Five Have a Wonderful Time (6 page)

"DEAR GEORGE, ANNE, JULIAN AND DICK,

"I hope George arrived safely and that you all met her. I am really writing to remind George that it is her grandmother's birthday on Saturday, and she must write to her. I forgot to remind George before she she went, so thought I must quickly send a letter.

"George, your father is very much upset to read about those two missing scientists. He knows Derek Terry-Kane very well, and worked with him for some time. He says he is absolutely sure that he isn't a traitor to his country; he thinks he has been spirited away somewhere, and Jeffrey Pottersham too — probably in a plane miles away by now, in a country that will force them to give up their secrets. It's just as well you went off today, because this afternoon your father is striding about all over the place, talking nineteen to the dozen, and banging every door he comes to, bless him.

"If you write, please don't mention scientists, as I am hoping he will calm down soon. He really is very upset, and keeps on saying "What is the world coming to?" when he knows quite well that it's coming to exactly what the scientists plan it to come to.

"Have a good time, all of you, and DON'T forget to write to your grandmother, George!"

Your loving,

MOTHER (AUNT FANNY)."

"I can just see Father striding about like a — like a…"

"Fire-eater," said Julian with a grin, as George stopped for a word. "He'll drive Aunt Fanny into chasing him around with a saucepan one day! Funny business about these scientists though, isn't it? After all, Terry-Kane
had
planned to leave the country — got his aeroplane ticket and everything — so although your father believes in him, George, it honestly looks a bit fishy, doesn't it?"

"Anything in the paper about it?" asked Dick, and shook it open. "Yes—here we are:

"MISSING SCIENTISTS.

"It is now certain that Jeffrey Pottersham was in the pay of a country unfriendly to us, and was planning to join Terry-Kane on his journey abroad. Nothing has been heard of the two men, although reports that they have been seen in many places abroad have been received."

"That rather settles it," said Julian. "Two Really Bad Eggs. Look—here are their photographs."

The four leaned over the paper, looking at the pictures of the two men. "Well, I should have thought
anyone
would recognize Terry-Kane if they saw him," said Anne. "Those big, thick, arched eyebrows, and that enormous forehead. If I saw anyone with eyebrows like that I'd think they weren't real!"

"He'll shave them off," said Dick. "Then he'll look completely different. Probably stick them on his upper lip upside down and use them for moustaches!"

"Don't be so silly," said George, with a giggle. "The other fellow is very ordinary-looking, except for his dome of a head. Pity none of us four have got great foreheads — I suppose we must be rather stupid people!"

"We're not so bad," said Julian. "We've had to use our brains many times in all our adventures — and we haven't come off so badly!"

"Let's clear up and then go for a walk again," said Anne. "If we don't I shall fall asleep. This sun is so gloriously hot, it's really cooking me."

"Yes — we'd better go for a walk," said Julian, getting up. "Shall we go and see the castle, do you think? Or shall we leave that for another day?"

"Leave it," said Anne. "I honestly don't feel like clambering up that steep hill just now. I think the morning would be a better time!"

They cleared up and then locked the two caravans and set out. Julian looked back. Some of the fair-folk were sitting together, eating a meal. They watched the children in silence. It wasn't very pleasant somehow,

"They don't exactly love us, do they?" said Dick. "Now you listen, Timmy — don't you go accepting any titbits from people here, see?"

"Oh, Dick!" said George, in alarm, "you surely don't think they would harm Timmy?"

"No, I don't really," said Dick. "But we might as well be careful. As the rubber man pointed out to us this morning, us-folk and his-folk think differently about some things. It just can't be helped. But I do wish they'd let us be friendly. I don't like this kind of thing."

"Well, anyway I shall keep Timmy to heel all the time," said George, making up her mind firmly. "Timmy, to heel! Please understand that as long as we are in the caravan field you must walk to heel?
Do
you understand?"

"Woof-woof," said Timmy, and immediately kept so close to George's ankles that his nose kept bumping into them.

They decided to catch the bus to Tinkers' Green, and then walk from there to the sea. They would have time to get there and back before dark. The bus was waiting at the corner, and they ran to catch it. It was about two miles to Tinkers' Green, which was a dear little village, with a proper green and a duck-pond with white ducks swimming on it.

"Shall we have an ice-cream?" suggested Dick as they came to a grocer's shop with an ice-cream sign outside it.

"No," said Julian firmly. "We've just had an enormous lunch, and we'll save up ice-creams for tea-time. We shall never get down to the sea if we sit and eat ice-creams half the afternoon!"

It was a lovely walk, down violet-studded lanes, and then

over a heathery common with clumps of primroses in the

hollows — and even a few very very early bluebells, much to

Anne's delight.

"There's the sea! Oh, what a dear little bay!" said Anne, in delight. "And isn't it blue—as blue as cornflowers. We could almost bathe."

"You wouldn't like it if you did," said Julian. "The sea would be as cold as ice! Come on — let's get down to the

little jetty and have a look at the fishing-boats."

They went down to the sun-warmed stone jetty and began talking to the fishermen there. Some were sitting in the sun mending their nets, and were very willing to talk.

"How nice to have a bit of friendliness shown us instead of the stares and rudeness of the fair-folk!" said Dick to Julian, who nodded and agreed.

