Five on Finniston Farm (2 page)

„Oh, my dears! I didn"t expect you quite so soon! Do forgive my not being able to shake hands with you - but I was just making scones for your tea. I"m so pleased to see you. Did you have a good journey here?"

It was nice to hear her welcoming voice and see her wide smile. The Five warmed to her at once. Julian put down the suitcase he was carrying and looked round the room.

„What a lovely old place!" he said. „You carry on with your scone-making, Mrs Philpot -

we"ll look after ourselves. Just tell us where to go. It"s nice of you to have us."

„I"m glad to," said Mrs Philpot. „I expect your aunt told you the farm"s not doing too well, and she kindly said she"d send you here for two weeks. I"ve some other boarders too - an American and his son - so I"m pretty busy."

„Well, you don"t need to bother too much about us," said Dick. „In fact, we"ll camp out under a haystack, if you like - or in a barn. We"re used to roughing it!"

„Well - that might be a help," said Mrs Philpot, going on with her mixing. „I"ve a bedroom that would do for the girls al right - but I"m afraid you boys would have to share one with the American boy - and - er - wel , you mightn"t like him."

„Oh, I expect we"l get on all right," said Julian. „But my brother and I would certainly prefer to be by ourselves, Mrs Philpot. What about putting up camp-beds or something in a barn? We"d love that!"

Anne looked at Mrs Philpot"s kind, tired face, and felt suddenly sorry for her. How awful to have to have your home invaded by strangers, whether you liked them or not! She went over to her.

„You tell Georgina and me anything you"d like us to do to help," she said. „You know -

making the beds, and dusting and things like that. We"re used to doing things at home, and..."

„I"m going to enjoy having you!" said Mrs Philpot, looking round at them all. „And you won"t need to help very much. The twins do a great deal - too much, I think, bless them -

because they help on the farm too. Now, you go up the stairs to the very top of the house, and you"l see two bedrooms, one on each side of the landing - the left-hand one is yours, girls - the other is where the American boy is sleeping. And as for you two boys, you can slip out to the barn, and see if you"d like a couple of camp-beds there. I"l get the twins to take you."

The twins came back at this minute, and stood silently shoulder to shoulder, as alike as peas. George looked at them.

„What"s your name?" she said to one twin.

„Harry!" was the answer. She turned to the other. „And what"s yours?"

„Harry!"

„But surely you don"t both have the same name?" exclaimed George.

„Well, you see," explained their mother, „we called the boy Henry, and he became Harry, of course - and we cal ed the girl Harriet, and she calls herself Harry for short - so they"re known as the Harries."

„I thought they were both boys!" said Dick in amazement. „I wouldn"t know which is which!"

„Well, they felt they have to be alike," said Mrs Philpot, „and as Harry can"t have long hair like a girl, Harriet has to have short hair to be like Harry! I often don"t know one from the other myself."

Dick grinned. „Funny how some girls want to be boys!" he said, with a sly glance at George, who gave him a furious look.

„Twins, show the Kirrins up to the top bedroom," said Mrs Philpot, „and then take the boys out to the big barn. They can have the old camp-beds, if they like the look of the barn."

„We sleep out there," said the Harries, both together, and scowled just like George.

„Well, you shouldn"t," said their mother. „I told you to take your mattresses to the little room off the dairy."

„It"s too stuffy," said the twins.

„I say, look here - we don"t want to cause trouble," said Julian, feeling that the twins were too unfriendly for words. „Can"t we sleep in the room off the dairy?"

„Certainly not," said Mrs Philpot, and sent the Harries a warning glance. „There"s room for you all in the big barn. Go on, now, twins, do as I tell you, take the four up to the top bedroom, with the cases, and then out to the barn."

The twins went to pick up the suitcases, stil looking mutinous. Dick interposed himself between them and the cases. „We"ll carry them," he said stiffly. „We don"t want to be any more trouble to you than we can help."

And he and Julian picked up a suitcase each, and set off after the Harries, who looked suddenly surprised. George fol owed with Timmy, more amused than cross. Anne went to pick up a spoon that Mrs Philpot had dropped.

„Thank you, dear," said Mrs Philpot. „Look - don"t get upset by the twins. They"re a funny pair - but good at heart. They just don"t like strangers in their home, that"s all. Promise you won"t mind them? I do want you to be happy here."

