"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 03 - Five Run Away Together" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

"Well, it really ought to be," said Julian, strolling off. "Give him a bath, and maybe we'll call him Tinker instead."
Leaving Mrs. Stick muttering in fury, he went back to the others. They stared at him curiously. He somehow seemed a different JulianЧa grim and determined Julian, a very grown-up Julian, a rather frightening Julian.
"I'm afraid the fat's in the fire now," said Julian, sitting down on the grass. "I pulled old Edgar's nose nearly off his fat face, and Ma saw me doing it. I guess it's open warfare now! We shan't have a very merry time from now on. I doubt if we'll get any meals."
"We'll get them ourselves then," said George. "I hate Mrs. Stick. I wish Joanna would come back. I hate that horrid Edgar too, and that awful Stinker."
"LookЧthere is Stinker!" suddenly said Dick, putting
out his hand to catch Timothy, who had risen with a growl. But Timmy shook off his hand and leapt across the grass at once. Stinker gave a woeful howl and tried to escape. But Timothy had him by the neck and was shaking him like a rat.
Mrs. Stick appeared with a stick and lashed out, not seeming to mind which dog she hit. Julian rushed for the hose again. Edgar skipped indoors at once, remembering what had happened to him before.
The water gushed out, and Timothy gave a gasp and let go the howling mongrel he held in his teeth. Stinker at once hurled himself on Mrs. Stick, and tried to hide in her skirts trembling with terror.
"I'll poison that dog of yours!" said Mrs. Stick, furiously, to George. "Always setting on to mine. You look out or I'll poison him."
She disappeared indoors, and the four children went and sat down again. George looked really alarmed. "Do you suppose she really might try to poison Timmy?" she asked Julian, in a scared voice.
"She's a nasty bit of work," said Julian, in a low tone. "I think it would be just as well to keep old Timmy close by us, day and night, and only to feed him ourselves, from our own plates."
George pulled Timothy to her, horrified at the thought that anyone might want to poison him. But Mrs. Stick really was awfulЧshe might do anything like that, George thought. How she wished her father and mother were back! It was horrid to be on their own, like this.
The telephone bell suddenly shrilled out and made everyone jump. They all leapt to their feet, and Timmy
growled. George flew indoors and lifted the receiver. She heard her father's voice, and her heart began to beat fast.
"Is that you, George?" said her father. "Are you all right? I hadn't time to stay and tell you everything."
"FatherЧwhat about Mother? Tell me quickЧhow is she?" said George.
"We shan't know till the day after next," said her father. "I'll telephone tomorrow morning and then the. next morning too. I shan't come back till I know she's better."
"Oh FatherЧit's awful without you and Mother," said poor George. "Mrs. Stick is so horrid."
"Now, George," said her father, rather impatiently, "surely you children can see to yourselves and make do with Mrs. Stick till I get back! Don't worry me about such things now. I've enough worry as it is."
"When will you be back, do you think?" said George. "Can I come and see Mother?"
"No," said her father. "Not for at least two weeks, they say. I'll be back as soon as I can. But I'm not going to leave your Mother now. She needs me. Good-bye and be good, all of you."
George put back the receiver. She turned to face the others. "Shan't know about Mother till the day after next," she said. "And we've got to put up with Mrs. Stick till Father comes backЧand goodness knows when that will be! It's awful, isn't it?"
Chapter Five.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
MRS. STICK was in such a bad temper that evening that there was no supper at all. Julian went to ask about some, but he found the kitchen door locked.
He went back to the others with a gloomy face, for they were all hungry. "She's locked the door," he said. "She really is a dreadful creature. I don't believe we'll get any supper tonight." "
"We'll have to wait till she goes to bed," said George. "We'll go down and hunt in the larder then, and see what we can find."
They went to bed hungry. Julian listened for Mrs. Stick and Edgar to go to bed, too. When he heard them going upstairs, and was sure their doors had shut, he slipped down into the kitchen. It was dark there, and Julian was just about to put on the light when he heard the sound of someone breathing heavily. He wondered who it could be. Was it Stinker? NoЧit couldn't be the dog. It sounded like a human being.
Julian stood there, his hand over the light switch, puzzled and a little scared. It couldn't be a burglar, because burglars don't go to sleep in the house they have come to rob. It couldn't be Mrs. Stick or Edgar. Then who was it?
He snapped on the light. The kitchen was flooded with radiance, and Julian's eyes fastened on the figure of a
small man lying on the sofa. He was fast asleep, his mouth wide open.
He was not a very pleasant sight. He had not shaved for some days, and his cheeks and chin were bluish-black. He didn't seem to have washed for even longer than that, for his hands were black, and so were his finger-nails. He had untidy hair and a nose exactly like Edgar's.
"Must be dear Edgar's father," thought Julian to himself. "What a sight! Well, poor Edgar hadn't much chance to be decent with a father and mother like his."
The man snored. Julian wondered what to do. He
badly wanted to go to the larder, but on the other hand he didn't particularly want to wake up the man and have a row. He didn't see how he could turn him outЧfor all he knew his aunt and uncle might have agreed to Mrs. Stick's husband coming there now and again, though he hardly thought so.
Julian was very hungry. The thought of the good things in the larder made him snap off the light again and creep towards the larder door in the dark. He opened the door. He felt along the shelves. Good!Чthat felt like a pie of some sort. He lifted it up and sniffed. It smelt of meat. A meat-pieЧgood!
He felt along the shelf again and came to a plate on which were what he thought must be jam-tarts, for they were round and flat, and had something sticky in the middle. Well, a meat-pie and jam-tarts ought to be all right for four hungry children!
Julian picked up the meat-pie and the dish of tarts, and made his way carefully out of the larder. He pushed the door to with his foot. Then he turned to go out of the room.
But in the dark he went the wrong way, and by bad luck walked straight into the sofa! The dish of tarts got a sudden jerk and one of them fell off. It landed on the open mouth of the sleeping man, and woke him up with a start.
"Blow!" said Julian to himself, and began to back away quietly, hoping that the man would turn over and go to sleep again. But the sticky jam-tart sliding down his chin had startled the man, and he sat up with a jerk.
"Who's there? That you, Edgar? What you doing down here?"
Julian said nothing but sidled towards what he hoped was the door. The man leapt up and lurched over to where he thought the light switch was. He found it and switched it on. He stared in the greatest astonishment at Julian.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Just what I was about to ask you? said Julian, coolly. "What do you think you're doing here, sleeping in my uncle's kitchen?"
"I've a right to be here," said the man, in a rude voice. "My wife's cook here, isn't she? My ship's in and I'm on leave. Your uncle arranged with my wife I could come here then, see?"
Julian had feared as much. How awful to have a Mr. Stick as well as a Mrs. and Master Stick in the house! It would be quite unbearable.
"I can ask my uncle about it when he telephones in the morning," said Julian. "Now get out of my way, please. I want to go upstairs."
"Ho!" said Mr. Stick, eyeing the meat-pie and jam-tarts that Julian was carrying. "Ho! Stealing out of the larder, I see! Nice goings-on I must say."
Julian was not going to argue with Mr. Stick, who evidently felt that he was top-dog. "Get out of my way," he said. "I will talk to you in the morning after my uncle has telephoned."
Mr. Stick didn't seem as if he was going to get out of the way at all. He stood there, a nasty little man, not much taller than Julian, a sarcastic smile on his unshaven face.