"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 20 - Five Have a Mystery to Solve" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

СWe bought such a beauty that IТm pretty sure Mother will say itТs good enough to make soup from,Т said Dick, with a grin. СSo IТll keep it in my saddlebag till he comes. Dear old Tim. He deserves a jolly good bone. Best dog I ever knew!Т
СHeТs been on a lot of adventures with us,Т said Anne, bicycling beside the boys, as the road was empty. СAnd he seemed to enjoy them all.Т
СYes. So did we!Т said Dick. СWell - who knows? An adventure may be lying in wait for us these hols too! I seem to smell one in the air!Т
СYou donТt!Т said Anne. СYouТre just making that up. IТd like a bit of peace after a hectic term at school. I worked jolly hard this last term.Т
СWell - you were top of your form, and captain of Games - so you deserve to have the kind of holiday you like,Т said Julian, proud of his young sister. СAnd so you shall! Adventures are OUT! Do you hear that, Dick? We keep absolutely clear of them. So thatТs that!Т
СIs it, Ju?Т said Anne, laughing. СWell - weТll see!Т


Chapter Two
A VISITOR TO TEA

George and Timmy were waiting for Julian, Dick and Anne, when they arrived home. Timmy was standing in the road, ears pricked, long tail waving. He went quite mad when he saw their bicycles rounding the corner, and galloped towards them at top speed, barking madly, much to the horror of a bakerТs boy with a large basket.
The boy disappeared into the nearest garden at top speed, yelling СMad dog, mad dog!Т Timmy tore past, and forced the three to dismount, for they were afraid of knocking him over.
СDear Timmy!Т said Anne, patting the excited dog. СDo put your tongue in - IТm sure it will fall out some day!Т
Timmy ran to each of them in turn, woofing in delight, licking everyone, and altogether behaving as if he hadnТt seen them for a year!
СNow thatТs enough, old boy,Т said Dick, pushing him away, and trying to mount his bicycle once more. СAfter all, we did see you yesterday. WhereТs George?Т
George had heard Timmy barking, and had now run out into the road too. The three cycled up to her, and she grinned happily at them.
СHallo! YouТve been shopping, I see. Shut up barking, Timmy, you talk too much. Sorry you couldnТt come over to Kirrin Cottage - but IТm jolly glad you asked me to come to you - my father still hasnТt found the papers heТs lost, and honestly our place is like a mad-house - cupboards being turned out - even the kitchen store-cupboard! and I left poor Mother up in the loft, looking there - though why Father should think they might be there, I donТt know!Т
СPoor old George - I can just see your father tearing his hair, and shouting - and all the time heТs probably put the papers into the waste-paper basket by mistake!Т said Dick, with a chuckle.
СGracious - we never thought of that!Т said George. СIТd better phone Mother at once, and tell her to look. Bright idea of yours, Dick.Т
СWell, you go and phone, and weТll put our bikes away,Т said Julian. СTake your nose away from that bag of sausages, Timmy. YouТre in disgrace over sausages, let me tell you. YouТre suspected of eating too many last night!Т
СHe did eat rather a lot,Т said George. СI took my eye off him, and he wolfed quite a few. I say, whoТs this Mrs Layman whoТs coming to tea? Have we got to stay in and have tea with her? I hoped we might be going off for a picnic this afternoon.Т
СNothing doing, old thing,Т said Dick, СMrs Layman is apparently coming to talk to us about something. So we have to be in - with clean hands, nice manners, and everything. So behave yourself, George!Т
George gave him a friendly punch. СThatТs unfair,Т said Dick. СYou know I canТt punch you back. My word, you should have seen Anne this morning, George - yelled at me like a tiger howling, and showed her teeth, and...Т
СDonТt be an idiot, Dick,Т said Anne. СHe called me a mouse, George - he said weТd one tiger - you - and that was enough in the family. So I went for him - put out my claws for a moment, and gave him such a surprise. I rather liked it!Т
СGood old Anne!Т said George, amused. СBut youТre not really cut out to be a tiger, and rage and roar, you know.Т
СI could be, if I had to,Т said Anne, obstinately. СOne of these days IТll surprise you all. You just wait!Т
СAll right. We will,Т said Julian, putting his arm round his sister. СCome on, now - weТd better get indoors before Timmy gets some of the cakes out of the bags. Stop licking that bag, Tim - youТll make a hole in it.Т
