Read Online Five Go Off to Camp by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online Page B

I wil ,' said Mr Luffy, getting up and stretching himself. 'Can you play rummy?'
    They could - and they beat poor Mr Luffy handsomely, because he couldn't play at all.
    He blamed his luck on his bad cards, but he enjoyed the game immensely. He said the only thing that real y put him off was the way that Timmy stood behind him and breathed down his neck all the time.
    'I kept feeling certain that Timmy thought he knew how to play my cards better than I could,' he complained. 'And whenever I did something wrong, he breathed down my neck harder than usual.'
    Everyone laughed, and George privately thought that Timmy would probably play very much better than Mr Luffy if only he could hold the cards.
    Jock didn't come at all. They put the cards away when they could no longer see them, and Mr Luffy announced that he was going to bed. 'It was very late when I got back last night,' he said. 'I real y must have an early night.'
    The others thought they would go to bed too. The thought of their cosy sleeping-bags was always a nice one when darkness came on.
    The,girls crept into their bags and Timmy flopped down on George. The boys were in their bags about the same time and Dick gave a loud yawn.
    'Good night, Ju,' he said, and fel fast asleep. Julian was soon asleep too. In fact, everyone was sound asleep when Timmy gave a little growl. It was such a smal growl that neither of the girls heard it, and certainly Dick and Julian didn't, away in their tent.

    Timmy raised his head and listened intently. Then he gave another small growl. He listened again. Final y he got up, shook himself, stil without waking George, and stalked out of the tent, his ears cocked and his tail up. He had heard somebody or something, and although he thought it was all right, he was going to make sure.
    Dick was sound asleep when he felt something brushing against the outside of his tent.
    He awoke at once and sat up. He looked at the tent opening. A shadow appeared there and looked in.
    Was it Timmy? Was it Mr Luffy? He mustn't make a mistake this time. He waited for the shadow to speak. But it didn't! It just stayed there as if it were listening for some movement inside the tent. Dick didn't like it.
    'Timmy!' he said at last, in a low voice.
    Then the shadow spoke: 'Dick? Or is it Julian? It's Jock here. I've got Timmy beside me.
    Can I come in?'
    'Jockl' said Dick, in surprise. 'Whatever have you come at this time of night for? And why didn't you come today? We waited ages for you.'
    'Yes. I know I'm awful y sorry,' said Jock's voice, and the boy wriggled himself into the tent. Dick poked Julian awake.
    'Julian! Here's Jock - and Timmy. Get off me, Timmy. Here, Jock, see if you can squeeze inside my sleeping-bag - there's room for us both, I think.'
    'Oh, thanks,' said Jock, and squeezed inside with difficulty. 'How warm it is! I say, I'm terribly sorry I didn't come today - but my stepfather suddenly announced he wanted me to go somewhere with him for the whole day. Can't think why. He doesn't bother about me as a rule.'
    'That was mean of him, seeing that he knew you were to come on a picnic with us,' said Julian. 'Was it something important?'
    'No. Not at all,' said Jock. 'He drove off to Endersfield - that's about forty miles away -
    parked me in the public library there, saying he'd be back in a few minutes - and he didn't come back til past tea-time! I had some sandwiches with me, luckily. I felt pretty angry about it, I can tell you.'
    'Never mind. Come tomorrow instead,' said Dick.
    'I can't,' said Jock in despair. 'He's gone and arranged for me to meet the son of some friend of his-a boy cal ed Cecil Dearlove - what a name! I'm to spend the day with this frightful boy. The worst of it is Mum's quite pleased about it. She never thinks my stepfather takes enough notice of me - good thing he doesn't, /think.'
    'Oh blow - so you won't be able to come tomorrow either,' said Julian. 'Well - what about the next day?'
    'It should be al right,' said Jock.