"Blyton, Enid - Adventure 01 - The Island of Adventure" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

A bit sour, he said. Not too bad, really. Too hard-worked, no money, no help in the old house except for old Jo-Jo, the sort of handyman servant we've got. She makes poor Dinah slave I won't, so she's given me up, but Dinah's afraid of her and does what she is told more than I do.
What's your home like? asked Lucy-Ann.
A funny old place, hundreds of years old, half in ruins, awfully big and draughty, set half-way up a steep cliff, and almost drowned in spray in a storm, said Philip. But I love it. It's wild and lonely and queer, and there's the cry of the sea-birds always round it. You'd love it, Freckles.
Jack thought he would. It sounded exciting to him. His home was ordinary, a house in a row in a small-sized town. But Philip's house sounded really exciting. The wind and the waves and the sea-birds he felt as if he could almost hear them clamouring together, when he shut his eyes.
Wake up, wake up, sleepy-head, said Kiki, pecking gently at Jack's ear. He opened his eyes and laughed. The parrot had an extraordinary way of saying the right thing sometimes.
I wish I could see that home of yours Craggy-Tops, he said to Philip. It sounds as if things could happen there real, live, exciting things, thrilling adventures. Nothing ever happens in Lippinton, where we live.
Well, nothing much happens at Craggy-Tops either, said Philip, putting the little squirrel back into his pocket, and taking a hedgehog out of another pocket. It was a baby one, whose prickles were not yet hardened and set. It seemed quite happy to live in Philip's pocket, along with a very large snail, who was careful to keep inside his shell.
I wish we were all going home together, said Jack. I'd like to see your sister Dinah, though she does sound a bit of a wild-cat to me. And I'd love to see all those rare birds on the coast. I'd like to see your old half-ruined house too. Fancy living in a house so old that it's almost a ruin. You don't know how lucky you are.
Not so lucky when you have to carry hot water for miles to the only bath in the house, said Philip, getting up from the grass where he had been sitting with the others. Come on it's time to get back. You're never likely to see Craggy-Tops, and you wouldn't like it if you did so what's the good of talking about it?


Chapter 3
TWO LETTERS AND A PLAN

The next day Philip had a letter from Dinah. He showed it to the others.
Old Dinah's having a rough time, he said. It's a good thing I leave here soon. It's better for her when I'm there.

Dear Phil [said Dinah in her letter],
Aren't you ever coming back? Not that you're much good for anything except quarrelling with, but still it's pretty lonely here with nobody but Uncle and Aunt and Jo-Jo, who's even more stupid than before. He told me yesterday not to go out at night down the cliff, because there are things wandering about. He's quite mad. The only things wandering about besides me are the sea-birds. There are thousands of them here this year.
Don't, for goodness' sake, bring any creatures home these holidays. You know how I hate them. I shall die if you bring a bat again, and if you dare to try and train earwigs like you did last year, I'll throw a chair at your head!
Aunt Polly is making me work awfully hard. We wash and scrub and clean all day, goodness knows, what for, because nobody ever comes. I shall be glad when it's time to go off to school again. When do you come back? I wish we could earn some money somehow. Aunt Polly is worrying herself to death because she can't pay some bill or other, and Uncle swears he hasn't got the money, and wouldn't give it to her if he had. I suppose Mother would send more money if we asked her, but it's pretty awful to have her slaving away as she does, anyhow. Tell me more about Freckles and Lucy-Ann. I like the sound of them.
Your loving sister,
Dinah.

Dinah sounded rather fine, Jack thought, as he read the letter and gave it back to Philip. Here you are, Tufty, he said. Dinah sounds lonely. Hallo there's Mr. Roy beckoning me. I'll see what he wants. More work, I suppose.
By the same post had come a letter for Mr. Roy, from the housekeeper who looked after Jack's Uncle Geoffrey. It was short and to the point.
Mr. Roy had read it with dismay, and then called Jack in to show him the letter. Jack read it, also filled with dismay.

Dear Mr. Roy [said the letter],
Mr. Trent has broken his leg, and he doesn't want the children back these holidays. He wants to know if you will keep them with you, and he sends a cheque to cover the rest of the time. They can come back two days before school begins, to help me to sort out their clothes.
Yours faithfully,
Elspeth Miggles.

Oh, Mr. Roy! groaned Jack, who, much as he disliked his home, disliked the thought of staying on with Mr. Roy, and with the peevish Oliver, who was also staying on, even more than the thought of returning to his irritable uncle. I don't see why Lucy-Ann and I can't go back we shan't go near Uncle.
Mr. Roy did not want Jack to stay on any more than the boy himself did. The thought of having that parrot for one day longer than he needed to filled him with horror. He had never in his life disliked anything so much as he disliked Kiki. Rude boys he could deal with, and did but rude parrots were beyond him.
Well, said Mr. Roy, pursing up his lips and looking at Kiki with dislike, well I'm sure I don't want to keep you any longer, because it's pure waste of your time to be here you haven't learnt a thing but I don't see what else to do. It's quite plain that your uncle doesn't want you back you can see he has sent quite a generous cheque to cover the rest of your stay here but I had other plans. With Oliver here, I intended to do a little visiting. Really, I wish we could find some place for you to go to, you and Lucy-Ann.
Jack went back to his sister and to Philip, looking so dismayed that Lucy-Ann slipped her arm into his at once.
What is it? What's the matter?
Uncle doesn't want us back, said Jack, and explained about the letter. And Mr. Roy doesn't want us here so it looks as if nobody loves us at the moment, Lucy-Ann.
The three children looked at one another. And then Philip had his brain-wave. He clutched at Jack, almost knocking Kiki off her balance.
Jack! Come back home with me! You and Lucy-Ann can come to Craggy-Tops! Dinah would be thrilled. You could have a fine time with the sea-birds. What about it?
Jack and Lucy-Ann stared in excitement and delight. Go to Craggy-Tops? Live in an old half-ruined house, with a learned uncle, an impatient aunt, a half-mad servant and the sound of the sea all the time? Now that really would be thrilling!
Jack sighed and shook his head. He knew that the plans of children seldom came to anything when grown-ups had to be consulted about them.
It's no good, he said. Uncle Geoffrey would probably say no and Mr. Roy would anyway and your uncle and aunt would just hate to have extra children on their hands.
They wouldn't, said Philip. You could give them the cheque that your Uncle Geoffrey sent to Mr. Roy, and I bet my aunt would be thrilled. It would pay that bill Dinah talked about in her letter.
Oh, Philip oh, Jack do let's go to Craggy-Tops! begged Lucy-Ann, her green eyes shining. I'd like it more than anything in the world. We'll be in the way here, Jack, if we stay on, you know we will and I'm sure Mr. Roy will kill Kiki one day if she says any more rude things to him.
Kiki gave a hideous screech and stuck her head hard into Jack's neck. It's all right, Kiki, said Jack. I won't let anyone hurt you. Lucy-Ann, honestly it's no good asking Mr. Roy to see if we can go to Craggy-Tops. He thinks it's his duty to have us here, and we'll have to stay.
Well, let's go without asking him, then, said Lucy-Ann recklessly.
The boys stared at her without speaking. That was an idea. Go without asking! Well why not?
It would be all right if we all turned up at Craggy-Tops together, really it would, said Philip, though he was by no means certain that it would be all right at all. You see, once you were there, my uncle and aunt couldn't very well turn you out, and I could get Aunt Polly to telephone to Mr. Roy and explain things to him, and get him to send her the cheque your Uncle Geoffrey sent for you.