Five on Finniston Farm (4 page)

„Maybe the Philpots sold them," said Julian. „Old tiles like that, bril iant with lichen, can fetch quite a bit of money - especially from Americans. There"s many a barn out in America covered with old tiles from this country, moss and all. A bit of old England!"

„If I had a lovely old place like this I wouldn"t sell one single tile, or one single bit of moss!"

said George, quite fiercely.

„Maybe you wouldn"t," said Dick. „But some would - if they loved their farm enough and didn"t want to see it go to pieces for lack of money. Their fields would be worth more than old tiles to them!"

„I bet old Grand-dad wouldn"t sel them if he could help it!" said Anne. „I wonder if the American has tried to buy any of these tiles? I guess he has."

They had an interesting time wandering round. They found one old barn-like shed stacked with ancient cast-away junk, and Julian rummaged in it with great interest.

„Look at this giant cart-wheel!" he said, peering into a dark corner. „It"s almost as tall as I am! My word - they must have made al their own wheels here in the old days - in this very shed, perhaps. And maybe their own tools too. Look at this old tool - what in the world is it?"

They gazed at the curious curved tool, stil as strong and as good as it had been two or three centuries before. It was heavy, and Julian thought that he wouldn"t have liked to use it for more than ten minutes at a time!

„But I bet old Grand-dad could use it for a whole day and never get tired," he said. „When he was a young man, I mean. He must have been as strong as an ox, then."

„Well, you remember what the girl at the dairy said," put in Anne. „She said he had once fought a bul and knocked it out. We must ask him about that. I bet he"d love to tell us."

„He"s a real old character!" said Julian. „I like him, shouts and temper and all. Come on -

it"s getting latish. We didn"t ask about the evening meal. I wonder what time we ought to get back for it?"

„Half past seven," said George. „I asked. We"d better go back now, because we"ll have to get ourselves clean - and Anne and I want to help lay the table."

„Right. Back we go," said Julian. „Come on, Tim. Stop sniffing about that old rubbish. Surely you can"t smel anything exciting there!"

They went back to the farm-house, and the girls went to wash at the kitchen sink, seeing Mrs Philpot already preparing for supper. „Won"t be a minute!" called Anne. „We"ll do those potatoes for you, Mrs Philpot. I say, what a lovely farm this is. We"ve been exploring those old sheds."

„Yes - they need clearing out," said Mrs Philpot, who looked better for the rest she had had. „But old Great-Grand-dad, he won"t have them touched. Says he promised his Grand-dad not to let them go to anyone! But we did sel some of those lovely old grey tiles once - to an American, of course, a friend of Mr Benning"s - and Grand-dad almost went out of his mind. Shouted day and night, poor old chap, and went about with a pitch-fork in his hand all the time, daring any stranger even so much as to walk over the fields! We had such a time with him."

„Good gracious!" said Anne, having a sudden vision of the grand old man stalking about his fields, shouting, and waving a great pitch-fork.

Supper was real y a very pleasant meal, for Mr Henning and Junior didn"t come in. There was much talk and laughter at the table, though the twins, as usual, said hardly anything.

They puzzled Anne. Why should they be so unfriendly? She smiled at them once or twice, but each time they turned their eyes away. Snippet lay at their feet, and Timmy lay under the table. Great-Grand-dad was not there, nor was Mr Philpot.

„They"re both making the best of the daylight," said Mrs Philpot. „There"s a lot to do on the farm just now."

The children enjoyed the meat-pie that Mrs Philpot had baked, and the stewed plums and rich cream that followed. Anne suddenly yawned a very large yawn.

„Sorry!" she said. „It just came al of a sudden. I don"t know why I feel so sleepy."

„You"ve set me off now," said Dick, and put his hand in front of an even larger yawn. „Well, I don"t wonder we feel sleepy. Ju and I set off at dawn this morning - and I know you girls had a jolly long bus-ride!"

„Well, you go to bed, all of you, as early as you like," said Mrs Philpot. „I expect you"l want to be up bright and early in the morning. The Harries are always up about six o"clock -

they just wil not stay in bed!"

„And what time does Junior get up?" asked George, with a grin. „Six o"clock too?"

„Oh, not before nine o"clock usual y," said Mrs Philpot. „Mr Henning comes down about eleven - he likes his breakfast in bed. So does Junior."

„WHAT? You don"t mean to say you take breakfast up to that lazy little pest?" said Dick, astounded. „Why don"t you go and drag him out by the ankles?"

