"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 12 - Five Go Down to The Sea" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Mrs Penruthlan called the children in to dinner. Yan ran after Julian, and caught hold of his arm.
СI seen that light,Т he said, urgently. СYou come, see it tonight. DonТt forget. I seen that light!Т
Julian had forgotten it in the excitement of the morning. He grinned down at the small boy.
СAll right, all right. I wonТt forget. WeТre coming along tonight, but youТre not coming, Yan, so get that out of your head! Look, hereТs a sweet for you. Now, scoot!Т


Chapter Nine

THE LIGHT IN THE TOWER

By the end of the day the big barn was quite transformed! It had been cleared of all straw, sacks of corn, bags of fertilizer and odd machines that had been stored in it. It looked enormous now, and the Barnies were very pleased with it.
СWeТve been here plenty of times,Т they told the children. СItТs the best barn in the district. We donТt get the best audience, though, because itТs rather a lonely spot here, and there are only two villages near enough to send people to see us. Still, we have a good time, and Mrs Penruthlan gives us a marvellous supper afterwards!Т
СI bet she does!Т said Dick, grinning. СI bet thatТs why you come to this lonely spot, too, to taste Mrs PenruthlanТs cooking. I donТt blame you. IТd come a good few miles myself!Т
A stage had been set up, made of long boards, supported on barrels. A back-cloth had been unrolled and hung over the wooden wall of the barn at the back of the stage. It showed a country scene, and had been painted by the company themselves, bit by bit.
СThatТs my bit,Т said Sid, showing Dick a horse standing in one of the fields painted on the back-cloth. СI had to put old Clopper in! See him?Т
The Barnies had plenty of home-made scenery, which they were used to changing several times during their performance. This was all home-made too, and they were very proud of it, especially some that represented a castle with a tower.
The tower reminded the boys of the one Yan had said he had seen flashing a light the night before. They looked at one another secretly, and Julian nodded slightly. They would certainly watch to see that light themselves. Then they would know for certain whether Grandad and Yan were telling the truth.
Julian wondered if they would have to look out for Mr Penruthlan again that night. Jenny the horse was quite better now, if she had ever been ill!, and was out in the fields again. So Mr Penruthlan had no excuse for creeping about the countryside at night again!
Neither of the boys could imagine what had taken him out the night before, on such a wild night too! Was he meeting somebody? He hadnТt had time to go up to see the shepherd about anything, and there wouldnТt have been much point in that anyway. He had seen Grandad in the morning already.
Mrs Penruthlan came to see the barn now that it was almost ready for the show the next night. She looked red and excited. This was a grand time for her, the Barnies in her barn, the villagers all coming up the next night, a grand supper to be held afterwards. What an excitement!
She was very busy in her kitchen, cooking, cooking, cooking! Her enormous larder was already full of the most appetizing looking pies, tarts, hams, brawns and cheeses. The children took turns at looking into it and sniffing in delight. Mrs Penruthlan laughed at them and shooed them out.
СYouТll have to help me tomorrow,Т she said. СShelling peas, scraping potatoes, stringing beans, picking currants and raspberries, and youТll find hundreds of wild strawberries in the copse, too, which can go to add a flavour to the fruit salad.Т
СWe shall love to help,Т said Anne. СAll this is grand fun! But surely you arenТt going to do all the supper single-handed, Mrs Penruthlan?Т
СOh, one or two of the villagers will stay behind to help me serve it,Т said the plump little farmerТs wife, who looked as happy as could be in the midst of so much hard work. СAnyway, IТll be up at five oТclock tomorrow morning. IТll have plenty of time!Т
СYouТd better go to bed early tonight then!Т said George.
СWe all will,Т said Mrs Penruthlan. СWeТll be up early and abed late tomorrow, and weТll need some sleep tonight. ItТs no trouble to get Mr Penruthlan to bed early. HeТs always ready to go!Т
The children felt sure he would be ready to go early that night because he had spent so much time out in the storm the night before! Julian and Dick were tired too, but they were quite determined to go up to the shepherdТs hill and find the place where they could watch and see if that light really did flash out!
