"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 06 - Five On Kirrin Island Again" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)
'You've no business to come over here, and interfere with my work,' said his uncle, still looking furious. 'How did you get into that tower? I locked it.' 'Yes, it was locked all right,' said Julian. 'But you left the key in, you see, Uncle - so I thought it wouldn't matter if...' 'Oh, that's where the key is, is it?' said his uncle. 'I thought I'd lost it. Well, don't you ever go into that tower again. I tell you, it's dangerous.' 'Uncle Quentin, you haven't told us yet where your workroom is,' said Dick, who was quite determined to know. 'We can't imagine 'where you suddenly came from.' 'I told them you would turn up, Quentin,' said his wife. 'You look a bit thin, dear. Have you been having regular meals. You know, I left you plenty of good soup to heat up.' 'Did you?' said her husband. 'Well, I don't know if I've had it or not. I don't worry about meals when I'm working. I'll have some of those sandwiches now, though, if nobody else wants them.' He began to devour the sandwiches, one after another as if he was ravenous. Aunt Fanny watched him in distress.
'Oh Quentin - you're starving. I shall' come over here and stay and look after you!' Her husband looked alarmed. 'Oh no! Nobody is to come here. I can't have my work interfered with. I'm working on an extremely important discovery.' 'Is it a discovery that nobody else knows about?' asked Anne, her eyes wide with admiration. How clever Uncle Quentin was! 'Well - I'm not sure about that,' said Uncle Quentin, taking two sandwiches at once. 'That's partly why I came over here - besides the fact that I wanted water round me and above me. I have a feeling that somebody knows a bit more than I want them to know. But there's one thing - they can't come here unless they're shown the way through all those rocks that lie round the island. Only a few of the fishermen know that, and they've been given orders not to bring anyone here at all. I think you're the only other person that knows the way, George.
'Uncle Quentin - please do tell us where your workroom is,' begged Dick, feeling that he could not wait a single moment more to solve the mystery.
'Don't keep bothering your uncle,' said his aunt, annoyingly. 'Let him eat his lunch. He can't have had anything forages!' 'Yes, but Aunt Fanny, I' began Dick, and was interrupted by his uncle.
'You obey your aunt, young man. I don't want to be pestered by any of you. What does it matter where I work?' 'Oh, it doesn't really matter a bit, sir,' said Dick, hurriedly. 'It's only that I'm awfully curious to know. You see, we looked for you simply everywhere.' 'Well, you're not quite so clever as you thought you were then,' said Uncle Quentin, and reached for a jammy bun. 'George, take this dog of yours away from me. He keeps breathing down my neck, hoping I shall give him a tit-bit. I don't approve of tit-bits at meal-times.' George pulled Timmy away. Her mother watched her father gobbling up the rest of the food. Most of the sandwiches she had saved for tea-time had gone already. Poor Quentin! How very hungry he must be.
'Quentin, you don't think there's any danger for you here, do you?' she said. 'I mean - you don't think anyone would try to come spying on you, as they did once before?' 'No. How could they?' said her husband. 'No plane can land on this island. No boat can get through the rocks unless the way through is known, and the sea's too rough round the rocks for any swimmer.' 'Julian, see if you can make him promise to signal to me night and morning,' said Aunt Fanny, turning to her nephew. 'I feel worried about him somehow.' Julian tackled his uncle manfully. 'Uncle, it wouldn't be too much of a bother to you to signal to Aunt Fanny twice a day, would it?' 'If you don't, Quentin, I shall come over every single day to see you,' said his wife.
'And we might come too,' said Anne, mischievously. Her uncle looked most dismayed at the idea.
'Well, I could signal in the morning and in the evening when I go up to the top of the tower,' he said. 'I have to go up once every twelve hours to re-adjust the wires. I'll signal then. Half past ten in the morning, and half past ten at night.' 'How will you signal?' asked Julian. 'Will you flash with a mirror in the morning?' 'Yes - that would be quite a good idea,' said his uncle. 'I could do that easily. And I'll use a lantern at night. I'll shine it out six times at half past ten. Then perhaps you'll all know I'm all right and will leave me alone! But don't look for the signal tonight. I'll start tomorrow morning.' 'Oh Quentin dear, you do sound cross,' said his wile. 'I don't like you being all-alone here, that's all. You look thin and tired. I'm sure you're not...' Uncle Quentin put on a scowl exactly like George sometimes put on. He looked at his wristwatch. 'Well,' I must go,' he said. 'Time to get to work again. I'll see you to your boat.' 'We're going to stay to tea here, Father,' said George.