„Well - they are guests and pay well for being here," said Mrs Philpot.

„I"l take Junior his breakfast," said George, much to everyone"s astonishment. „Timmy and I together. We"d like to. Wouldn"t we, Timmy?"

Timmy made a most peculiar noise from under the table. „That sounded like a laugh to me," said Dick. „And I"m not surprised! I"d just like to see Junior"s face if you and Tim walked in on him with his breakfast!"

„Do you bet me I won"t do it?" demanded George, real y on her mettle now.

„Yes. I do bet you," said Dick at once. „I bet you my new pocket-knife you won"t!"

„Taken!" said George. Mrs Philpot looked puzzled. „No, no, my dears," she said. „I can"t have one guest waiting on another. Though I must say those stairs are a trial to my legs, when I"m carrying up trays!"

„I"l take up Junior"s tray and Mr Henning"s too, if you like," said George, in a half-kind, half-fierce voice.

„NOT Mr Henning"s," said Julian, giving George a warning look. „Don"t go too far, old thing.

Just Junior"s tray wil be enough."

„Al right, al right," said George, rather sulkily. „Aren"t Junior and Mr Henning coming in to supper?"

„Not tonight," said Mrs Philpot, in a thankful voice. „They"re dining at some hotel in Dorchester, I think. I expect they get a bit tired of our simple farm-house meals. I only hope they won"t be too late back. Great-Grand-dad likes to lock up early."

The children were real y glad when the evening meal was cleared away and washed up, for they all felt heavy with sleep. The good strong air, the exciting day and the many jobs they had done had really tired them.

„Good night, Mrs Philpot," they said, when everything was done. „We"re off to bed. Are the twins coming too?"

The twins actual y condescended to nod. They looked tired out. Julian wondered where Mr Philpot and old Great-Grand-dad were - stil out working, he supposed. He yawned.

Well, he was for bed - and even if he had had to sleep on the bare ground that night, he knew he would sleep well! He thought longingly of his camp-bed.

They went their various ways - the twins and Julian and Dick to the big barn - the girls upstairs to the room opposite Junior"s. George peeped into it. It was even untidier than before, and obviously Junior must have been eating nuts up there, for the floor was strewn with shel s.

They were soon in bed - the girls cuddled together in the big, rather hard, old bed, the boys in their separate camp-beds. Timmy was on George"s feet, and Snippet slept first on one twin"s feet, and then on the other"s. He was always perfectly fair in his favours!

A crashing noise awoke the girls about two hours later, and they sat upright in bed, alarmed. Timmy began to bark. George crept to the top of the stairs, hearing Grand-dad"s loud voice below, and then crept back to Anne.

„It"s Mr Henning and Junior come back," she said. „Apparently old Grand-dad had locked up, and they crashed and banged on the knocker. My, what a to-do! Here comes Junior!" And indeed, here Junior did come, stamping up the stairs, and singing loudly.

„Little pest!" said George. „Wait til I take him his breakfast tomorrow!"

A LITTLE EXCITEMENT FOR BREAKFAST!

It was fun to sleep in the barn. Dick tried to keep awake for a while, and enjoy the barn-smell, and the sight of the stars in the sky seen through the open door, where a cool little night-breeze came wandering in.

Julian fel asleep at once, and did not even hear the crashing of the knocker at the front door of the farmhouse when the Hennings came in, or the loud voices. He awoke with a start at about one o"clock in the morning, and sat straight up in bed, his heart beating fast. What on earth was that noise he had heard?

He heard it again and laughed. „What an ass I am! It"s only an owl. Or maybe more than one. And gosh, what was that high little scream? A mouse - or a rat? Perhaps the owls are hunting in here?"

He lay stil and listened. He suddenly felt a rush of cool air over his face, and stiffened. That must have been an owl"s soft-feathered wings! Owls" wings made no noise, he knew. The feathers were so soft that not even a quick-eared mouse could hear an owl swooping silently down!

There came another little high-pitched squeak. „The owl"s doing his job well," thought Julian. „What a fine hunting-place for him - a barn where food-stuffs are stored - over-run with mice and rats, of course. I bet this owl is worth his weight in gold to the farmer. Well, owl, do your job - but for goodness" sake don"t mistake my nose for a mouse! Ah - there you go again - just over my head. I saw you then - a shadow passing by!"

He fel asleep once more and didn"t wake until the sun streamed into the barn, lighting up hundreds of tiny motes floating in the air. Julian looked at his watch.

„Half past seven! And I meant to be up at seven. Dick! Wake up!"

