Five Are Together Again (3 page)

„Bless us al - so that"s why I feel so hungry and cross!" said Professor Hayling, and he began to laugh. He had a tremendous laugh, and the children couldn"t help laughing too. What an odd fel ow - so brainy, such a fine scientist - with the most enormous amount of knowledge in his head - and yet no memory for such ordinary things as breakfast and visitors and telephone cal s.

„It was just a misunderstanding, sir," said Julian, politely. „It was very, very kind of you to invite us here when we can"t be at home because of the scarlet fever. We"ll try not to be a nuisance, and if there"s anything we can do to help you, please ask us. We"ll make as little noise as possible, and keep out of your way, of course."

„You hear that, Tinker?" said Professor Hayling, suddenly swinging round on the startled Tinker. „Why can"t you do the same - make a very little noise, and keep out of my way?

You know I"m very busy now - on a MOST IMPORTANT project." He turned to Julian. „You"l be very welcome if you keep Tinker out of my way. And NOBODY - absolutely NOBODY - is to go up into that tower. Understand?"

They all looked up to where he was pointing, and saw a tall, slender tower rising up amid the trees. It had curious tentacle-like rods sticking out at the top, and these shook slightly in the breeze.

„And don"t ask me questions about it," went on the Professor, looking fiercely at George.

„Your father"s the only other man who knows what it"s for, and he knows how to keep his mouth shut."

„None of us would dream of prying, sir," said Julian. „It"s very, very kind of you to offer to have us here, and do believe me when I say we shan"t be any trouble to you at all - but a help if you"l al ow us."

„Ah well, you sound a sensible fel ow, I must say," said the Professor, who had now calmed down, and looked quite peaceable. „Well, I"l say good-bye for now and go and have my breakfast. I hope it"s fried eggs and bacon. I"m very hungry."

„Dad - Jenny"s cleared your breakfast AWAY! I told you that before!" said Tinker in despair.

„It"s almost dinner-time, now."

„Ah good - good!" said the Professor. „I"l come at once."

And he led the way indoors, followed by the five children, with Timmy and Mischief, all looking rather worried. Real y, nobody ever knew what the Professor was going to do or say next!

Jenny certainly had a good dinner for them all. There was a large and delicious stew with carrots, onions and peas swimming in the gravy, and plenty of potatoes. Everyone tucked in well, and Mischief, who loved the peas, took quite a few from Tinker"s plate, his little paw creeping up, and neatly snatching a pea from the gravy.

The girls went out to help bring in the next course, which was a big steamed pudding with plenty of raisins in it. Mischief at once jigged up and down in delight, for he loved raisins.

He leapt on to the table, and received a sharp smack from the Professor, who unfortunately smacked the pudding dish at the same time, making the pudding jump in the air.

„Good gracious, Dad - we nearly lost the pudding!" cried Tinker. „And it"s my favourite. Oh, don"t give us such smal pieces! Mischief, get off the table. You are NOT to put your paw into the white sauce!"

So Mischief disappeared under the table, where he received quite a lot of raisins from various kindly hands, unseen by the Professor. Timmy felt rather left out. He was under the table too, having been rather scared by the Professor"s angry voice, but as he didn"t very much like raisins, he wasn"t as lucky as Mischief.

„Ha - I enjoyed that!" said the Professor, having cleaned his plate thoroughly. „Nothing like a good breakfast!"

„It was midday dinner, Dad!" said Tinker. „You don"t have pudding at breakfast."

„Dear me, of course - that was pudding!" said his father, and laughed his great laugh.

„Now you can all do exactly what you like, so long as you do NOT go into my study, OR

my workroom OR that tower. AND DON"T MEDDLE WITH ANYTHING! Mischief, get off the water-jug, you"l upset it. Can"t you teach that monkey some table-manners, Tinker?"

And with that he marched out of the room, and disappeared into some mysterious passage that apparently led to his study or workroom. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

„We"ll clear away and then I"l show you your rooms," said Tinker. „I do hope you won"t be too dull here."

Dull, Tinker! You needn"t worry! There is far too much excitement waiting for the Five - and you too! Just wait a bit, and see!

Tinker raced out to the kitchen to fetch a tray or two. He made a most peculiar noise as he went, and for a moment Timmy looked extremely startled.