'No, I'd rather you didn't' said her father getting up. 'Come on -- I'll take you to your boat.' 'But Father - I haven't been on my island for ages!' said George, indignantly. 'I want to stay here a bit longer. I don't see why I shouldn't.' 'Well, I've had enough interruption to my work,' said her father. 'I want to get on.' 'We shan't disturb you, Uncle Quentin,' said Dick, who was still terribly curious to know where his uncle had his workroom. Why wouldn't he tell them? Was he just being annoying? Or didn't he want them to know?
Uncle Quentin led them all firmly towards the little cove. It was plain that he meant them to go and to go quickly.
'When shall we come over and see you again, Quentin?' asked his wife.
'Not till I say so,' said her husband. 'It won't take me long now to finish what I'm on. My word, that dog's got a rabbit at last!' 'Oh Timmy!' yelled George, in distress. Timmy dropped the rabbit he had actually managed to grab. It scampered away unhurt. Timmy came to his mistress looking very sheepish.
'You're a very bad dog. Just because I took my eye off you for half a second! No, it's no good licking my hand like that. I'm cross.' They all came to the boat. 'I'll push her off,' said Julian. 'Get in, all of you. Well, good-bye, Uncle Quentin. I hope your work goes well.' Everyone got into the boat. Timmy tried to put his head on George's knee, but she pushed it away.
'Oh, be kind to him and forgive him,' begged Anne. 'He looks as if he's going to cry.' 'Are you ready?' cried Julian. 'Got the oars, George? Dick, take the other pair." He shoved the boat off and leapt in himself. He cupped his hands round his mouth. 'Don't forget to signal, sir! We'll be watching out morning and evening!' 'And if you forget, I shall come over the very next day!' called his wife.
The boat slid away down the little inlet of water, and Uncle Quentin was lost to sight. Then round the low wall of rocks went the boat, and was soon on the open sea.
'Ju, watch and see if you can make out where Uncle Quentin is, when we're round these rocks,' said Dick.
'See what direction he goes in.
Julian tried to see his uncle, but the rocks just there hid the cove from sight, and there was no sign of him at all.
'Why didn't he want us to stay? Because he didn't want us to know his hiding-place!' said Dick 'And why doesn't he want us to know? Because it's somewhere we don't know, either!' 'But I thought we knew every single corner of my island,' said George. 'I think it's mean of Father not to tell me, if it's somewhere I don't know. I can't think where it can be!' Timmy put his head on her knee again. George was so absorbed in trying to think where her father's hiding-place could be that she absent-mindedly stroked Timmy's head. He was almost beside himself with delight. He licked her knees lovingly.
'Oh Timmy - I didn't mean to pet you for ages,' said George. 'Stop licking my knees. You make them feel wet and horrid. Dick, it's very mysterious, isn't it - where can Father be hiding?' 'I can't imagine,' said Dick. He looked back at the island. A cloud of jackdaws rose up into the air calling loudly, 'Chack, chack, chack!' The boy watched them. What had disturbed them? Was it Uncle Quentin? Perhaps his hiding-place was somewhere about that old tower then', the one the jackdaws nested in? On the other hand, the jackdaws often rose into the air together for no reason at all.
'Those jackdaws are making a bit of fuss,' he said. 'Perhaps Uncle's hiding-place is not far from where they roost together, by that tower.' 'Can't be,' said Julian. 'We went all round there today.' 'Well, it's a mystery,' said George, gloomily, 'and I think it's horrible having a mystery about my very own island - and to be forbidden to go to it, and solve it. It's really too bad!' Х
Chapter Six
UP ON THE CLIFF
THE next day was rainy. The four children put on their macintoshes and sou'-westers and went out for a walk with Timmy. They never minded the weather. In fact Julian said that he really liked the feel of the wind and rain buffeting against his face.