Anne looked at the kindly, tired face of the woman beside her, and smiled. „We"ll promise not to worry about the twins - if you"l promise not to worry about us!" she said. „We can look after ourselves, you know - honestly, we"re used to it. And please do tell us when you want anything done!"

She went out of the room and up the stairs. The others were already in one of the two bedrooms at the top of the house. It was a fairly big room, whitewashed, with rather a small window and boarded floors. Julian looked at the boards he was standing on. „I say!

Look at the wood this floor"s made of - solid old oak, worn white with the years! My word -

this farm-house must be very old. And look at the beams running across the wal s and into the roof. Hey, twins, this is a fine old house of yours!"

The twins unbent enough to nod in time together. „Seems as if you two go by clockwork -

you speak the same words at the same time, you walk in time, you nod your heads in time!" said Dick. „But, I say - do you ever smile?"

The twins looked at him with dislike. Anne nudged Dick. „Stop it, Dick! Don"t tease them.

Perhaps they"d show you the barn now. We"ll unpack some clean things we"ve brought for you in our case, and come down with them when we"re ready."

„Right," said Dick, and he and Julian went out of the room. Opposite, with its door open, was the other room, where the American boy slept. It was so very untidy that Dick couldn"t help exclaiming, „Gosh - how does he get his room into all that mess?"

He and Julian went down the stairs, and Dick turnecl back to see if the Harries were following. He saw them standing at the top, each shaking a furious fist at the door of the American boy"s room. And what a furious look on their faces, too!

Whew! thought Dick. The Harries have got some sort of hate on there - let"s hope they don"t get one for us, too. „Well - now for the barn," he said aloud. „Don"t go so fast, Ju.

Wait for the twins - they"re just fal ing over themselves to look after us!"

The twins stalked out of the farm-house and took the two boys round the dairy shed, and up to an enormous barn. One of them pushed open the great door.

„I say!" said Julian, gazing into the dark barn. „I never saw such a fine barn in al my life! It"s as old as the hil s - look at those beams soaring up into the roof - it reminds me of a cathedral, somehow. I wonder why they built the roof so high. What do you store in here, twins?"

„Sacks of meal," said the Harries together, opening and shutting their mouths as one. The two boys saw a couple of camp-beds in a corner of the barn.

„Look here," said Julian, „if you real y would rather sleep here alone, we"ll sleep in the little room off the dairy that your mother spoke of."

Before the twins could answer, a shrill barking came from the direction of the camp-beds, and the boys saw a tiny black poodle there, standing up, quivering in every hair.

„What a tiny thing!" said Julian. „Is he yours, twins? What"s his name?"

„Snippet," came the answer from both at once. „Come here, Snippet!"

At once the tiny black poodle hurled hunself off the camp-bed and raced over to them.

He fawned on them all, barking in delight, licking everyone in turn. Dick picked him up, but the twins at once clutched Snippet themselves.

„He"s OUR dog!" they said, so fiercely that Dick backed away.

„Al right, al right - you can have him. But be careful Tim doesn"t eat him!" he said. A look of fear came over the faces of the Harries, and they turned to one another, anxiously.

„It"s al right," said Julian, hastily. „Tim"s gentle with smal things. You needn"t be afraid. I say

- why do you have to be so dumb? It real y wouldn"t hurt you to be a bit friendly. And do let us sleep in your old room - we real y don"t mind."

The twins looked at each other again, as if reading one another"s thoughts, and then they turned gravely to the boys, not looking quite so unfriendly.

„We wil all sleep here," they said. „We wil fetch the other camp-beds." And off they marched, Snippet running excitedly at their heels.

Julian scratched his head. „Those twins make me feel peculiar," he said. „I somehow don"t feel they are quite real. The way they act and speak together makes me feel as if they"re puppets or something."

„They"re just jol y rude and unfriendly," said Dick, bluntly. „Oh well - they won"t get in our way much. I vote we explore the farm tomorrow. It looks quite a big one - spreading out over the hil -slopes everywhere. I wonder if we could get a ride on a tractor?"

At that moment a bel rang loudly from the direction of the house. „What"s that for?" said Dick. „Tea, I hope!"

The twins came back at that moment with two more camp-beds, wkich they proceeded to set up as far from their own as possible. Dick went to give a hand, but they waved him off, and put up the beds most efficiently and quickly by themselves.