Dick was so sound asleep that he didn"t wake even when Julian shook him. He merely rolled over and settled down again. Julian glanced across the barn, and saw that the twins" camp-beds were empty. They had stacked their pillows and bed-clothes in neat piles, and disappeared silently out of the door. Without waking us! thought Julian, pul ing on his socks. I wonder if I can wash at the big kitchen-sink. „Dick - wil you wake up?" he said loudly. „It might be TEN O"CLOCK for all you care!"

Dick heard the two shouted words and sat up at once, looking aghast. „Ten o"clock? Oh no! Gosh, I must have slept all round the clock, Oh, I say - I didn"t mean to be late for breakfast. I..."

„Calm down," grinned Julian, brushing his hair. „I only said, “It might be ten o"clock for all you care!” Actually, it"s just gone half past seven."

„Thank goodness for that," said Dick, lying back in bed. „Oh for ten minutes more!"

„The twins have gone already," said Julian. „I wonder if the girls are up. Oh my goodness, what"s that?"

Something had jabbed him sharply in the back, making him jump violently. Julian swung round, expecting it to be Junior or one of the twins playing a sil y joke.

„Oh - it"s you - Nosey the jackdaw!" he said, looking at the cheeky bird, now perched on his pil ow. „You"ve got a jolly sharp beak!"

„Chack!" said the jackdaw, and flew to his shoulder. Julian felt flattered - until the jackdaw pecked his ear! „Here - you take the bird," he said to the unwary Dick and handed Nosey to him. Nosey promptly pounced on the watch lying beside Dick"s pil ow and flew off with it. Dick gave an angry yell.

„Bring that back, you ass of a bird! Don"t you know a watch when you see one? He"s taken my watch, Ju - goodness knows where he"ll hide it!"

„He"s gone into the roof," said Julian. „We"d better tel the twins. Perhaps they can deal with him. Now WHY doesn"t he take Junior"s watch - that would be a trick I should really applaud!"

„CHACK, CHACK, CHACK," said Nosey, exactly as if he agreed. He had to open his beak to say „chack" and the watch promptly fel out. It bounced on to a sack far below, and the bird swooped down to get it. Dick also swooped, and as the watch had now slipped between two sacks, he managed to get it before the jackdaw.

Nosey flew up into the roof, and chacked angrily. „Don"t use such bad language," said Dick severely, strapping on his watch. „You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

They went out of the barn and round to the farmhouse. There were sounds of people about, and the two boys felt quite ashamed of being so late! Breakfast was on the table, but already quite a number of people seemed to have had it!

„The girls haven"t had theirs," said Dick, looking at the places set in front of the chairs where George and Anne had sat the night before. „But the twins have. It looks as if everyone has, except us four, apparently! Ah - here"s Mrs Philpot. Sorry we"re late. We overslept, I"m afraid."

„That"s all right!" said Mrs Philpot, smiling. „I don"t expect my visitors to be up early. Anyone can sleep late on a holiday!"

She held a tray in her hands, and set it down on the table. „That"s for Mr Henning - he"l ring when he wants his breakfast. That"s Junior"s tray over there. I make the coffee when they ring," she said, and went out again.

There was cold ham for breakfast, boiled eggs and fruit. The two boys tucked in, and looked round reprovingly when the two girls came, with Timmy behind them, stil sleepy-eyed. „Overslept, I suppose?" said Dick, pretending to be shocked. „Sit down. I"l pour you some coffee."

„Where"s Junior - not down yet, I hope?" said George anxiously. „I"ve not forgotten my bet about taking up his breakfast!"

„I say - do you think it"s all right to let George take up Junior"s breakfasts said Julian, after a pause. „George, don"t throw the tray at him or anything, wil you?"

„I might," said George, eating a boiled egg. „Anything to get your new pocket-knife from you!"

„Well, don"t go too far in teasing Junior," said Julian warningly. „You don"t want to make the Henning family walk out and leave Mrs Philpot high and dry!"

„Al right, al right," said George. „Don"t nag. I think I"l have another egg, Dick. Pass one over, please. I don"t know why I"m so hungry."

„Leave a bit of room for this ham," said Dick, who had cut himself two good slices. „It"s out of this world! Simply too good to be true! I could eat it all day."

The two girls tucked into their breakfast, and just as they were finishing, a bel rang very loudly in the kitchen, jangling just above their heads. They jumped violently. Mm Philpot came into the room at once. „That"s Mr Henning"s bel ," she said. „I must make his coffee."