Five on Finniston Farm (5 page)

„I"l take up his tray," said Anne. „George is going to take up Junior"s."

„Oh no - I really don"t like you to do that," said Mrs Philpot, distressed. Just then another bel rang. It jangled to and fro for a very long time.

„That"s Junior"s bel ," said Mrs Philpot. „He always seems to think I"m quite deaf!"

„Bad-mannered little beast!" said Dick, and was pleased to find that Mrs Philpot didn"t disagree!

Anne waited til Mr Henning"s tray was ready, and then firmly put her hands to the sides.

„I"m going to take it to Mr Henning," she said in a most determined voice, and Mrs Philpot smiled grateful y and let her lift it. „Bedroom on the left of the stairs, first floor!" she said.

„And he likes his curtains pul ed, too, when his breakfast is brought."

„And does Junior like his pul ed as wel ?" inquired George, in such a sugary voice that the two boys looked round at her suspiciously. What was she up to now?

„Well - I do pull them for him," said Mrs Philpot, „but don"t you pul them if you don"t feel like it! Thank you very much, dear!"

Anne had already gone upstairs with Mr Henning"s tray, and now George set off with Junior"s. She winked at Dick. „Get that pocket-knife ready for me!" she said, and disappeared through the door, grinning wickedly. She went careful y upstairs with Timmy close at her heels, wondering whatever George was doing with a tray!

George came to Junior"s door. It was shut. She gave it a violent kick and it flew open. She entered, clattering with her feet, and set the tray down on a table with a jolt that upset the coffee. She went whistling to the windows, and pul ed the curtains back across the poles so that they made a loud clattering noise.

Junior had apparently fallen asleep again, his head under the clothes. George upset a chair with a crash. That made Junior sit up, half scared. „What"s going on here?" he began. „Can"t you bring my breakfast without ..." Then he saw that it was George in the room, not the kindly Mrs Philpot.

„Get out!" he said angrily. „Crashing about like that! Pull the curtains across again. The sun"s too strong. And look how you"ve spilt the coffee! Why didn"t Mrs Philpot bring my breakfast? She usual y does. Here - put the tray on my knees, like she does!"

George whipped the bed-clothes off him, took up the tray and set it down violently on his pyjama"d knees. The hot coffee got a violent jerk and some drops fel on to his bare arm.

They were hot, and he yelled loudly. He lashed out at George, and hit her hard on the shoulder.

That was a very great mistake. Timmy, who was at the door watching, leapt on to the bed at once, growling. He pul ed the terrified boy on to the floor, and kept him lying there, standing over him, deep growls coming from the depths of his great body.

George took absolutely no notice. She went round the room, humming a little tune, putting this and that straight, tidying the dressing-table, not seeming to notice what Timmy was doing. She shut the door so that no one would hear Junior"s howls.

„George - take this dog off me!" begged Junior. „He"l kil me! GEORGE! I"l tell my Pop of you. I"m sorry I hit you. Oh, no take this dog off me, PLEASE do!"

He began to weep, and George looked scornfully down at him. „You nasty spoilt little pest," she said. „I"ve a good mind to leave you here al morning, with Timmy on guard! But this time I"l be generous to you. Come here, Tim. Leave that funny little worm there on the floor!"

Junior was stil weeping. He crept into bed and wrapped the blankets round him. „I don"t want any breakfast," he wept. „I"l tel Pop about you. He"l lam you all right."

„Yes, you tell him," said George, tucking him in so tightly that he couldn"t move. „You tell him - and I"l whisper into Timmy"s ear that you"ve told tales of me - and honestly, I simply don"t know what he"ll do!"

„You are the most horrible boy I"ve ever met," said Junior, knowing when he was beaten.

George grinned. So he thought she was a boy, did he? Good!

„Mrs Philpot isn"t going to bring up your breakfast any more," she said. „I"m going to - with Timmy. See? And if you dare to ring that bel more than once each morning, you"l be sorry!"

„I don"t want my breakfast brought up," said Junior, in a small voice. „I"d rather get up and go downstairs for it. I don"t want you to bring it."

„Right. I"l tell Mrs Philpot," said George. „But if you change your mind, just tell me. I"l bring it up any morning - with Timmy!"

She went out and banged the door, Timmy trotting down the stairs in front of her, puzzled but pleased. He didn"t like Junior any more than George did.