'I shouldn't think so,' said Dick. 'I expect Julian and I will stay up - but you kids will have to buzz off to bed!' George gave him a punch. 'Don't call us "kids"! I'm almost as tall as you are now.' 'It's not much use waiting about till half past ten now to see if Uncle signals to us in any way, is it?' said Anne. 'Let's go up on the cliff - it'll be lovely and blowy. Timmy will like that. I love to see him racing along in the wind, with his ears blown back straight!' 'Woof,' said Timmy.
'He says he likes to see you with yours blown back too,' said Julian, gravely. Anne gave a squeal of laughter.
'You really are an idiot, Ju! Come on - let's take the cliff-path!' They went up the cliff. At the top it was very windy indeed. Anne's sou'-wester was blown to the back of her head. The rain stung their' cheeks and made them gasp.
'I should think we must be about the only people out this morning!' gasped George.
'Well, you're wrong,' said Julian. 'There are two people coming towards us!' So there were. They were a man and a boy, both well wrapped up in macintoshes and sou'-westers. Like the children, they too wore high rubber boots.
The children took a look at them as they passed. The man was tall and well built, with shaggy eyebrows and a determined mouth. The boy was about sixteen, also tall and well built. He was not a bad-looking boy, but he had rather a sullen expression.
'Good morning,' said the man, and nodded. 'Good morning,' chorused the children, politely. The man looked them over keenly, and then he and the boy went on.' 'Wonder who they are?' said George. 'Mother didn't say there were any new people here.' 'Just walked over from the next village, I expect,' said Dick.
They went on for some way. 'We'll walk to the coastguard's cottage and then go back,' said Julian. 'Hie, Tim, don't go so near the cliff!' The coastguard lived in a little whitewashed cottage on the cliff, facing the sea. Two other cottages stood beside it, also whitewashed. The children knew the coastguard well. He was a red-faced, barrel-shaped man, fond of joking.
He was nowhere to be seen when they came to his cottage. Then they heard his enormous voice singing a sea-shanty in the little shed behind. They went to find him.
'Hallo, coastguard,' said Anne.
He looked up and grinned at the children. He was busy making something. 'Halo to you!' he said. 'So you're back again are you? Bad pennies, the lot of you -- always turning up when you're not wanted!' 'What are you making?' asked Anne.
'A windmill for my young grandson,' said the coastguard, showing it to Anne. He was very clever at making toys.
'Oh, it's lovely,' said Anne, taking it in her hands. 'Does the windmill part go round -- oh yes -- it's super, coastguard!' 'I've been making quite a bit of money out of my toys,' said the old fellow, proudly. 'I've got some new neighbours in the next cottage - man and a boy - and the man's been buying all the toys I make. Seems to have a lot of nephews and nieces! He gives me good prices too.' 'Oh - would that be the man and the boy we met, I wonder?' said Dick. 'Both tall, and well built - and the man had shaggy eyebrows.' 'That's right,' said the coastguard, trimming a bit of his windmill. 'Mr. Curton and his son. They came here some weeks ago. You ought to get to know the son, Master Julian. He's about your age, I should think. Must be pretty lonely for him up here?' 'Doesn't he go to any school?' asked Julian.
'No. He's been ill, so his father said. Got to have plenty of sea-air and that sort of thing. Not a bad sort of boy.
Comes and helps me with my toys sometimes. And he likes to mess about with my telescope.' 'I do too,' said George. 'I love looking through your telescope. Can I look through now? I'd like to see if I can spot Kirrin Island.' 'Well, you won't see much this weather,' said the coast guard. 'You wait a few minutes. See that break in the clouds? Well, it'll clear in a few minutes, and you'll be able to see your island easily. That's a funny thing your father's built there, Miss. Part of his work, I suppose.' 'Yes,' said George. 'Oh Timmy - look what he's done, coastguard - he's upset that tin of paint. Bad boy, Timmy!' 'It's not my tin,' said the coastguard. 'It's a tin belonging to that young fellow next door. I told you he comes in to help me sometimes. He brought in that tin to help paint a little dolls' house I made for his father.' 'Oh dear,' said George, in dismay. 'Do you think he'll be cross when he knows Timmy spilt it?' 'Shouldn't think so,' said the coastguard. 'He's a queer boy though - quiet and a bit sulky. Not a bad boy, but doesn't seem very friendly like.' George tried to clear up the mess of paint. Timmy had some on his paws, and made a little pattern of green paw-marks as he pattered about the shed.
