"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 21 - Five Are Together Again" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Chapter One

BACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS

СGeorge, canТt you sit still for even a minute!Т said Julian. СItТs bad enough to have the train rocking about all over the place, without you falling over my feet all the time, going to look out of first one window and then the other.Т
СWell, weТre nearly at Kirrin - almost home!Т said George. СI canТt help feeling excited. IТve missed old Timmy so much this term, and I just canТt wait to see him! I love to look out of the window and see how much nearer we are to Kirrin. Do you think Timmy will be on the station to meet us, barking madly?Т
СDonТt be an ass,Т said Dick. СHeТs a clever dog, but not clever enough to read railway time-tables.Т
СHe doesnТt need to,Т said George. СHe always knows when IТm coming home.Т
СI really believe he does,Т said Anne, seriously. СYour mother always says how excited he is on the day you are arriving home from school - canТt keep still - keeps going to the front gate and looking down the road.Т
СDear, dear Timmy!Т said George, falling over JulianТs feet again, as she scrambled once more to the window. СWeТre nearly there. Look, thereТs the signal-box, and the signal is down. HURRAH!Т
Her three cousins looked at her in amusement. George was always like this on the way home from school. Her thoughts were full of very little else but her beloved Timmy all the way home. Julian thought how much she looked like a restless boy just then, with her short, curly hair, and her determined expression. George had always longed to be a boy, but as she wasnТt, she made up for it by trying to speak and act like one, and would never answer to her full name of Georgina.
СWeТre coming into Kirrin station!Т yelled George, almost falling out of the window. СI can see our porter. Hey, Peters - weТre back again. WEТRE BACK AGAIN!Т
The train slid into Kirrin station, and Peters waved and grinned. He had known George since she was a baby. George opened the door and leapt out of the carriage.
СHome again! Back at Kirrin! Oh, I do hope Timmy will be at the station!Т she said.
But there was no Timmy there. СHe must have forgotten you were coming,Т said Dick, with a grin, and at once got a scowl from George. Peters came up, smiling all over his face, and gave them his usual welcome. Everyone in Kirrin Village knew the Five - which, of course, included Timmy the dog.
Peters soon had the childrenТs luggage out, and wheeled it down the platform on his trolley. СIТll send it along to Kirrin Cottage as soon as the van comes,Т he said. СHad a good term?Т
СSmashing!Т said Dick. СBut it seemed very long, as Easter is so late this year. My word - look at the primroses on the railway banks.Т
But George had no eyes for anything just then. She was still looking out for Timmy. Where was he? WHY hadnТt he come to the station to meet them? He came last time and the time before! She turned a troubled face to Dick.
СDo you think heТs ill?Т she asked. СOr has he forgotten me? Or...Т
СOh, donТt be an ass, George,Т said Dick. СHe is probably in the house somewhere and canТt get out. Look out - the trolley nearly ran you over then.Т
George skipped out of the way, glaring. WHERE was Timmy? She was sure he was ill - or had had an accident - or was tied up and couldnТt get away. Perhaps Joan, the cook, had forgotten to let him loose.
СIТm going to take a taxi home, if IТve enough money,Т she said, taking out her purse. СYou others can walk. I must see if anythingТs happened to Timmy - heТs never missed meeting our train before.Т
СBut George, itТs such a lovely walk to Kirrin Cottage!Т said Anne. СYou know how you love to see your island - dear old Kirrin Island - as we walk to your motherТs house - and the bay - and hear the waves crashing on the rocks.Т
СIТm taking the station taxi,Т said George, obstinately, counting the money in her purse. СIf youТd like to come with me, you can. ItТs Timmy I want to see, not islands and waves and things! IТm sure heТs ill or has had an accident or something!Т
СAll right, George, do as you please,Т said Julian. СHope you find dear old Timmy is perfectly well - and has only forgotten the time of the train. See you later.Т
The two brothers, and their sister Anne, set off together, looking forward to the walk to Kirrin Cottage. How lovely to see Kirrin Bay again, and GeorgeТs island!