George went into the kitchen. Dick and Julian were stil there. „You"ve lost your bet, Dick,"

said George. „Pocket-knife, please. I not only took up his breakfast, and accidental y spilt hot coffee on him, but Timmy here pul ed him out of bed and stood over him, growling.

What a sight that was! Poor Junior doesn"t want his breakfast in bed any more! He"s coming down for it each morning."

„Good for you, George!" said Dick, and slid his pocket-knife across the table. „You deserve to win. Now - sit down and finish your breakfast and mind - I"m not betting anything else for a long, long time!"

The twins, Harry and Harriet, had had their breakfast some while ago. They now came into the big kitchen, Snippet at their heels, and scowled to see the Five stil having breakfast there. Anne was in fits of laughter over George"s account of the way she had dealt with Junior.

„You should have seen his face when I planked the breakfast tray on his knees, and the hot coffee splashed him!" said George. „He let out a yell that startled even old Timmy. And when he hit me, and Timmy leapt on the bed and dragged him out on to the floor, his eyes nearly fel out of his head!"

„No wonder he"s decided to come down to breakfast each morning, then," said Julian.

„He"l be scared stiff of you appearing with a breakfast tray again!"

The twins listened to this in amazement. They looked at one another, and nodded. Then they walked up to the breakfast table, and for once in a way, only one twin spoke.

Whether it was Harry or Harriet, nobody knew, for they both looked so much alike.

„What"s happened?" said the twin to George. „Why did you take up Junior"s breakfast tray.”

„Because we were al so fed up with the way Junior - and his Pop - impose on your mother," said George. „Fancy a boy having breakfast in bed!"

„So old George took it into her head to take up his breakfast herself, and said she"d teach him such a lesson he"d be a bit more considerate of your mother in future," said Dick.

„What"s more, I was idiotic enough to bet George she wouldn"t do it - and now she"s won my best pocket-knife off me - look!"

George proudly displayed the knife. The twins each gave a sudden loud laugh, which surprised the others very much. „Well, I"m blessed!" said Dick. „Fancy you being able to laugh! You always look so fierce and unfriendly. Well, now that you"ve condescended to talk to us, let me tel you this - we think your mother is absolutely tops, and far from giving her more trouble, we"re all going to help as much as we can. Got that?"

Both twins were smiling broadly now. They took it in turns to speak, which was really much more friendly than their usual stiff way of talking in unison.

„We hate Junior!" said one twin. „He thinks our mother is a kind of slave, to come when he rings for her, or shouts for her."

„His father"s the same," said the other twin. „Wanting this and that, and sending our mother al over the place to fetch and carry for him. Why doesn"t he go and stay at a hotel?"

„He doesn"t because he"s so set on snooping out our old things and buying them," said the other twin. „I know for a fact that Mother has sold him some of her own things - but she just had to have some money; things are so expensive, and we grow out of our clothes so quickly."

„I say - it is nice to hear you talking properly," said Julian, clapping the twin on the back.

„And now would you mind letting us know how to tell which of you is which? I know one"s a boy and one"s a girl, but you both look exactly alike to me - you might be two boys!"

The twins gave sudden, mischievous grins. „Well - don"t you tell Junior, then," said one.

„You can always tell me by this scar on my hand, see? Harriet hasn"t any scar. I"m Harry."

The four looked at the long thin scar on the boy"s hand. „I got that by tearing the back of my hand on barbed wire," said Harry. „Now you"l know us from each other! I say - tell us al about George and the breakfast tray, from beginning to end. Good old George. She looks just as much a boy as Harriet does."

It was very pleasant to find the twins so friendly, after their stiff, sullen dislike. The four warmed to them - and when Mrs Philpot suddenly appeared in the kitchen to clear away breakfast, she was astounded to see her twins talking and laughing gaily with the others.

She stood and stared, a delighted smile on her face.

„Mother! Junior"s not going to have breakfast in bed any more!" said Harry, „Listen why!"

And the story had to be told all over again. George went red. She was half afraid that Mrs Philpot would be real y displeased. But no, she threw back her head and Iaughed.

„Oh, that real y does me good," she said. „But I hope Junior doesn"t tell his father, and they don"t both go off in a hurry! We do need their money, you know, much as I hate having them here. Now I must clear away breakfast!"