„Tea is ready," they said, standing up when the beds were finished, and blankets and pillows set out on them. „We wil show you where to wash."

„Thanks," said Dick and Julian together, and then grinned at one another. „Better be careful," said Julian, „or we"ll catch their habit of speaking exactly at the same moment. I say - isn"t that poodle an amusing little fel ow - look at him stalking that jackdaw!"

A black jackdaw, the nape of his neck showing grey as he ran in front of Snippet, had flown down from somewhere in the roof of the barn. As Snippet danced after him he ran behind sacks, scurried into corners, and led the little dog such a dance that the two boys roared. Even the twins smiled.

„Chack!" said the jackdaw, and rose into the air. He settled himself neatly on the middle of the poodle"s back, and Snippet promptly went mad, and tore about the barn at top speed.

„Roll over, Snippet!" shouted the Harries, and Snippet at once flung himself on his back -

but the jackdaw, with a triumphant „chack" rose at once into the air, and alighted on one twin"s head.

„I say - is he tame?" said Dick. „What"s his name?"

„Nosey. He"s ours. He fell down a chimney and broke his wing," said the twins. „So we kept him til it was well and now he won"t leave us."

„Gosh!" said Dick, starring at them. „Did you real y say al that - or was it the jackdaw? You can talk properly, after all."

Nosey pecked at the twin"s ear nearest to him, and the twin gave a yell. „Stop it, Nosey!"

The jackdaw rose into the air, with a „chack-chack-chack" that sounded very like a laugh, and disappeared somehere in the roof.

Just then the two girls came to find the boys in the barn, sent by Mrs Philpot, who was sure they hadn"t heard the bel . Timmy was with them, of course, sniffing into every corner, enjoying the farm-smel s everywhere. They came to the barn and looked in.

„Oh, there you are!" called Anne. „Mrs Philpot said we..."

Timmy began to bark, and she stopped. He had caught sight of Snippet sniffing behind the sacks, stil hunting for the cheeky jackdaw. He stood stil and stared. What in the wide world was that funny little black creature? He gave another loud bark and shot over towards the poodle, who gave a tenified yelp and leapt into the arms of one of the twins.

„Take your dog away," said both twins, fiercely, glaring at the four.

„It"s al right - he won"t hurt Snippet," said George, advancing on Timmy and taking hold of his col ar. „He real y won"t."

„TAKE YOUR DOG AWAY!" shouted the twins, and up in the roof somewhere the jackdaw said, „CHACK, CHACK, CHACK!" just as fiercely.

„Al right, al right," said George, glaring as angrily as the twins, „Come on, Tim. That poodle wouldn"t be more than a mouthful for you, anyway!"

They all went back to the farm-house in silence, Snippet having been left behind on the camp-bed belonging to one of the twins. They cheered up when they came into the big, cool kitchen. Tea was now laid on the farm-house table, a big solid affair of old, old oak.

Chairs were set round and it al looked very homelike.

„Hot scones," said George, lifting the lid off a dish. „I never thought I"d like hot scones on a summer"s day, but these look heavenly. Running with butter! Just how I like them!"

The four looked at the home-made buns and biscuits and the great fruit cake. They stared at the dishes of home-made jam, and the big plate of ripe plums. Then they looked at Mrs Philpot, sitting behind a very big teapot, pouring out cups of tea.

„You mustn"t spoil us, Mrs Philpot," said Julian, thinking that really his hostess was doing too much. „Please don"t let us make too much work for you!"

A loud, commanding voice suddenly made them all jump. Sitting in a big wooden armchair near the window was someone they hadn"t seen - a burly old man with a shock of snowy white hair and a luxurious white beard almost down to his waist. His eyes were startlingly bright as he looked across at them.

TOO MUCH WORK! What"s that you say? TOO MUCH WORK? Ha, people nowadays don"t know what work is, that they don"t! Grumble, grumble, GRUMBLE, asking for this and expecting that! Pah! PAH, I say!"

„Now now, Grand-dad," said Mrs Philpot, gently. „You just sup your tea and rest. You"ve been out on the farm all day, and it"s too much work for you."

That set the old man off again. TOO MUCH WORK! Now let me tell you something. When I was a young lad, I... hallo, who"s this?"