Chapter 1 BACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS
'George, can't you sit still for even a minute!' said Julian. 'It's bad enough to have the train rockingabout all over the place, without you falling over my feet all the time, going to look out of first onewindow and then the other.'
'Well, we're nearly at Kirrin - almost home!' said George. 'I can't help feeling excited. I've missed oldTimmy so much this term, and I just can't wait to see him! I love to look out of the window and seehow much nearer we are to Kirrin. Do you think Timmy will be on the station to meet us, barkingmadly?'
'Don't be an ass¹,' said Dick. 'He's a clever dog, but not clever enough to read railway time-tables.'
'He doesn't need to,' said George. 'He always knows when I'm coming home.'
'I really believe he does,' said Anne, seriously. 'Your mother always says how excited he is on the dayyou are arriving home from school - can't keep still - keeps going to the front gate and looking downthe road.'
'Dear, dear Timmy!' said George, falling over Julian's feet again, as she scrambled² once more to thewindow. 'We're nearly there. Look, there's the signal-box, and the signal is down.
HURRAH³!'
Her three cousins looked at her in amusement. George was always like this on the way home fromschool. Her thoughts were full of very little else but her beloved Timmy all the way home.
Julian thought how much she looked like a restless boy just then, with her short, curly hair, and herdetermined expression. George had always longed to be a boy, but as she wasn't, she made up for itby trying to speak and act like one, and would never answer to her full name of Georgina.
'We're coming into Kirrin station!' yelled George, almost falling out of the window. 'I can see ourporter. Hey, Peters - we're back again. WE'RE BACK AGAIN!'
The train slid into Kirrin station, and Peters waved and grinned. He had known George since she wasa baby. George opened the door and leapt out of the carriage.
'Home again! Back at Kirrin! Oh, I do hope Timmy will be at the station!' she said.
But there was no Timmy there. 'He must have forgotten you were coming,' said Dick, with a grin, andat once got a scowl⁴ from George. Peters came up, smiling all over his face, and gave 2them his usual welcome. Everyone in Kirrin Village knew the Five - which, of course, includedTimmy the dog.
Peters soon had the children's luggage out, and wheeled it down the platform on his trolley⁵. 'I'll sendit along to Kirrin Cottage as soon as the van comes,' he said. 'Had a good term?'
'Smashing!' said Dick. 'But it seemed very long, as Easter is so late this year. My word - look at theprimroses on the railway banks.'
But George had no eyes for anything just then. She was still looking out for Timmy. Where was he?
WHY hadn't he come to the station to meet them? He came last time and the time before!
She turned a troubled face to Dick.
'Do you think he's ill?' she asked. 'Or has he forgotten me? Or...'
'Oh, don't be an ass, George,' said Dick. 'He is probably in the house somewhere and can't get out.
Look out - the trolley nearly ran you over then.'
George skipped out of the way, glaring. WHERE was Timmy? She was sure he was ill - or had hadan accident - or was tied up and couldn't get away. Perhaps Joan, the cook, had forgotten to let himloose.
'I'm going to take a taxi home, if I've enough money,' she said, taking out her purse. 'You others canwalk. I must see if anything's happened to Timmy - he's never missed meeting our train before.'
'But George, it's such a lovely walk to Kirrin Cottage!' said Anne. 'You know how you love to seeyour island - dear old Kirrin Island - as we walk to your mother's house - and the bay - and hear thewaves crashing on the rocks.'
'I'm taking the station taxi,' said George, obstinately⁶, counting the money in her purse. 'If you'd like tocome with me, you can. It's Timmy I want to see, not islands and waves and things! I'm sure he's illor has had an accident or something!'
'All right, George, do as you please,' said Julian. 'Hope you find dear old Timmy is perfectly⁷ well- and has only forgotten the time of the train. See you later.'
The two brothers, and their sister Anne, set off together, looking forward to the walk to KirrinCottage. How lovely to see Kirrin Bay again, and George's island!
'Isn't she lucky to have a real island of her very own!' said Anne. 'Fancy it belonging to her family foryears and years - and then one day her mother suddenly gives it to George! I bet she 3worried and worried dear Aunt Fanny until she gave in to old George. I do so hope Timmy is allright; we shan't enjoy our holidays with George's mother if there's anything wrong with Timmy.'
'Oh, George will probably go and live in Timmy's kennel⁸ with him,' said Dick, with a chuckle⁹.
'Ha - look! The sea - and Kirrin Bay - AND the little old island as lovely as ever!'
'With its gulls¹⁰ circling round, and mewing like cats,' said Julian. 'And the old ruined castle there, justexactly the same as usual. Not a single stone fallen out of it, as far as I can see.'
'You can't possibly see that at this distance,' said Anne, screwing up her eyes. 'Oh, isn't the first day ofthe hols heavenly? We seem to have all the time in the world in front of us!'
'Yes. And then, alas¹¹, after a few days, the holidays rush by,' said Julian. 'I wonder if George is homeby now.'
'Well, her taxi passed us going at a tremendous pace!' said Dick. 'I bet old George was shouting at thedriver to go as fast as possible!'
'Look - there's Kirrin Cottage - I can just see the chimneys in the distance,' said Dick. 'Smoke iscoming from one of them.'
