"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 14 - Five Have Plenty of Fun" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Chapter One

AT KIRRIN COTTAGE

СI feel as if weТve been at Kirrin for about a month already!Т said Anne, stretching herself out on the warm sand, and digging her toes in. СAnd weТve only just come!Т
СYes - itТs funny how we settle down at Kirrin so quickly,Т said Dick. СWe only came yesterday, and I agree with you, Anne - it seems as if weТve been here ages. I love Kirrin.Т
СI hope this weather lasts out the three weeks weТve got left of the holiday,Т said Julian, rolling away from Timmy, who was pawing at him, trying to make him play. СGo away, Timmy. YouТre too energetic. WeТve bathed, had a run, played ball - and thatТs quite enough for a little while. Go and play with the crabs!Т
СWoof!Т said Timmy, disgusted. Then he pricked up his ears as he heard a tinkling noise from the promenade. He barked again.
СTrust old Timmy to hear the ice-cream man,Т said Dick. СAnyone want an ice-cream?Т
Everyone did, so Anne collected the money and went off to get the ice-creams, Timmy close at her heels. She came back with five cartons of ice-cream, Timmy jumping up at her all the way.
СI canТt think of anything nicer than lying down on hot sand with the sun on every part of my body, eating an ice-cream, and knowing there are still three weeksТ holiday in front of us - at Kirrin too!Т said Dick.
СYes. ItТs heaven,Т said Anne. СItТs a pity your father has visitors today, George. Who are they? Have we got to dress up for them?Т
СI donТt think so,Т said George. СTimmy, youТve eaten your ice-cream in one gulp. What a frightful waste!Т
СWhen are these people coming?Т asked Dick.
СAbout half past twelve,Т said George. СTheyТre coming to lunch - but thank goodness Father told Mother he didnТt want a pack of children gobbling all round him and his friends at lunch, so Mother said we could go in at half past twelve, say how-do-you-do and then clear off again with a picnic basket.Т
СI must say I think your father has some good ideas at times,Т said Dick. СI suppose they are some scientist friends of his?Т
СYes. FatherТs working on some great scheme with these two men,Т said George. СOne of themТs a genius, apparently, and has hit on an idea thatТs too wonderful for words.Т
СWhat kind of modern idea is it?Т said Julian, lazily, holding out his finger-tips for Timmy to lick off smears of ice-cream. СSome space-ship to take us on day-trips to the moon - or some new bomb to set off - or...Т
СNo, I think itТs something that will give us heat, light and power for almost nothing!Т said George. СI heard Father say that itТs the simplest and best idea anyone had ever worked out, and heТs awfully excited about it. He called it a Уgift to mankindФ and said he was proud to have anything to do with it.Т
СUncle quentin is very clever, isnТt he?Т said Anne. GeorgeТs father was the uncle of Julian, Dick and Anne, and they were cousins to George - short for Georgina. Once more they had all come down to Kirrin for part of their holiday, the last three weeks.
GeorgeТs father was certainly clever. All the same, George sometimes wished that he was a more ordinary parent, one who would play cricket or tennis with children, and not be so horrified at shouting and laughter and silly jokes. He always made a fuss when GeorgeТs mother insisted that George should have her cousins to stay.
СNoisy, rowdy, yelling kids!Т he said. СI shall lock myself in my study and stay there!Т
СAll right, dear,Т said his wife. СYou do that. But you know perfectly well that they will be out practically all day long. George must have other children to stay sometimes, and her three cousins are the nicest ones I know. George loves having them here.Т
The four cousins were very careful not to upset GeorgeТs father. He had a very hot temper and shouted at the top of his voice when he was angry. Still, as Julian said, he really couldnТt help being a genius, and geniuses werenТt ordinary people.
СEspecially scientific geniuses who might easily blow up the whole world in a fit of temper,Т said Julian, solemnly.
СWell, I wish he wouldnТt keep blowing me up if I let a door bang, or set Timmy barking,Т said George.
СThatТs only to keep his hand in,Т said Dick. СJust a bit of practice at blowing up!Т
СDonТt be an ass,Т said George. СDoes anyone feel like another bathe?Т
СNo. But I donТt mind going and lying in the very edge of the sea, and letting the waves there just curl over me,Т said Dick. СIТm absolutely baked lying here.Т
СIt sounds lovely,Т said Anne. СBut the hotter you are the colder the water feels.Т
СCome on!Т said Dick, getting up. СI shall hang my tongue out and pant like Timmy soon.Т
They all went down to the edge of the water and lay down flat in the tiny curling waves there. Anne gave a little shriek.
СIt feels icy! I knew it would. I canТt lie down in it yet - I can only sit up!Т
However they were soon all lying full-length in the shallow waves at the edge of the sea, sliding down the sand a little every now and again as the tide ebbed farther from them. It was lovely to feel the cool fingers of the sea on every part of them.
Suddenly Timmy barked. He was not in the water with them, but was just at the edge. He thought that lying down in the sea was quite unnecessary! George raised her head.
СWhatТs the matter?Т she said. СThereТs nobody coming.Т
But Dick had heard something too. He sat up hurriedly. СGosh, I believe thatТs someone ringing a bell for us. It sounds like the bell from Kirrin Cottage!Т
СBut it canТt be dinner-time yet!Т said Anne in dismay.
СIt must be,Т said Julian, leaping up. СBlow! This is what comes of leaving my watch in my blazer pocket! I ought to have remembered that time at Kirrin goes more quickly than anywhere else!Т
He ran up the beach to his blazer and took his wristwatch from the pocket. СItТs one oТclock!Т he yelled. СIn fact, itТs a minute past. Buck up, weТll be awfully late!Т
СBlow!Т said George. СMother wonТt be at all pleased with us, because those two scientist people will be there!Т
They collected their blazers and tore up the beach. It was not very far to Kirrin Cottage, fortunately, and they were soon running in at the front gate. There was a very large car outside, one of the latest American models. But there was no time to examine it!
They trailed in quietly at the garden door. GeorgeТs mother met them, looking rather cross.
СSorry, Aunt Fanny,Т said Julian. СPlease forgive us. It was my fault entirely. IТm the only one with a watch.Т
СAre we awfully late?Т asked Anne. СHave you begun lunch yet? Would you like us just to take our picnic basket and slip off without interrupting?Т
СNo,Т said her aunt. СFortunately your uncle is still shut up in his study with his friends. IТve sounded the gong once but I donТt expect theyТve even heard it! I rang the bell for you because I thought that any moment they might come out, and your uncle would be cross if you werenТt there just to say how-do-you-do!Т
СBut FatherТs friends donТt usually want to see us,Т said George, surprised.
СWell, one of them has a girl a bit younger than you, George - younger than Anne too, I think,Т said her mother. СAnd he specially asked to see you all, because his daughter is going to your school next term.Т
СWeТd better buck up and have a bit of a wash then,Т said Julian - but at that very moment the study door opened, and his Uncle Quentin came out with two men.