СHe can smell the cherry buns inside,Т said Anne. СShall I give him one?Т
СNO!Т said Julian. СCherry buns are wasted on him, you know that. DonТt you remember how he chews the bun part and spits out the cherries?Т
СWoof,Т said Timmy, exactly as if he agreed. He went to sniff at the bag with his bone inside.
'ThatТs your dinner, Tim,Т said Anne. СPlenty of meat on it, too. Look thereТs Mother at the window, beckoning. I expect she wants the sausages. NO, Timmy - the sausages are NOT for you. Get down! Good gracious, I never in my life knew such a hungry dog. Anybody would think you starved him, George.Т
СWell, theyТd think wrong, then,Т said George. СTimmy, come to heel.Т
Timmy came, still looking round longingly at the various bags that the others were now taking from their saddle-bags.
They all went indoors, and deposited the goods on the kitchen table. The cook opened the bags and looked inside, keeping a sharp eye on Timmy.
СBetter take that dog of yours out of my kitchen,Т she said. СFunny how sausages always disappear when heТs around. Get down, now - take your paws off my clean table!Т
Timmy trotted out of the kitchen. He thought it was a pity that cooks didnТt like him. He liked them very much indeed - they always smelt so deliciously of cooking, and there were always so many titbits around which he longed for, but was seldom offered. Ah well - heТd trot into the kitchen again when Cookie had gone upstairs for something! He might perhaps find a few bits and pieces on the floor then!
СHallo, Georgina dear!Т said her aunt, coming into the kitchen, Timmy following her in delight. СTimmy, go out of the kitchen. I donТt trust you within a mile of sausages. Go on - shoo!Т
Timmy СshooedТ. He liked AnneТs mother, but knew that when she said СShoo!Т she meant it. He lay down on a rug in the living-room, with a heavy sigh, wondering how long it would be before he had that lovely meaty bone. He put his head on his paws, and kept his ears pricked for George. He thought it most unfair that George shouldnТt be shooed out of the kitchen too.
СNow for goodness sake, keep out of my way while I cook the lunch,Т said Cook, to the children milling round her kitchen. СAnd shut the door, please. I donТt want that great hungry dog sniffing round me all the time, making out heТs starving, when heТs as fat as butter!Т
СHeТs NOT!Т said George, indignantly. СTimmy has never been fat in his life. HeТs not that kind of dog. HeТs never greedy!Т
СWell, he must be the first dog ever born that wasnТt greedy,Т said Cookie. СCanТt trust any of them! There was that pug-dog of Mrs LaneТs - crunched up lumps of sugar whenever it could reach a sugar-bowl - and that fat poodle next door - came and knocked over the cream that the milkman left outside the back door - deliberated knocked it over, mark you - and then licked up every drop. Ha - his mistress tried to make out he didnТt like cream - but you should have seen his nose - covered in cream up to his eyes!Т
Timmy looked in at the kitchen door, his nose in the air, for all the world as if he were deeply offended at CookieТs remarks. Julian laughed. СYouТve wounded his pride, Cookie!Т he said.
СIТll wound him somewhere else, too, if he comes sniffing round me when IТm cooking,Т said Cookie. That made George give one of her scowls, but the others couldnТt help laughing!
The morning went very pleasantly. The five went down to the beach, and walked round the high cliffs, enjoying the stiff breeze that blew in their faces. Timmy raced after every seagull that dared to sit on the smooth sand, annoyed that each one rose up lazily on great wings, as soon as he almost reached it.
They were all hungry for their dinner, and not one single morsel was left when they had finished! Cookie had made a tremendous steamed pudding, with lashings of treacle, which was, as usual, a huge success.
СWish I had a tongue like TimmyТs and could lick up the lovely treacle left on the bottom of the dish,Т said George. СSuch a waste!Т
СYou certainly wonТt be able to eat any tea, IТm sure of that!Т said her aunt. But, of course, she was wrong. When teatime came, they all felt quite ready for it, and were most impatient when Mrs Layman was late!
The tea looked lovely, laid on a big table, over a white lace cloth. The children sat and looked at it longingly. When would Mrs Layman arrive?
СI begin to feel IТm not going to like Mrs Layman,Т said George, at last. СI canТt bear looking at those cream cakes when IТm hungry.Т