Read Online Five Go to Billycock Hill by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Enid Blyton
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It opened and she stood there, mumbling as before.
„You go away! My son"s coming back. He"l hit me. He don"t like strangers. You go away, I say!"
„Al right," said Dick. „Look - here"s something for you," and he pressed the two half-crowns into her claw-like hand. She looked at them as if she couldn"t believe her eyes, and then, amazingly quickly, she slipped the money into one of her broken-down shoes. When she stood up her eyes were full of tears.
„You"re kind," she whispered, and gave them a little push. 'Yes, you"re kind. Keep away from here. My son"s a bad man. Keep away!"
The boys went off silently, not knowing what to make of it. After all, Toby knew the son -
they had employed him at the farm. Why did the old woman keep saying he was bad and cruel? She must be at least a little mad to talk like that!
„It must be a queer household," said Julian as they went to join the waiting girls. „Two Butterfly Men, both rather peculiar. One old witch-like woman, very peculiar. And a son who seems to terrify her out of her wits! I vote we don"t go there again."
„So do I," said Dick. „Hal o, you two - did we keep you waiting long?"
„You did rather," said Anne. „We were just about to send Timmy to look for you! We thought you might have been turned into mice, or something!"
The boys told the two girls about Mr Brent and the five shil ings and old Mrs Janes. „A funny household, altogether," said Dick. „We think we"ll give it a miss now, however many rare butterflies we spot! I"m pretty certain that the one we found was a kind of Fritil ary, aren"t you, Julian?"
„Yes, I was surprised Mr Brent didn"t say so," said Julian. „I have a feeling that Mr Gringle is the expert of the two. Mr Brent probably does the donkey-work - sees to the caterpil ars and so on."
They came to their camp at last, and Timmy at once went to the „larder". But Anne shook her head. „No, Tim - it"s not nearly supper-time, Bad luck!"
„What shall we do?" asked Dick, flinging himself down on the heather. „It"s another heavenly evening!"
„Yes - but I don"t much like the look of the sky over to the west tonight," said Julian. „See those clouds there, coming up slowly against the wind? It looks like rain tomorrow to me!"
„Blow!" said George. „The weather might have lasted for just one week! Whatever shall we do if it pours? Sit in our tents all day, I suppose!"
„Cheer up - we could go and see the caves," said Dick. „I know what we"ll do now! We"ll get out our portable radio and turn it on. If there"s some decent music, it wil sound glorious up here!"
„Al right. But for goodness" sake have it on softly," said Anne. „I loathe people who take radios out into the country with them, and switch them on loudly, so that it spoils the peace and quiet for everyone else. I could go and kick their radios to pieces!"
„Gracious, Anne - you do sound fierce!" said George, looking at her cousin in surprise.
„You don"t know our quiet sister Anne quite as well as we do, George," said Julian, with a twinkle in his eyes. „She can be real y fierce if she thinks anyone is spoiling things for others.
I had to stop her once from going up to scold people at a picnic - they actually had a gramophone going ful -pelt, in spite of the angry looks from people all round. I do believe she meant to take off the gramophone record and break it over somebody"s head!"
„Oh, Julian! How can you say such a thing!" said Anne. „I did feel like it - but I didn"t do it."
„Al right, young Anne!" said Julian affectionately, and patted her head. Both he and Dick thought the world of their quiet, kind little sister and looked after her well. She smiled at them.
„Well - let"s have some music, then," she said. „There"s the Pastoral Symphony on sometime this evening, I know, because I made a note of it. It would sound beautiful out here in this lovely countryside with that view spreading for miles in front of us. But softly,
„You go away! My son"s coming back. He"l hit me. He don"t like strangers. You go away, I say!"
„Al right," said Dick. „Look - here"s something for you," and he pressed the two half-crowns into her claw-like hand. She looked at them as if she couldn"t believe her eyes, and then, amazingly quickly, she slipped the money into one of her broken-down shoes. When she stood up her eyes were full of tears.
„You"re kind," she whispered, and gave them a little push. 'Yes, you"re kind. Keep away from here. My son"s a bad man. Keep away!"
The boys went off silently, not knowing what to make of it. After all, Toby knew the son -
they had employed him at the farm. Why did the old woman keep saying he was bad and cruel? She must be at least a little mad to talk like that!
„It must be a queer household," said Julian as they went to join the waiting girls. „Two Butterfly Men, both rather peculiar. One old witch-like woman, very peculiar. And a son who seems to terrify her out of her wits! I vote we don"t go there again."
„So do I," said Dick. „Hal o, you two - did we keep you waiting long?"
„You did rather," said Anne. „We were just about to send Timmy to look for you! We thought you might have been turned into mice, or something!"
The boys told the two girls about Mr Brent and the five shil ings and old Mrs Janes. „A funny household, altogether," said Dick. „We think we"ll give it a miss now, however many rare butterflies we spot! I"m pretty certain that the one we found was a kind of Fritil ary, aren"t you, Julian?"
„Yes, I was surprised Mr Brent didn"t say so," said Julian. „I have a feeling that Mr Gringle is the expert of the two. Mr Brent probably does the donkey-work - sees to the caterpil ars and so on."
They came to their camp at last, and Timmy at once went to the „larder". But Anne shook her head. „No, Tim - it"s not nearly supper-time, Bad luck!"
„What shall we do?" asked Dick, flinging himself down on the heather. „It"s another heavenly evening!"
„Yes - but I don"t much like the look of the sky over to the west tonight," said Julian. „See those clouds there, coming up slowly against the wind? It looks like rain tomorrow to me!"
„Blow!" said George. „The weather might have lasted for just one week! Whatever shall we do if it pours? Sit in our tents all day, I suppose!"
„Cheer up - we could go and see the caves," said Dick. „I know what we"ll do now! We"ll get out our portable radio and turn it on. If there"s some decent music, it wil sound glorious up here!"
„Al right. But for goodness" sake have it on softly," said Anne. „I loathe people who take radios out into the country with them, and switch them on loudly, so that it spoils the peace and quiet for everyone else. I could go and kick their radios to pieces!"
„Gracious, Anne - you do sound fierce!" said George, looking at her cousin in surprise.
„You don"t know our quiet sister Anne quite as well as we do, George," said Julian, with a twinkle in his eyes. „She can be real y fierce if she thinks anyone is spoiling things for others.
I had to stop her once from going up to scold people at a picnic - they actually had a gramophone going ful -pelt, in spite of the angry looks from people all round. I do believe she meant to take off the gramophone record and break it over somebody"s head!"
„Oh, Julian! How can you say such a thing!" said Anne. „I did feel like it - but I didn"t do it."
„Al right, young Anne!" said Julian affectionately, and patted her head. Both he and Dick thought the world of their quiet, kind little sister and looked after her well. She smiled at them.
„Well - let"s have some music, then," she said. „There"s the Pastoral Symphony on sometime this evening, I know, because I made a note of it. It would sound beautiful out here in this lovely countryside with that view spreading for miles in front of us. But softly,
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