'Funny - why only one?' said Julian. 'They usually have the kitchen fire going, and a fire in UncleQuentin's study. He's such a cold mortal when he's working out all his wonderful figures for hisinventions.'
'Perhaps he's away,' said Anne, hopefully. She was rather afraid of George's hasty-tempered father. 'Ishould think Uncle Quentin could do with a holiday at times - he's always buried in rows and rows offigures.'
'Well, let's hope we don't disturb him too much,' said Julian. 'It's hard on Aunt Fanny if he keepsyelling at everyone. We'll try and be out of doors most of the time.'
They were nearly at Kirrin Cottage now. As they came near to the front gate, they saw George comerunning down the garden-path. To Julian's horror, she was crying bitterly.
'I say - it does look as if something has happened to old Timmy,' he said, scared. 'It's not like Georgeto cry - she never cries! What can have happened?'
In great alarm they began to run, and Anne shouted as she ran, 'George! George, what's the matter? Issomething wrong with Timmy? What's happened?'
'We can't stay at home,' wept George. 'We've got to go away somewhere. Something awful'shappened!'
4'What is it? Tell us, you idiot!' said Dick, in alarm. 'For goodness' sake, what's happened? Is Timmyrun over, or something?'
'No - it isn't Timmy,' said George, wiping her eyes with her hand, because, as usual, she had nohandkerchief. 'It's Joan - Joan, our dear, darling cook!'
'What's the matter with her?' asked Julian, thinking of all kinds of dreadful things. 'GEORGE, willyou please TELL US!'
'Joan's got scarlet¹² fever,' said George, sniffing¹³ dolefully. 'So we can't be at Kirrin Cottage.'
'Why not?' demanded Dick. 'Joan will have to go to a fever hospital - and we can all stay at KirrinCottage and help your mother. Poor old Joan! But cheer up, George, scarlet fever isn't much of athing to have nowadays. Come on - let's go in and see if we can comfort your mother.
Poor old Aunt Fanny, she will be in a stew¹⁴ - with all of us four cousins at Kirrin Cottage too!
Never mind, we can...'
'Stop jabbering¹⁵, Dick,' said George, exasperated¹⁶. 'We can't stay at Kirrin Cottage. Mother wouldn'teven let me go in at the front door! She shooed me away, and said I was to wait in the garden, thedoctor was coming in a minute or two.'
Someone called to them from a window of Kirrin Cottage. 'Are you all there, children? Julian, comehere, will you?'
They all went into the garden, and saw their Aunt Fanny, George's mother, leaning out of a bedroomwindow.
'Listen, dears,' she said. 'Joan has scarlet fever, and is waiting for an ambulance to take her to thehospital, and...'
'Aunt Fanny - don't worry. We'll all turn to and help,' called back Julian, cheerfully.
'Dear Julian - you still don't understand,' said his aunt. 'You see, neither your uncle nor I have hadscarlet fever - so we are in quarantine, and mustn't have anyone near us, in case we get it, and give itto them - and that might mean we'd give it to all you four.'
'Would Timmy get it?' asked George, still sniffing dolefully.
'No, of course not. Don't be silly, George,' said her mother. 'Did you ever hear of dogs gettingmeasles or whooping-cough or any of our illnesses? Timmy isn't in quarantine. You can get him outof his kennel as soon as you like.'
George's face lighted up immediately, and she shot round the back of the house, yelling Timmy'sname. At once there came a volley of barks!
5'Aunt Fanny - what do you want us to do?' asked Julian. 'We can't go to my home, because my peopleare still in Germany. Should we go to a hotel?'
'No, dear, I'll think of somewhere you can all go,' said his aunt. 'Good gracious, what a row Timmy ismaking! Poor Joan - she has such a splitting headache.'
'Here's the ambulance,' cried Anne, as a big hospital van drew up outside the gate. Mrs. Kirrindisappeared from the window at once to tell Joan. The ambulance man went up to the front door, hismate behind him carrying a stretcher. The four children watched in surprise. 'He's gone to fetch dearold Joan,' said Julian. And sure enough the stretcher was soon carried out with Joan lying on it,wrapped round in blankets. She waved to the children as the men carried her out.
'Soon be back!' she said, in rather a croaky voice. 'Help Mrs. Kirrin if you can. So sorry about this!'
'Poor Joan,' said Anne, with tears in her eyes. 'Get better quickly, Joan. We shall miss you so!'
The ambulance door closed and the van went off very smoothly¹⁷ and quietly.
'Whatever shall we do?' said Dick, turning to Julian. 'Can't go home - can't stay here! Oh, here'sTIMMY! How are you, Tim, old thing? Thank goodness you can't get scarlet fever. Don't knock meover, old boy. Down! Gosh, what a licky dog you are!'
Timmy was the only one in high spirits. The others felt really down in the dumps. Oh dear - what wasto be done? Where could they go? What a horrid¹⁸ beginning to a holiday! Down, Timmy, DOWN!
What a dog! Anyone would think he had never even heard of scarlet fever! WILL you get down,Timmy!

欢迎访问英文小说网

只需30秒，测测你的英语词汇量！