„Goodness - don"t say that Tinker stil has that awful habit of pretending to be some kind of car!" groaned Julian. „How on earth does his father put up with it? What"s he think he is now? A motor-bicycle, by the sound of it."

There was a sudden crash and a loud yell. The Five raced down the kitchen passage to find out what had happened, Timmy at the front.

„Accident!" bel owed Tinker, scrambling up from the floor. „I took the bend too quickly, and my front wheel skidded, and I went bang into a wall! I"ve bent my mudguard."

„Tinker - do you mean to say you"re stil being fatheaded enough to pretend to be cars and bicycles and tractors and lorries," demanded Julian. „You nearly drove us al mad, driving about al over the house, when you stayed with us. Have you got to be a machine of some sort?"

„Yes," said Tinker, rubbing one of his arms. „It sort of comes over me, and away I go. You should have heard me being a lorry absolutely loaded with new cars for delivery yesterday. Dad real y thought it was a great lorry and he rushed out into the drive to send it away. But it was only me. I hooted too - like this!"

And the sound of a loud and deep hooter immediately fil ed the passage! Julian shoved Tinker into the kitchen and shut the door.

„I should have thought that your father would have been driven completely mad by now!" he said. „Now you just shut up. Can"t you grow up a bit?"

„No," said Tinker, sullenly. „I don"t want to grow up. I might be like my father and forget to eat my meals, and go out with one sock on and one off. And I"d hate to forget my meals.

Just think how awful it would be! I"d always be hungry."

Julian couldn"t help laughing. „Pick up your tray, and help to clear away!" he said. „And if you simply can"t HELP being a car sometimes, for goodness sake go outside! It sounds frightful in the house. You"re much too good at awful noises."

„Oh, am I really good?" said Tinker, pleased. „I suppose you wouldn"t like to hear me being one of those new planes that go over here sometimes, making a queer, droning noise?"

„No. I WOULD NOT!" said Julian, firmly. „Now wil you PLEASE get that tray, Tinker. And tell Mischief to get off my right foot. He seems to think it"s a chair."

But Mischief clung to Julian"s ankle and refused to move. „Al right, all right," said Julian. „I shal just have to walk about al day with you riding on my foot."

„If you stamp as you walk, he soon gets off," remarked Tinker.

„Why didn"t you tell me that just now?" asked Julian, and stamped a few steps round the room. Mischief leapt off his foot at once, and sat on a table, making an angry noise.

„He sits on Dad"s foot for ages, even when he walks about," said Tinker. „But Dad doesn"t even notice him there! He even sat on Dad"s head once, and Dad thought he was wearing his hat indoors and tried to take it off. But it was only Mischief there!"

That made everyone laugh. „Now come on," said Julian, briskly. „We real y must clear away the dinner things. We three boys wil carry out the loaded trays and you girls can wash up. And DON"T let Mischief think he can carry teapots or milk-jugs."

Jenny was very pleased with their help. She was short and fat, and waddled rather than walked, but managed to get here and there remarkably quickly.

„I"l show your visitors their bedrooms after we"ve cleared," she said. „But, you know, Tinker, those mattresses we sent to be remade haven"t come back yet. I"ve told your father a dozen times to telephone about them, but I"m sure he hasn"t remembered."

„Oh, JENNY!" said Tinker, in dismay. „That means that the two beds for visitors can"t be slept in! What ever are we to do?"

„Well, your Dad wil have to ring up for new mattresses to be sent today," said Jenny.

„Maybe they would send them out by van."

Tinker immediately became a furniture van and rushed down the passage, into the dining-room and back again, Mischief following him in delight. He made a noise exactly like a slow-moving van, and the children couldn"t help laughing.

The Professor shot out of his study, his hands to his ears. „TINKER! COME HERE!"

„No thanks," said Tinker, warily. „Sorry, Father. I was a van bringing the mattresses you forgot to order for the beds for visitors."

But the Professor didn"t seem to hear. He advanced on Tinker, who fled upstairs with Mischief leaping after him. Professor Hayling turned on Jenny.

„Can"t you keep the children quiet? What do I pay you for?"

„Cleaning, cooking and washing," she said, briskly. „But I"m not a nurse for children, sir. That Tinker of yours could do with half a dozen nurses, and he"d stil be a nuisance to you while he was in the house. Why don"t you let him take his tent and camp out in the field with his friends? It"s hot weather and those new mattresses haven"t come, and they"d all love it. I can cook for the children and take them out meals - or they could come and fetch them."

