"Blyton, Enid - Famous Five 17 - Five Get Into a Fix" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Yes - it was the farmhouse. Dogs set up a terrific barking as the car drew near, and Timmy at once answered, almost deafening everyone in the car!
The driver drew up at the farmhouse door, and looked out cautiously to make sure that none of the barking dogs was leaping about round the car. The front door opened, and framed in the light stood a little old woman, as upright as any of the children!
“Come you in, come you in!” she called. “Out of this cold and snow! Our Morgan will help with the luggage. Come you in, now! ”
The four children, suddenly feeling very tired, got out of the car. Anne almost stumbled, because once again her legs felt as if they didn’t belong to her, ancl Julian caught her arm. They went in wearily, only Timmy seeming to have any energy! A tall man hurried out to help the driver with the luggage, saluting them as he passed.
The old lady took them into a big warm living-room and made them sit down. “What a journey for you!” she said. “You look worn out and poorly. It’s late you are, too, and I’d a good tea laid for you. But now it’s supper you’ll be wanting, poor children!”
Julian caught sight of a loaded table not far from the fire, set to one side. Although he was tired, the sight of the good food there made him suddenly feel hungry. He smiled at the kind old woman. Her hair gleamed like silver, and her fine old face was wrinkled all over - but her eyes were as sharp and bright as a blackbird’s.
“I’m sorry we’re so late,” he said. “We lost our way. This is my sister Anne - this is our cousin George - and this is my brother Dick.”
“And this is Timmy,” said George, and Timmy at once offered his paw to the old woman.
“Well, now, it’s a wonder to see a dog with such good manners,” she said. “We’ve seven - but not one of them would shake hands - no, not if the Queen herself came here, God bless her!”
The barking of the dogs had now died down. Not one of them was to be seen in the house, and the children thought they must be outside in kennels somewhere.
Timmy trotted about round the room, sniffing into every corner with much interest. Finally he went to the table, put his paws up and had a good look at the food there. Then he went to George and whined.
“He says he likes the look of the food there,” George said to the old woman. “I must say I agree with him! It looks good!”
“You go and wash and get yourselves a bit tidy, while I make some hot tea,” said Mrs. Jones. “You look cold and hungry. Go through that door, look - and up the little flight of stairs. The rooms up there are all yours - no one will disturb you.”
The Five went out of the door and found themselves in a little stone passage, lighted by a candle. A narrow flight of stone steps led upwards to a small landing on which another candle burned. The steps were very steep, and the children stumbled up them, their legs stiff after their long drive.
Two bedrooms opened off the little landing, opposite to one another. They seemed exactly alike, and were furnished in the same way too. There were wash-stances with basins, and in each basin was a jug of hot water, wrapped around with a towel. Wood-fires burned in the little stone fireplaces, their flames lighting the rooms almost more than the single candles there.
“You’ll have this room, girls, and Dick and I will have the other,” said Julian. “Gosh - wood-fires in our bedrooms! What a treat!”
“I shall go to bed early, and lie and watch the flames,” said Anne. “I’m glad the rooms aren’t cold. I know I should cough if they were.”
“We haven’t coughed quite so much today,” said Dick, and immediately, of course, had a very bad fit of coughing! The old woman downstairs heard him, and called up at once.
“You hurry up, now, and come down into the warm!”
They were soon downstairs, sitting in the warm living-room. Nobody was there except old Mrs. Jones, pouring out tea.
“Isn’t anyone else coming in to tea?” asked George, looking all round. “Surely all this food isn’t just for us?”
“Oh yes it is,” said the old woman, cutting some ham in long thin slices. “This is your own room - the room I let out to families for themselves. We’ve got our big kitchen yonder for ourselves. You can do what you like here - make as much noise as it pleases you - no one will hear you - our stone walls are so thick!”
After she had served them, she went out of the room, nodding and smiling. The children looked at one another.
“I like her very much,” said Anne. “How old she must be, if she is Jenkins’ aunt! But her eyes are so bright and young!”
“I feel better already,” said Dick, tucking into the ham. “George, give Timmy something, He keeps poking me with his paw, and I really can’t spare him any of my ham.”
“He can have some of mine,” said George. “I thought I was hungry - but I’m not, after all. I suddenly feel tired.”
Julian looked at her. She did look tired, and her eyes were ringed with black shadows. “Finish your meal, old thing,” said Julian, “and go up to bed. You can unpack tomorrow. You’re tired out with the long drive! Anne doesn’t look nearly so tired as you do!”
Old Mrs. Jones came in again, and approved highly of Julian’s idea that they should all go up to bed when they had finished. “Get up tomorrow when you like,” she said. “And just come into my kitchen and tell me when you’re down. You can do just what you like here!”
But all they wanted to do at that moment was to get into bed and go to sleep by the light of the crackling wood-fires! What a relief it was to slip in between the rather rough sheets and shut their eyes! All except Timmy. He kept guard by the door for a long long time before he crept on to George’s bed. Good old Timmy!