„No, you mustn"t. That"s our job," said Anne. „Isn"t it, twins?"

„YES!" said both twins together. „We"re all friends now, Mother - let them belong to the family."

„Well, I"l go and see to the chickens, then, if you"re going to clear away," said Mrs Philpot.

„You can wash up, too, bless you!"

„Look - how would you like to go round the farm in our old Land-Rover today?" said Harry to the others. „It"s the best way to see over the farm. I think Bil "s got to go round this morning, and check on the fields and the stock. He"l take you, if I ask him."

„Fine!" said Julian. „What time?"

„In about half an hour," said Harry. I"l find Bill - and when you hear a horn hooting, come on out. By the way, Bil isn"t much of a talker, but if he takes to you, he"ll be quite pal y."

„Right," said Julian. „Can Dick and I do something while the girls are clearing away?"

„Gosh yes, there"s ALWAYS something to do on a farm," said Harry, „Come on up to the chicken-houses - Harriet and I are patching them up to stop the rain leaking in."

Julian and Dick, with Timmy behind them, immediately went off with the twins, now as merry and friendly as before they had been dour and sul en! What a change!

„Well, thank goodness I took Junior"s breakfast up to him, and put him in his place," said George, folding up the table-cloth. „It was apparently just the one thing that would make the twins friendly! Hark, Anne, I believe that"s Junior coming."

She slipped behind the dresser, while Anne set the chairs straight round the table. Junior came creeping in very quietly indeed, and looked round fearfully. He seemed very relieved to find only Anne there. He considered that she was quite harmless!

„Where"s that dog?" he asked.

„What dog?" said Anne innocently. „Snippets?"

„No - that great ugly mongrel - and that awful boy he belongs to," said Junior, stil fearful.

„Oh, you mean George, I suppose," said Anne, amused that Junior thought George was a boy. „Well, look over there!"

Junior saw George advancing on him from behind the dresser, gave one agonized yel and fled, fearing that she had Timmy somewhere behind her. George laughed.

„We shan"t have much trouble with him in future," she said, „I just hope he doesn"t say too much to his Pop!"

After a while they heard the sound of a hooter outside. „That"s the Land-Rover," said George, excited. „Well, we"ve just finished the washing-up. Hang up the tea-cloths to dry, Anne. I"l pop these dishes into the cupboard..."

Soon they were out of the great kitchen door and down the passage that led to the yard.

Not far off was a van-like car, the Land-Rover. It was an old one, very dirty, and a bit lop-sided. Dick and Julian yelled to the girls.

„Buck up! Didn"t you hear us hooting?"

The girls ran to the Land-Rover. Bill, the farmhand, was at the wheel. He grinned at them and nodded. Timmy greeted George as if he hadn"t seen her for a year and almost knocked her down in his playfulness.

„Tim! Don"t be such an ass!" said George, „planting your great muddy paws all over me!

Where are the twins? Aren"t they coming?"

„Naw," said Bil . „They be busy."

They all got in, and were just about to set off when someone else appeared. „Wait! I"m coming! Wait, I say!"

And up ran Junior, ful of himself as usual. „Jump down, Tim - go to him," said George, in a low voice. And very wil ingly indeed Timmy leapt down and ran ful -tilt towards the unsuspecting Junior. He gave one loud yel , turned, and fled for his life.

„Well, that"s got rid of him!" said Dick, with much satisfaction. „Look at, Timmy - he"s laughing all over his hairy old face! You love a joke, don"t you, Tim?"

It did indeed look as if Tim was laughing, for he had his mouth wide open, showing all his teeth, and his tongue was hanging out happily. He leapt back into the car.

„Sensible dog, that," said Bill, and then relapsed into his usual silence as he started up the Land-Rover with a real y shattering noise. It moved off towards the fields.

How it jolted! The four clung to the sides of the van, ahnost bumped off their seats as the Land-Rover jerked its way over field-paths, up hil and down hil , jolting in and out of deep ruts, appearing to be on the point of overturning at any minute. Anne wasn"t sure that she liked it much, but the others enjoyed every minute,

„Now you"l see the farm-land," said Bill, as they came to the top of the hil . „Look yonder!

Could be the finest farm in the county, if Mester Philpot had the money!"