СIsnТt she lucky to have a real island of her very own!Т said Anne. СFancy it belonging to her family for years and years - and then one day her mother suddenly gives it to George! I bet she worried and worried dear Aunt Fanny until she gave in to old George. I do so hope Timmy is all right; we shanТt enjoy our holidays with GeorgeТs mother if thereТs anything wrong with Timmy.Т
СOh, George will probably go and live in TimmyТs kennel with him,Т said Dick, with a chuckle. СHa - look! The sea - and Kirrin Bay - AND the little old island as lovely as ever!Т
СWith its gulls circling round, and mewing like cats,Т said Julian. СAnd the old ruined castle there, just exactly the same as usual. Not a single stone fallen out of it, as far as I can see.Т
СYou canТt possibly see that at this distance,Т said Anne, screwing up her eyes. СOh, isnТt the first day of the hols heavenly? We seem to have all the time in the world in front of us!Т
СYes. And then, alas, after a few days, the holidays rush by,Т said Julian. СI wonder if George is home by now.Т
СWell, her taxi passed us going at a tremendous pace!Т said Dick. СI bet old George was shouting at the driver to go as fast as possible!Т
СLook - thereТs Kirrin Cottage - I can just see the chimneys in the distance,Т said Dick. СSmoke is coming from one of them.Т
СFunny - why only one?Т said Julian. СThey usually have the kitchen fire going, and a fire in Uncle QuentinТs study. HeТs such a cold mortal when heТs working out all his wonderful figures for his inventions.Т
СPerhaps heТs away,Т said Anne, hopefully. She was rather afraid of GeorgeТs hasty-tempered father. СI should think Uncle Quentin could do with a holiday at times - heТs always buried in rows and rows of figures.Т
СWell, letТs hope we donТt disturb him too much,Т said Julian. СItТs hard on Aunt Fanny if he keeps yelling at everyone. WeТll try and be out of doors most of the time.Т
They were nearly at Kirrin Cottage now. As they came near to the front gate, they saw George come running down the garden-path. To JulianТs horror, she was crying bitterly.
СI say - it does look as if something has happened to old Timmy,Т he said, scared. СItТs not like George to cry - she never cries! What can have happened?Т
In great alarm they began to run, and Anne shouted as she ran, СGeorge! George, whatТs the matter? Is something wrong with Timmy? WhatТs happened?Т
СWe canТt stay at home,Т wept George. СWeТve got to go away somewhere. Something awfulТs happened!Т
СWhat is it? Tell us, you idiot!Т said Dick, in alarm. СFor goodnessТ sake, whatТs happened? Is Timmy run over, or something?Т
СNo - it isnТt Timmy,Т said George, wiping her eyes with her hand, because, as usual, she had no handkerchief. СItТs Joan - Joan, our dear, darling cook!Т
СWhatТs the matter with her?Т asked Julian, thinking of all kinds of dreadful things. СGEORGE, will you please TELL US!Т
СJoanТs got scarlet fever,Т said George, sniffing dolefully. СSo we canТt be at Kirrin Cottage.Т
СWhy not?Т demanded Dick. СJoan will have to go to a fever hospital - and we can all stay at Kirrin Cottage and help your mother. Poor old Joan! But cheer up, George, scarlet fever isnТt much of a thing to have nowadays. Come on - letТs go in and see if we can comfort your mother. Poor old Aunt Fanny, she will be in a stew - with all of us four cousins at Kirrin Cottage too! Never mind, we can...Т
СStop jabbering, Dick,Т said George, exasperated. СWe canТt stay at Kirrin Cottage. Mother wouldnТt even let me go in at the front door! She shooed me away, and said I was to wait in the garden, the doctor was coming in a minute or two.Т
Someone called to them from a window of Kirrin Cottage. СAre you all there, children? Julian, come here, will you?Т
They all went into the garden, and saw their Aunt Fanny, GeorgeТs mother, leaning out of a bedroom window.
СListen, dears,Т she said. СJoan has scarlet fever, and is waiting for an ambulance to take her to the hospital, and...Т