Chapter Four

IN THE OLD FARMHOUSE

The four children slept like logs all night long. If they coughed they didn’t know it! They lay in their beds, hardly moving - and only Timmy opened an eye occasionally, as he always did on the first night in a strange place.
He jumped when a burning log fell to one side in the fireplace. He stared sternly at a big bright flame licking up the chimney, as the log burned fiercely. He cocked up an ear when an owl hooted outside the window.
But at last he too fell asleep, lying as usual on George’s feet - though old Mrs. Jones would not have approved of that at all!
Julian awoke first in the morning. He heard the sounds of the farm coming through the closed window. Shouts of one man to another - the lowing of cows - the barking of one dog after another, and then all together - and the peaceful sound of hens clucking and ducks quacking. It was nice to lie and hear it all, feeling warm and lazy.
He looked at his watch. Good gracious, it was almost nine o’clock! Whatever would Mrs. Jones think of them? He leapt out of bed, and awoke Dick with the quick movement.
“It’s almost nine!” said Julian, and went to the washstand. This time there was only cold water in the big china jug, but he didn’t mind. The bedroom was still warm with the burnt-out wood-fires. The sun shone outside, but in the night the snow must have fallen heavily, for everywhere was white.
“Good,” said Julian, looking out. “We shall be able to use our toboggans soon. Wake the girls, Dick.”
But the girls were already awake, for Timmy had heard the boys stirring, and had gone whining to the door. George stretched herself, feeling quite different from the night before.
“Anne - how do you feel? I feel really fine!” said George, pleased. “Do you know it’s nine o’clock? We’ve slept for more than twelve hours. No wonder we feel better!”
“Yes. I certainly do too,” said Anne, with an enormous yawn. “Oh look, I’ve made Timmy yawn too! Timmy, did you sleep well?”
“Woof!” said Timmy, and pawed impatiently at the door. “He wants his breakfast,” said George. “I wonder what there is. I feel rather like bacon and egg - goodness, I thought I’d never feel like eating that again. Brrrr - this water’s cold to wash in.”
They all went downstairs together and found their living-room warm with a great wood-fire. Breakfast was laid, but only a big crusty loaf, butter and home-made marmalade were there, with an enormous jug of cold, creamy milk.
Mrs. Jones came in almost at once, beaming at them. “Well, good morning to you now,” she said, “and a nice morning it is too, for all the snow we had in the night. What would you be wanting for breakfast now? Ham and eggs - or home-made pork sausages - or meat patties - or...”
“I’d like ham and eggs,” said Julian, at once, and the others said the same. Mrs. Jones went out of the room, and the children rubbed their hands.
“I feared we were only going to have bread and butter and marmalade,” said Dick. “I say, look at the cream on the top of this milk! Me for a farm life when I grow up!”