Read Online William The Outlaw by Richmal Crompton - Free Book Online

got sort of scent bags on their wings.’
    ‘I know.’
    ‘What sort of bird is that flying over there?’ challenged William.
    ‘Well, what sort is it?’
    ‘A starling.’
    ‘I knew it was.’
    William then tired of the conversation and began to while away the tedium of the journey as best he could by more active measures. Georgie, however, refused to take part in them. Georgie refused
to jump over the ditch with William because he said he might fall in. He refused to walk on the fence with William because he said that he might fall off. He refused to swing on the gate with
William because he said it might dirty his suit. He refused to climb a tree for the same reason. He refused to race William to the end of the road because, he said, it was rough. William was only
deterred by his position as host and by Georgie’s protective one year’s juniority from forcibly making Georgie acquainted with the contents of the ditch as the inner prompting of his
heart bade him to. Instead he leapt to and fro across the ditch (falling in only twice), swung on the gate, walked on the fence (over-balancing once) and trailed his toes in the dust in solitary
glory, ignoring his companion entirely.
    ‘What will your mother say?’ said his companion once disapprovingly.
    William received the remark with scornful silence.
    When they returned to the Brown homestead Georgie was as immaculate as when he had set out, while William bore many and visible marks of his fallings into the ditch and on to the road and
swinging on gates and climbing trees.
    ‘ William! ’ said Mrs Brown, ‘you look awful . . . and look at Georgie – how clean and neat he is still.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Georgie looking at William with marked distaste, ‘I told him not to. I said you wouldn’t like it, but he wouldn’t take any notice of
me.’
    The next day William met the Outlaws by appointment and gloomily told them the worst.
    ‘And he’s come to live here,’ he ended with passionate disgust, ‘him and his white suits.’
    ‘And we shall all have to have him to tea,’ said Ginger.
    ‘And our mothers’ll never stop talkin’ about him,’ said Douglas.
    ‘And he’ll prob’ly get worse the more we know him,’ said Henry.
    ‘Him an’ his white suits!’ repeated William morosely.
    All these fears proved to be well founded.
    As Ginger had predicted, they all had to have him to tea, and on each occasion Georgie remained clean and tidy and immaculate in his white suit and said at the end to his host’s mother,
‘Yes, I told him not to. I said you wouldn’t like it.’ And when the guest had departed the host’s mother said to the host:
    ‘How I wish that you were a little more like Georgie Murdoch.’
    Henry’s prediction was also fulfilled. For Georgie did get worse the more they knew him. In addition to the vices of personal cleanliness and exquisite manners he possessed that of
tale-bearing. He was a frequent visitor at the Outlaws’ houses. He would gaze at William’s mother with a wistful smile and say, ‘Please, Mrs Brown, I’m so sorry to disturb
you but I think I ought to tell you that William is paddling in the stream after you told him not to,’ or ‘Please, Mrs Flowerdew, I’m so sorry to disturb you, but Ginger
’n’ Henry’s throwing mud at each other down the road an’ getting in such a mess. I thought you ought to know.’
    And the Outlaws couldn’t get their own back. Georgie would never fight because it might dirty his suit, and any personal attacks upon Georgie (however mild) were faithfully reported by the
attacked in person to the parent of the attacker.
    ‘Please, Mrs Brown, William’s just pushed me over and hurt me.’ ‘Please, Mrs Flowerdew, Ginger’s just banged into me and made quite a bruise on my arm.’
Moreover the Outlaws seemed to have a strong fascination for Georgie. He followed them around, watching their pursuits from a safe and cleanly distance, generally eating chocolate creams