'I'll tell the boy I'm sorry, if I meet him on the way back,' she said. 'Timmy, if you dare to go near any more tins of paint you shan't sleep on my bed tonight.'
'The weather's a bit clearer now,' said Dick. 'Can we have a squint through the telescope, coastguard?' 'Let me see my island first,' said George at once. She tilted the telescope in the direction of Kirrin Island. Slit looked through it earnestly, and a smile came over her face.
'Yes, I can see it clearly. There's the tower Father has had built. I can even see the glass room quite clearly, and there's nobody in it. No sign of Father anywhere.' Everyone had a turn at looking through the telescope. It was fascinating to see the island appearing so close. On a clear day it would be even easier to see all the details. 'I can see a rabbit scampering,' said Anne, when her turn came.
'Don't you let that dog of yours squint through the telescope then,' said the coastguard at once. 'He'll try to get down it after that rabbit!' Timmy cocked his ears up at the mention of the word rabbit. He looked all round and sniffed. No, there was no rabbit. Then why did people mention them?
'We'd better go now,' said Julian. 'We'll be up here again sometime, and we'll come and see what toys you've done. Thanks for letting us look through the telescope.' 'You're welcome!' said the old fellow. 'You're not likely to wear it out through looking! Come along any time you want to use it.' They said good-bye and went off, Timmy capering round them. 'Couldn't we see Kirrin Island well!' said Anne. 'I wished I could see where your father was, George. Wouldn't it be fun if we spotted him just coming out of his hiding-place?' The four children had discussed this problem a good deal since they had left the island. It puzzled them very much indeed. How did it happen that George's father knew a hiding-place that they didn't know? Why, they had been over ever~' inch of the island! It must be quite a big hiding-place too, if he had got all his stuff for his experiments with him. According to George's mother, there had been quite a lot of this, to say nothing of stores of food.
'If Father knew a place I didn't know, and never told me about it, I think he's jolly mean,' George said half a dozen times. 'I do really. It's my island!' 'Well, he'll probably tell you when he's finished the work he's on,' said Julian. 'Then you'll know. We can all go and explore it then, wherever it is.' After they left the coastguard's cottage, they turned their steps home. They made their way along the cliff, and then saw the boy they had met before. He was standing on the path looking out 'to sea. The man was not with him.
He turned as they came up arid gave them a pale kind of smile. 'Hallo! Been up to see the coastguard?' 'Yes,' said Julian. 'Nice old fellow, isn't he?' 'I say,' said George, 'I'm so sorry, but my dog upset a tin of green paint, and the coastguard said it was yours. Can I pay you for it, please?' 'Goodness, no!' said the boy. 'I don't mind. There Wasn't much of it left anyway. That's a nice dog of yours.' 'Yes, he is,' said George, warmly. 'Best dog in the world. I've had him for years, but he's still as young as ever. Do you like dogs?' 'Oh yes,' 'said the boy, but he made no move to pat Timmy or fuss him, as most people did. And Timmy did not run round the boy and sniff at him as he usually did when he met anyone new. He just stood by George, his tail neither up nor down.
'That's an interesting little island,' said the boy, pointing to Kirrin. 'I wish I could go there.' 'It's my island,' said George, proudly. 'My very own.' 'Really?' said the boy, politely. 'Could you let me go over one day then?' 'Well - not just at present,' said George. 'You see, my father's there working - he's a scientist.' 'Really?' said the boy again. 'Er - has he got some new experiment on hand, then?' 'Yes,' said George.
'Ah - and that queer tower is something to do with it, I suppose,' said the boy, looking interested for the first time. 'When will his experiment be finished?' 'What's that to do with you?' said Dick, suddenly. The others stared at him in surprise. Dick sounded rather rude, and it was not like him.
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