The Professor looked as if he could give Jenny a big hug. The children waited eagerly to see what he would say. Camping out - that would be fun in this weather - and honestly, living in the same house as the Professor wasn"t going to be much fun. Timmy gave a little whine as if to say, „Fine idea! Let"s go at once!"

„Good idea, Jenny. VERY good idea!" said Professor Hayling. „But that monkey"s to camp out too. Then perhaps he won"t jump in at my workroom window and fiddle about with my models!"

He marched back into his study and slammed the door so hard that the whole house shook. Timmy was startled and gave a yelp. Mischief the monkey leapt up the stairs, howling in fright. Tinker began to dance round in joy, and very firmly Jenny took hold of him and propel ed him into her big, clean kitchen.

„Wait, Jenny, I"ve remembered something. We"ve only one tent, and that"s mine, a smal one. I"l have to ask Dad if I can get two big ones!" And before anyone could stop him he was banging at the Professor"s door, then flung it open, and shouted out his request.

„WE WANT TWO MORE TENTS, DAD. CAN I BUY THEM?"

„For goodness sake, Tinker, clear out and leave me alone!" shouted his father. „Buy six tents if you want them, but GET OUT!"

„Ooh, thanks, Dad!" said Tinker, and was just slipping out of the door when his father yel ed again.

„But what on earth do you want TENTS for?"

Tinker slammed the door and grinned at the others. „I"d better buy Dad a new memory.

He"s only just told us we can camp out, and he knows there"s only my very small tent -

almost a toy one."

„I"m glad we shan"t be in the house," said Anne. „I know what a nuisance it is to George"s father to have us around, playing about. We"l be better out of the way."

„Camping out again!" said George, very pleased. „Let"s catch the bus back home and get our own tents. I"ve got them all stored away in the garden shed. We can ask Jim the Carrier to fetch them, when we"ve found them."

„He"s calling here today - I"l give him the message for you, if you like," said Jenny. „The sooner you get the tents, the better. It was a kind thought of the master"s to ask you all here, but I just knew it wouldn"t work! You"l be all right out in the fields at the back of the house - he won"t hear a thing, not even if you all yel together! So you get your tents and put them up, and I"l see what I can find in the way of ground-sheets and rugs."

„Don"t bother, Jenny," said Julian. „We"ve got all those things - we"ve often camped out before."

„I only hope there aren"t any cows in the fields," said Anne. „Last time we camped, a cow put its head into my tent opening, and mooed. I woke up with such a jump, and I was too scared to move."

„I don"t think, there are any cows," said Jenny, laughing. „Now I am to get on with the washing-up, so wil you bring out the dinner things please - but don"t let that monkey carry anything breakable, for goodness sake! He tried to balance the teapot on his head last week - and that was the end of the teapot!"

Soon everyone was cleaning away with a wil , and the two girls helped Jenny with the washing-up.

„I shall like camping out," Anne told her. „I"d be scared of staying here in the house.

Professor Hayling is a bit like my Uncle Quentin, you know - forgetful, and quick-tempered and a bit shouty."

„Oh, you don"t want to be scared of him," said Jenny, handing Anne a dish to dry. „He"s kind, for all his crossness, when he"s upset. Why, when my mother was il , he paid for her to go into a real y good nursing-home - and believe it or not, he gave me money to buy her fruit and flowers!"

„Oh goodness - that reminds me - we MUST send our cook, Joan, some flowers," said George. „She has scarlet fever, you know. That"s why we"re here."

„Wel , you go and telephone the florist," said Jenny. „I"l finish this job."

But George was rather afraid that Professor Hayling might rush out to see who was using the telephone!

„I"m sure we can buy flowers in Kirrin Vil age, and have them sent," she said. „We"ve got to go and get our things ready for the carrier, and I can order the flowers then. We might as well come back on our bicycles - they"d be useful here."

„Well, you"d better go now," said Jenny, „or you won"t be back in time for tea, and then there"d be trouble."

„I"l bring back Anne"s bicycle," said Julian. „I can easily manage it beside mine, as I ride back."

„Look George," said Dick, „you needn"t come. I"l order the flowers and I can bring your bike back too. So you stay with Anne." Reluctantly George agreed.