A fisherman took them on his boat, and explained a lot of things they already knew and some they didn't. It was nice to sit and listen to his broad speech, and to watch his bright blue eyes as he talked. He was as brown as an oak-apple.

"Could we ever hire a boat here if we wanted to?" asked Julian. "Is there one we could manage by ourselves? We are quite good at sailing."

"Old Joseph there has a boat he could hire out if you wanted one," said the man they were talking to. "He hired it out the other day, and I expect he'd hire it out to you too if so be you can really manage it."

"Thanks. We'll ask him, if we ever decide to go out," said Julian. He looked at his watch. "We'd better go and get some tea somewhere. We want to be home before dark. We're camping over at Faynights Castle."

"Oh ay?" said the fisherman. "You've got the fair-folk there now, haven't you? They were here two weeks since. My, that fire-eater is a fair treat, he is! And that rope-man — well! I tell you this — I tied him up in my fishing-line — you can see it here, strong as two ropes it is! I tied him up with all the knots I know — and in under a minute he stood up and the line fell off him, knots and all!"

"Ay, that is so," said the old fellow called Joseph. "A wonder he is, that man. So is the rubber fellow. He called for a drain-pipe, narrow as this, see? And he wriggled through it, quick as an eel. Fair scared me, it did, to see him wriggling out of the other end."

"We'll go and see them perform when they begin their show," said Julian. "At the moment they're not very friendly towards us. They don't like us being in their field."

"They keeps themselves to themselves," said Joseph. "They had a heap of trouble at the place they were in before they came to us — someone set the police on them, and now they won't make friends with anyone."

"Well, we must go," said Julian, and they said goodbye to the friendly fishermen and went. They stopped and had tea at a little tea-shop, and then made their way home. "Anyone want to take the bus?" said Julian. "We can easily get home before dark if we walk — but if the girls are tired we'll bus from Tinkers' Green."

"Of
course
we're not tired!" said George indignantly. "Have you
ever
known me say I'm tired, Julian?"

"All right, all right — it was just a bit of politeness on my part," said Julian. "Come on — let's get going."

The way was longer than they had thought. It was getting dark when they got to the stile that led into the caravan field. They climbed over it and made their way slowly to their corner.

And then they suddenly stopped and stared. They looked all round and stared again.

Their two caravans were gone! They could see the places where they had stood, and where their fire had been. But no caravans stood there now!

"
Well
!" said Julian, astounded. "This beats everything! Are we dreaming? I can't see a sign of our caravans anywhere!"

"Yes — but —
how
could they go?" said Anne, almost stammering in her surprise. "I mean—we had no horses to pull them away anywhere! They couldn't go just by themselves."

There was a silence. The four were completely bewildered. How could two large, solid caravans disappear into thin air?

"Look — there are wheel-marks in the grass," said Dick suddenly. "See — our caravans went this way —

come on, follow. Down the hillside, look!"

In the greatest astonishment the four children and Timmy followed the wheel-marks. Julian glanced back once, feeling that they were being watched. But not one of the fair-folk was to be seen. Perhaps they are watching silently behind their caravan curtains, Julian thought, uncomfortably.

The wheel-marks went right down the field and reached the gate. It was shut now, but it must have been opened for the two caravans, because there were marks in the grass by the gate, marks that passed through it and then were lost in the lane.

"What are we to do?" said Anne, scared. "They're gone! We've nowhere to sleep. Oh, Julian — what are we going to
do
?"

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FOR once in a way Julian was quite at a loss what to do! It looked as if someone had stolen the two caravans

— taken them right away somewhere!

"I suppose we'd better ring up the police," he said. "They'll watch out for the two caravans, and arrest the thieves. But that won't help us much for tonight! We've got to find somewhere to sleep."

"I think we ought to go and tackle one or two of the fair-folk," said Dick. "Even if they have got nothing to do with the theft they
must
have seen the caravans being taken away."

"Yes. I think you're right," said Julian. They must know
something
about it. George, you stay here with Anne, in case the fair people are rude. We'll take Timmy — he may be useful."

George didn't want to stay behind — but she could see that Anne did! So she stayed with her, straining her eyes after the two boys as they went back up the hill with Timmy close behind.

"Don't let's go to the snake-man," said Dick. "He might be playing with his snakes in his caravan!"

"What possible game can you play with snakes?" said Julian. "Or are you thinking of snakes and ladders?"

"Funny joke," said Dick, politely. "Look — there's somebody by a camp-fire — Bufflo, I think. No, it's Alfredo. Well, we know he isn't as fierce as he looks — let's tackle
him
about the caravans."

They went up to the big fire-eater, who was sitting smoking by the fire. He didn't hear them coming and jumped violently when Julian spoke to him.

"Mr. Alfredo," began Julian, "could you tell us where our two caravans have gone? We found them missing when we got back just now."

"Ask Bufflo," said Alfredo, gruffly, not looking at them.

"But don't
you
know anything about them?" persisted Julian.

"Ask Bufflo," said Alfredo, blowing out clouds of smoke. Julian and Dick turned away, annoyed, and went over to Bufflo's caravan. It was shut. They knocked on the door, and Bufflo appeared, his mop of golden hair gleaming in the lamplight.