They had a high tea as usual, at which Mr Penruthlan was present. He ate solidly and solemnly, not saying a word except something that sounded like СOoahah, ooh.Т
СWell, IТm glad you like the pie, Mr Penruthlan,Т said his wife. СThough I says it as shouldnТt, itТs a good one.Т
It really was wonderful the way she understood her husbandТs speech. It was also very queer to hear her speak to her husband as if he was someone to whom she had to be polite, and call Mister! Anne wondered if she called him Mr Penruthlan when they were alone together. She looked at him earnestly. What a dark giant he was - and how he ate!
He looked up and saw Anne watching him. He nodded at her and said СAh! Oooh, ock, ukker.Т It might have been a foreign language for all Anne could understand! She looked startled and didnТt know what to say.
СNow, Mr Penruthlan, donТt you tease the child!Т said his wife. СShe doesnТt know what to answer. Do you, Anne?Т
СWell - I - er - I didnТt really catch what he said,Т said Anne, going scarlet.
СThere now, Mr Penruthlan - see how badly you talk without your teeth in!Т said the farmerТs wife scoldingly. СHavenТt I told you you should wear your teeth when you want to make conversation? I understand you all right, but others donТt. It must sound just a mumble to them!Т
Mr Penruthlan frowned and muttered something. The children all stared at him, dumbfounded to hear that he had no teeth. Goodness gracious - HOW did he manage to eat all he did, then? He seemed to chew and munch and crunch, and yet he had no teeth!
СSo thatТs why he speaks so queerly,Т thought Dick, amused. СBut fancy eating as much as he does, with no teeth in his head! Goodness, what would he eat if he had got all his teeth.Т
Mrs Penruthlan changed the conversation because it was clear that her husband was annoyed with her. She talked brightly about the Barnies.
СThat horse Clapper! You wait till you see him prance on to the stage, and fall off it. YouТll see Mr Penruthlan almost fall out of his seat he laughs so much. HeТs fair set on that horse. HeТs seen it a dozen times, and it tickles him to death.Т
СI think itТs jolly funny myself,Т said Julian. СIТve always thought IТd like to put on an act like that at our end-of-term concert at school. Dick and I could do it all right. I wish Sid and Mr Binks would let us try.Т
The meal was finished at last. Most of the dishes were empty, and Mrs Penruthlan looked pleased. СThere now - youТve done really well,Т she said. СThatТs what I do like to see, people finishing up everything put before them.Т
СItТs easy when itТs food you put before us,Т said George. СIsnТt it, Timmy? I bet Timmy wishes he lived here always, Mrs Penruthlan! IТm sure he keeps telling your dogs how lucky they are!Т
After the washing-up, in which everyone but Mr Penruthlan helped, they went to sit down for a while, and read. But the farmer kept giving such enormous yawns that he set everyone else yawning too, and Mrs Penruthlan began to laugh.
СCome on, to bed, all of you!Т she said. СIТve never heard so many yawns in my life! Poor Mr Penruthlan. HeТs tired out with sitting up with Jenny the horse half the night.Т
The children exchanged glances. They knew better!
Everyone went up to bed, and the children laughed to hear Mr Penruthlan still yawning loudly in his room. Julian looked out of his window. It was a dark, blustery night, with sudden spurts of sharp rain. The wind howled and Julian almost thought he could hear the great waves crashing on the rocks in the nearest caves! How enormous they would be in this wind!
СA good night for wreckers, if there were any nowadays!Т he said to Dick. СNot much chance for any ship that went too near those coves tonight! TheyТd be on the rocks, and dashed to pieces in half an hour! The beach would be strewn with thousands of pieces of wreckage the next day.Т
СWeТd better wait a bit before we go,Т said Dick. СItТs really very early. On a bright sunny evening the hills would still be full of daylight, but this stormy evening is very dark. LetТs light our candles and read.Т
The wind became even stronger, and grew almost to a gale. It made a howling noise round the old farm-house, and sounded angry and in pain. Not a very nice night to go out on the hills!
СWeТll go now, I think,Т said Julian, at last. СItТs quite dark, and getting late. Come on.Т
They hadnТt undressed, so they went down the stairs at once, and out of the back door as before, closing it silently behind them. They made their way through the farm-yard, not daring to shine their torches till they were well away from the house.