Well, that’s more than my sister, Dinah, thinks of me, said Philip. We’re always quarrelling. Hallo is this Jack?
A boy came up the path towards Philip. On his left shoulder sat the parrot, Kiki, rubbing her beak softly against Jack’s ear, and saying something in a low voice. The boy scratched the parrot’s head and gazed at Philip with the same green eyes as his sister had. His hair was even redder, and his face so freckled that it would have been impossible to find a clear space anywhere, for there seemed to be freckles on top of freckles.
Hallo, Freckles, said Philip, and grinned.
Hallo, Tufty, said Jack, and grinned too. Philip put up his hand and felt his front bit of hair, which always rose up in a sort of tuft. No amount of water and brushing would make it lie down for long.
Wipe your feet, said Kiki severely.
I’m glad you found Kiki all right, said the girl. She didn’t like coming to a strange place, and that’s why she flew off, I expect.
She wasn’t far away, Lucy-Ann, said Jack. I bet old Tufty here got a fright if he heard her up on the hillside.
I did, said Philip, and began telling the two what had happened. They laughed loudly, and Kiki joined in, cackling in a most human manner.
Golly, I’m glad you and Lucy-Ann have come here, said Philip, feeling much happier than he had felt for some days. He liked the look of the red-haired, green-eyed brother and sister very much. They would be friends. He would show them the animals he had as pets. They could go for walks together. Jack was some years older than Lucy-Ann, about fourteen, Philip thought, just a little older than he himself was. It was a pity Dinah wasn’t there too, then there would be four of them. Dinah was twelve. She would fit in nicely only, perhaps, with her quick impatience and quarrelsome nature, she might upset things a bit.
How different Lucy-Ann and Jack are from me and Dinah, thought Philip. It was quite plain that Lucy-Ann adored Jack, and Philip could not imagine Dinah hanging on to his words, eager to do his bidding, fetching and carrying for him, as Lucy-Ann did for Jack.
Oh, well people are different, thought the boy. Dinah’s a good sort, even if we do quarrel and fight. She must be having a pretty awful time at Craggy-Tops without me. I bet Aunt Polly is working her hard.
It was pleasant at tea-time that day to sit and watch Jack’s parrot on his shoulder, making remarks from time to time. It was good to see the glint in Lucy-Ann’s green eyes as she teased big, slow Sam, and ticked off the smaller, peevish Oliver. Things would liven up a bit now.
They certainly did. Holiday coaching was much more fun with Jack and Lucy-Ann there too.
Chapter 2
MAKING FRIENDS
Mr. Roy, the holiday master, worked the children hard, because that was his job. He coached them the whole of the morning, going over and over everything patiently, making sure it was understood, demanding, and usually getting, close attention.
At least he got it from everyone except Jack. Jack gave close attention to nothing unless it had feathers.
If you studied your geometry as closely as you study that book on birds, you’d be top of any class, complained Mr. Roy. You exasperate me, Jack Trent. You exasperate me more than I can say.
Use your handkerchief, said the parrot impertinently.
Mr. Roy made a clicking noise of annoyance with his tongue. I shall wring that bird’s neck one day. What with you saying you can’t work unless Kiki is on your shoulder, and Philip harbouring all kinds of unpleasant creatures about his person, this holiday class is rapidly getting unbearable. The only one that appears to do any work at all is Lucy-Ann, and she hasn’t come here to work.
Lucy-Ann liked work. She enjoyed sitting beside Jack, trying to do the same work as he had been set. Jack mooned over it, thinking of gannets and cormorants, which he had just been reading about, whilst Lucy-Ann tried her hand at solving the problems set out in his took. She liked, too, watching Philip, because she never knew what animal or creature would walk out of his sleeve or collar or pocket. The day before, a very large and peculiarly coloured caterpillar had crawled from his sleeve, to Mr. Roy’s intense annoyance. And that morning a young rat had left Philip’s sleeve on a journey of exploration and had gone up Mr. Roy’s trouser-leg in a most determined manner.
This had upset the whole class for ten minutes whilst Mr. Roy had tried to dislodge the rat. It was no wonder he was in a bad temper. He was usually a patient and amiable man, but two boys like Jack and Philip were disturbing to any class.
The mornings were always passed in hard work. The afternoons were given to preparation for the next day, and to the writing-out of answers on the morning’s work. The evenings were completely free. As there were only four boys to coach, Mr. Roy could give them each individual attention, and try to fill in the gaps in their knowledge. Usually he was a most successful coach, but these holidays were not showing as much good work as he had hoped.
Sam, the big boy, was stupid and slow. Oliver was peevish, sorry for himself, and resented having to work at all. Jack was impossible, so inattentive at times that it seemed waste of time to try and teach him. He seemed to think of nothing but birds. If I grew feathers, he would probably do everything I told him, thought Mr. Roy. I never knew anyone so mad on birds before. I believe he knows the eggs of every bird in the world. He’s got good brains, but he won’t use them for anything that he’s not really interested in.
Philip was the only boy who showed much improvement, though he was a trial too, with his different and peculiar pets. That rat! Mr. Roy shuddered when he thought of how it had felt, climbing up his leg.
Really, Lucy-Ann was the only one who worked properly, and she didn’t need to. She had only come because she would not be separated from her queer brother, Jack.
Jack, Philip and Lucy-Ann soon became firm friends. The love for all living things that both Jack and Philip had drew them together. Jack had never had a boy for a friend before, and he enjoyed Philip’s jokes and teasing. Lucy-Ann liked Philip too, though she was sometimes jealous when Jack showed his liking for him. Kiki loved Philip, and made funny crooning noises when the boy scratched her head.
Kiki had been a great annoyance to Mr. Roy at first. She had interrupted the mornings constantly with her remarks. It was unfortunate that the master had a sniff, because Kiki spoke about it whenever he sniffed.
Don’t sniff! the parrot would say in a reproving tone, and the five children would begin to giggle. So Mr. Roy forbade Kiki to be brought into the classroom.
But matters only became worse, because Kiki, furious at being shut away outside in the garden, unable to sit on her beloved master’s shoulder, sat in a bush outside the half-open window, and made loud and piercing remarks that seemed to be directed at poor Mr. Roy.
Don’t talk nonsense, said the parrot, when Mr. Roy was in the middle of explaining some fact of history.
Mr. Roy sniffed in exasperation. Where’s your handkerchief? asked Kiki at once. Mr. Roy went to the window and shouted and waved at Kiki to frighten her away.
Naughty boy, said Kiki, not budging an inch. I’ll send you to bed. You’re a naughty boy.
You couldn’t do anything with a bird like that. So Mr. Roy gave it up and allowed the parrot to sit on Jack’s shoulder once more. Jack worked better with the bird near him, and Kiki was not so disturbing indoors as out-of-doors. All the same, Mr. Roy felt he would be very glad when the little holiday school came to an end, and the four boys and one girl went home, together with the parrot and the various other creatures owned by Philip.
Philip, Jack and Lucy-Ann left the big slow-witted Sam and the peevish little Oliver to be company for one another each day after tea, and went off on their own together. The boys talked of all the birds and animals they had known, and Lucy-Ann listened, stumbling to keep up with them as they walked. No matter how far they walked, or what steep hills they climbed, the little girl followed. She did not mean to let her beloved brother out of her sight.
Philip felt impatient with Lucy-Ann sometimes. Golly, I’m glad Dinah doesn’t tag after me like Lucy-Ann tags after Jack, he thought. I wonder Jack puts up with it.