these years to Quentin — and stil he makes this kind of muddle without my knowing! Well, well — we'd better get busy today, and decide what you're to take.'

Everything suddenly seemed very exciting. The four children rushed to do their morning jobs of making the beds and tidying their rooms, talking at the tops of their voices.

'Who would have thought we'd be off on our own tomorrow!' said Dick, pul ing his sheets and blankets up in a heap together.

'Dick! I'll make your bed,' cried Anne, shocked to see it made in such a hurried way. 'You can't possibly make it like that!'

'Oh, can't I!' cried Dick. 'You just wait and see! And what's more I'm making Julian's like that too, so you clear off and do your own, Anne — tuck in every corner, smooth the pillow, pat the eiderdown — do what you like with your own bed, but leave me to make mine my own way! Wait til we're off on our biking tour — you won't want to bother about beds then — you'l roll up your sleeping-bag and that wil be that!'

He finished his bed as he spoke, dragging on the cover al crooked, and stuffing his pyjamas under the pil ow. Anne laughed and went to make her own. She was excited too. The days stretched before her, sunny, ful of strange places, unknown woods, big and little hil s, chattering streams, wayside picnics, biking in the moonlight — did Dick real y mean that? How wizard!

They were all very busy that day, packing up into rucksacks the things they would need, folding up the tents into as small a compass as possible to tie on to their carriers, ferreting in the larder for food to take, looking out the maps they would want.

Timmy knew they were going off somewhere, and, of course, felt certain he was going too, so he was as excited as they were, barking and thumping his tail, and general y getting into everyone's way all day long. But nobody minded. Timmy was one of them, one of the 'Five', he could do almost everything but speak — it was quite unthinkable to go anywhere without dear old Timmy.

'I suppose Timothy can keep up with you all right, when you bike for miles?' Aunt Fanny asked Julian.

'Goodness yes,' said Julian. 'He never minds how far we go. I hope you won't worry about us, Aunt Fanny. You know what a good guard Timmy is.'

'Yes — I know,' said his aunt. 'I wouldn't be letting you go off like this with such an easy mind if I didn't know Timmy would be with you! He's as good as any grown-up at looking after you!'

'Woof, woof,' agreed Timmy. George laughed. 'He says he's as good as two grown-ups, Mother!' she said, and Timmy thumped his big tail on the floor.

'Woof, woof, woof' he said. Which meant, 'Not two — but three!'

They were all ready the next day. Everything was neatly packed and strapped to the bicycles, except for the rucksacks, which each child was to carry on his or her back. The baskets held a variety of food for that day, but when it had been eaten Julian was to buy what they needed.

'I suppose al their brakes are in order?' said Uncle Quentin, thinking he ought to take some interest in the proceedings, and remembering that when he was a boy and had a bicycle, the brakes would never work.

'Oh Uncle Quentin — of course they're al right,' said Dick. 'We'd never dream of going out on our bikes if the brakes and things weren't in order. The Highway Code is very strict about things like that, you know — and so are we!'

Uncle Quentin looked as if he had never even heard of the Highway Code. It was quite likely he hadn't. He lived in a world of his own, a world of theories and figures and diagrams — and he was eager to get back to it! However, he waited politely for the children to make last-minute adjustments, and then they were ready.

'Good-bye, Aunt Fanny! I'm afraid we shan't be able to write to you, as you won't be able to get in touch with us to let us know where you get fixed up. Never mind, enjoy yourselves,' said Julian.

'Good-bye, Mother! Don't worry about us — we'll be having a jol y good time!' cal ed George.

'Good-bye, Aunt Fanny; good-bye, Uncle Quentin!'

'So long, Uncle! Aunt Fanny, we're off!'

And so they were, cycling down the lane that led away from Kirrin Cottage. Their aunt and uncle stood at the gate, waving til the little party had disappeared round the corner in the sunshine. Timmy was loping along beside George's bicycle, on his long, strong legs, overjoyed at the idea of a real y good run.

'Well, we're off,' said Julian, as they rounded the corner. 'What a bit of luck, going off like this by ourselves. Good old Uncle Quentin! I'm glad he made that muddle.'

'Don't let's ride too many miles the first day — I always get so stiff if we do.'

'We're not going to,' said Dick. 'Whenever you feel tired just say so — it doesn't matter where we stop!'

The morning was very warm. Soon the children began to feel wet with perspiration. They had sweaters on and they took them off, stuffing them in their baskets. George looked more like a boy than ever, with her short curly hair blown up by the wind. Al of them wore shorts and thin jerseys except Julian, who had on jeans. He rol ed up the sleeves of his jersey, and the others did the same.

They covered mile after mile, enjoying the sun and the wind. Timmy galloped beside them, untiring, his long pink tongue hanging out. He ran on the grassy edge of the road when there was one. He real y was a very sensible dog!

They stopped at a tiny vil age cal ed Manlington-Tovey. It had only one general store, but it sold practical y everything — or seemed to! 'Hope it sel s ginger-beer!' said Julian.

'My tongue's hanging out like Timmy's!'

The little shop sold lemonade, orangeade, lime juice, grape-fruit juice and ginger-beer.

It was real y difficult to choose which to have. It also sold ice-creams, and soon the children were sitting drinking ginger-beer and lime-juice mixed, and eating delicious ices.

'Timmy must have an ice,' said George. 'He does so love them. Don't you, Timmy?'