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

"There's one thing about this holiday," said Lucy-Ann, "we shan't have any awful adventures, because Aunt Allie is absolutely determined to go with us, or send Bill with us, wherever we go."

"Well, we've had our share of adventures," said Dinah, beginning to dress. "More than most children ever have. I don't mind if we don't have one this time. Hurry, Lucy-Ann, then we can get to the bathroom before the boys. Don't make too much noise because Mother doesn't want to be wakened too early."

Lucy-Ann popped her head in at the boys' room on the way to the bathroom. They were still sound asleep. Kiki took her head from under her wing as she heard Lucy-Ann at the door, but she said nothing, only yawned. Lucy-Ann looked closely at Philip's bed.

Snowy the kid was still there, cuddled into the crook of Philip's knees! Lucy-Ann's heart warmed to Philip. What an extraordinary boy he was, to have every creature so fond of him, and to be able to do anything he liked with them. The little kid raised its head and looked at Lucy-Ann.

She fled to the bathroom and washed with Dinah. They soon heard the boys getting up, and Kiki's voice telling somebody to wipe his feet.

"She's probably teaching a few manners to Snowy," giggled Lucy-Ann. "Kiki always tries to teach things to all Philip's pets. Oh, Dinah — do you remember how funny she was with Huffin and Puffin, the two puffins we found when we had our last adventure?"

"Arr," said Dinah, making the noise the puffins used to make. Kiki heard them. "Arrrrr!" she called from the boys' bedroom. "Arrrrr!" Then she went off into a cackle of laughter, and Snowy the kid stared at her in alarm.

"Maa-aa-aa!" said the kid.

"Maa-aa-aa!" said Kiki, and the kid looked all round for another kid. The boys laughed.

Kiki, always encouraged when people laughed, swelled up her throat to make the noise of a car changing gear, her favourite noise of the moment but Philip stopped her hurriedly.

"Stop it, Kiki! We've had enough of that noise. Do forget it!"

"God save the King!" said Kiki, in a dismal voice. "Wipe your feet, blow your nose."

"Come on," said the girls, putting their heads in. "Slow-coaches!"

They all went downstairs just as Mrs. Evans was setting the last touches to the breakfast-table. It was loaded almost as much as the supper-table the night before. Jugs of creamy milk stood about, warm from the milking, and big bowls of raspberries had appeared again.

"I shan't know what to have," groaned Jack, sitting down with Kiki on his shoulders. "I can smell eggs and bacon — and there's cereal to have with raspberries and cream — and ham — and tomatoes — and gosh, is that cream cheese? Cream cheese for breakfast, how super!"

Snowy the kid tried to get onto Philip's knee as he sat down to breakfast. He pushed her off. "No, Snowy, not at meal-times. I'm too busy then. Go and say good morning to your mother. She must wonder where you are."

Kiki was at work on the raspberries. Mrs. Evans had actually put a plate aside for Kiki's own breakfast. She and Effans beamed at the bird. They both thought she was wonderful.

"Look you whateffer!" said Kiki, and dipped her beak into the raspberries again. It was rapidly becoming pink with the juice.

The children made an extremely good meal before Bill or Mrs. Mannering came down. The Evans' had had theirs already — in fact they seemed to have done a day's work, judging by the list of things that Evans talked about — he had cleaned out the pigs, groomed the horses, milked the cows, fetched in the eggs, been to see the cow-herd and a dozen other things besides.

"Mrs. Evans, do you know where the donkeys are that we arranged to have, for riding in the mountains?" asked Philip, when he had finished his breakfast and Snowy was once more in his arms.

"Ah, Trefor the shepherd will tell you," said Mrs. Evans. "It iss his brother, look you, that has the donkeys. He is to bring them here for you."

"Can't we go and fetch them and ride them back?" said Jack.

"Indeed to gootness, Trefor's brother lives thirty miles away!" said Effans. "You could not walk there, whateffer. You go and see Trefor today and ask him what has he done about your donkeys."

Mrs. Mannering and Bill appeared at that moment, looking fresh and trim after their good night's sleep in the sharp mountain air.

"Any breakfast left for us?" said Bill with a grin.