"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 11 - Have a Wonderful Time" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

"Good. I feel exactly like ice-creams," said George, happily. "Look, Timmy knows what you said. His tongue is hanging out for an ice-cream already. Timmy, aren't you pleased we're all together again?"
"Woof," said Timmy, and licked Anne's hand for the twentieth time.
"I really ought to bring a towel with me when I meet Timmy," said Anne. "His licks are so very wet. Oh no, not again, Timmy - go and use your tongue on Julian!"
"I say, look - George has brought her field-glasses with her!" said Dick, suddenly noticing that the brown strap over George's shoulder did not belong to a camera but to a very fine leather case that held the new field-glasses. "Good! We wanted to watch the jackdaws with them and there are some herons down on the marsh too."
"Well, I thought I must bring them," said George. "It's the first hols I've had a chance to use them. Mother wouldn't let me take them to school. I say-how much further is this ice-cream shop?"
"In the dairy here," said Julian, marching her in. "And I advise you to start off with vanilla, go on to strawberry and finish up with chocolate."
"You do have good ideas!" said George. "I hope you've got some money as well, if we're going to eat ice-creams at this rate. Mother didn't give me very much to spend."
They sat down and ordered ice-creams. The plump little shop-woman smiled at them. She knew them by now. "This is very good weather for you," she said. "Are there many caravanners up on Faynights Field?"
"No, not many," said Julian, beginning his ice.
"Well, you're going to have a few more," said the little plump lady. "I hear there's some fair-folk coming - they usually camp up in your field. You'll have some fun if so."
"Oh, good!" said Dick. "We'll really be able to make a few friends then. We like fair-folk, don't we, Timmy?"


Chapter Three
A PLEASANT MORNING
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"IS there going to be a fair near here then?" asked George, starting on her strawberry ice. "What sort of a fair? A circus or something?"
"No. Just a mixed-up show," said the shop-woman. "There's to be a fire-eater, and that'll bring the villagers to the show faster than anything. A fire-eater! Did you ever hear of such a thing? I wonder that anyone cares to make a living at that!"
"What else is there to be?" asked Anne. She didn't somehow fancy watching anyone eating fire!
"Well, there's a man who can get himself free in under two minutes, no matter how tightly he's tied up with rope," said the woman. "Fair miracle he must be! And there's a man called Mr. India-rubber, because he can bend himself anywhere, and wriggle through drain-pipes and get in at a window if it's left open just a crack!"
"Gracious! He'd make a good burglar!" said George. "I wish I was like india-rubber! Can this man bounce when he falls down?"
Everyone laughed. "What else?" said Anne. "This sounds very exciting."
"There's a man with snakes," said the plump little lady with a shudder. "Snakes! Just fancy! I'd be afraid they would bite me. I'd run a mile if I saw a snake coming at me."
"Are they poisonous snakes that he has, I wonder?" said Dick. "I don't somehow fancy having a caravan next to ours with lashings of poisonous snakes crawling round."
"Don't!" said Anne. "I should go home at once."
Another customer came in and the shop-woman had to leave the children and go to serve her. The four felt rather thrilled. What a bit of luck to have such exciting people in the same field as they were!
"A fire-eater!" said Dick. "I've always wanted to see one. I bet he doesn't really eat fire! He'd burn the whole of his mouth and throat."
"Has everyone finished?" asked Julian, getting some money out of his pocket. "If so, we'll take George up to the field and show her our gay caravans. They aren't a bit like the ones we once went caravanning in, George - they are old-fashioned gypsy ones. You'll like them. Gay and very picturesque."
"Who lent you them?" asked George, as they left the shop. "Some school friend, wasn't it?"
"Yes. He and his family always go and camp in their caravans in the Easter and summer hols," said Julian. "But this Easter they're going to France - and rather than leave them empty, they thought they'd lend them out-and we're the lucky ones!"
They walked up the lane and came to the stile. George looked up at the towering castle, gleaming in the sun on the hill opposite.
"Faynights Castle," she said. "Hundreds of years old! How I'd love to know all the things that happened there through the centuries. I do love old things. I vote we go and explore it."
"We will. It only costs five pence," said Dick. "We'll all have a good five penceworth of castle. I wonder if there are any dungeons. Dark, damp, drear and dreadful!"
They went up the grassy hillside to the field where their caravans were. George exclaimed in delight. "Oh! Are those our caravans? Aren't they gay? They're just like the caravans the gypsies use - only these look cleaner and gayer."
"The red caravan, picked out with black and yellow, is ours," said Dick. "The blue one, picked out in black and yellow, is yours and Anne's."
"Woof," said Timmy at once.
"Oh, sorry - yours too, Timmy," said Dick at once, and everyone chuckled. It was queer the way Timmy suddenly made a woofish remark, just as if he really understood every word that was said. George was quite certain he did, of course.
The caravans stood on high wheels. There was a window each side. The door was at the front, and so were the steps, of course. Gay curtains hung at the windows, and a line of bold carving ran round the edges of the out-jutting roof.
"They are old gypsy caravans painted and made really up to date," said Julian. "They're jolly comfortable inside too - bunks that fold down against the walls in the daytime - a little sink for washing-up, though we usually use the stream, because it's such a fag to fetch water - a small larder, cupboards and shelves - cork carpet on the floor with warm rugs so that no draught comes through...."
"You sound as if you are trying to sell them to me!" said George, with a laugh. "You needn't! I love them both, and I think they're miles nicer than the modern caravans down there. Somehow these seem real!"
"Oh, the others are real enough," said Julian. "And they've got more space - but space doesn't matter to us because we shall live outside most of the time."
"Do we have a camp-fire?" asked George, eagerly. "Oh, yes - I see we do. There's the ashy patch where you had your fire. Oh, Julian, do let's have a fire there at night and sit round it in the darkness!"
"With midges biting us and bats flapping all round," said Dick. "Yes, certainly we will! Come inside, George."
"She's to come into my caravan first," said Anne, and pushed George up the steps. George was really delighted.
She was very happy to think she was going to have a peaceful two weeks here with her three cousins and Timmy. She pulled her bunk up and down to see how it worked. She opened the larder and cupboard doors. Then she went to see the boys' caravan.
"How tidy!" she said, in surprise. "I expected Anne's to be tidy - but yours is just as spick and span. Oh dear - " I hope you haven't all turned over a new leaf and become models of neatness. I haven't!"
"Don't worry," said Dick, with a grin. "Anne has been at work - you know how she loves to put everything in its place. We don't need to worry about anything when she's about. Good old Anne!"
"All the same, George will have to help me," said Anne, firmly. "I don't expect boys to tidy up and cook and do things like that - but George ought to because she's a girl."
"If only I'd been born a boy!" groaned George. "All right Anne, I'll do my share - sometimes. I say - there won't be much room for Timmy on my bunk at nights, will there?"
"Well, he's not coming on mine," said Anne. "He can sleep on the floor on a rug. Can't you, Timmy?"