"Blyton, Enid - Adv 05 - Mountain of Adventure" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

"A tongue or two, hard-boiled eggs, tins of all kinds, plum-cake and goodness knows what!" said Philip. "We shall feast like kings."

"Well," began Lucy-Ann, "I always think that we eat twice as much in the open air, because food tastes so . . ."

"Much nicer!" chorused everyone. Lucy-Ann always said that at least a dozen times each holiday. She laughed.

"Well, anyway, it will be nice to have as much as ever we can eat. There's David too — we've got to take food for him as well."

"He doesn't look as if he'd eat much," said Dinah. "Skinny little fellow, whateffer!"

"You'd better go to bed early, children," said Mrs. Mannering a little later. "You'll have a long ride tomorrow, according to Effans."

"All right. It'll make tomorrow come all the sooner!" said Lucy-Ann. "How's your hand feel, Aunt Allie?"

"It's quite comfortable, thank you," said Mrs. Mannering. "I'm sure I could have gone with you tomorrow, really!"

"Well, you couldn't," said Bill hastily, half afraid that Mrs. Mannering would try to be foolish and go with the others after all. She laughed.

"Don't worry! I'm going to be sensible — and, dear me, it will be quite a change to be rid of four noisy ruffians and an even noisier bird for a few days, Bill, won't it?"

All the children were awake very early the next day. Snowy the kid, who was a real sleepy-head in the mornings, didn't want to wake up at all, and snuggled deeper into Philip's blankets as the boy tried to get out of bed.

Kiki took her head from under her wing and scratched her poll. "Dithery Slithery," she remarked, which meant that she had spied Philip's slow-worm. It was coiled up in a corner of the room. It would very much have liked to sleep on Philip's bed, but it was afraid of Snowy, who had a habit of nibbling anything near him.

The boys got up and looked out of the window. It was a really perfect day. The mountains towered up into the fresh morning sky, as beautiful as ever.

"They look as if someone had just been along and washed them," said Jack. "The sky looks washed too — so very very clean and new."

"I like the feel of an early morning," said Philip, putting on his shorts. "It has a special new feel about it — as if it were the first morning that ever happened!"

Snowy went over to the corner where Sally the slow-worm was, and the slow-worm at once wriggled away under the chest of drawers. Philip picked her up and she slid gracefully into his pocket.

"Have to get you a few flies for breakfast, Sally," said Philip. "Shut up, Kiki — you'll wake the rest of the household with that awful cough."

Kiki could give a terrible, hollow cough at times, which she had copied from an old uncle of Jack's, and she was practising it now. She stopped when Philip spoke to her, and hopped to Jack's shoulder.

"Funny bird, silly bird," said Jack affectionately, scratching her neck. "Come on, Philip — let's see if the girls are up."

They were just getting up, both of them thrilled at the fine day and the idea of going camping in the mountains. "Have you got that horrid slow-worm on you?" asked Dinah fearfully, looking at Philip.

"Yes, somewhere," said Philip, feeling all over him. "There's one thing about Sally Slithery — she does get about!"

Dinah shuddered and went to wash in the bathroom. Snowy the kid was there, nibbling the cork bath-mat, which he evidently thought was delicious.

"Oh, Snowy! Mrs. Evans won't be at all pleased with you!" said Dinah, and shooed the kid out of the door. He went to find Philip. He was quite one of the family now.

Mrs. Mannering's hand was stiff and sore that morning, but she said very little about it, not wanting to upset the children. She was glad it was such a lovely day for them, and watched with amusement as Mrs. Evans carefully packed up all the food she had prepared for the children to take with them.

"If you eat all that you'll never be able to ride home on the donkeys," she said. "You'll be too fat."