Blyton, Enid – Famous Five 14 – Five Have Plenty of Fun

‘Wake up!’ said Dick. ‘You look quite dopey!’ Berta shook herself and looked round again. Then she went on through the castle and looked at other rooms, some without roofs, some without one or two of their walls.

‘It’s a honey of a castle!’ she said to George. ‘A real honey. Wunnerful. WonDERful.’

They wandered all round, showing the awe-struck Berta everything. ‘We’ll show you the dungeons too,’ said George, very pleased to be impressing Berta so much.

‘Dungeons! You’ve got dungeons too – oh, of course, you told me about them,’ said Berta. ‘Dungeons! You don’t say! My my, I’ll never forget this afternoon.’

As they walked over the old courtyard Timmy suddenly growled and stood still, his tail down, the hackles on his neck rising. Everyone automatically stood still too.

‘What is it, Tim? asked George, in a whisper. Timmy’s nose was pointing towards the little harbour where they had left their boat.

‘There must be someone there,’ said Dick. ‘Don’t say they’re going off with our boat!’

George gave a scream. Her boat! Her precious boat! She set off at top speed with Timmy bounding in front.

‘Come back, George – there may be danger!’ shouted Julian, but George didn’t listen. She ran over the rocks that led down to the little harbour-beach, and then stopped still in surprise.

Two policemen were walking up the sandy beach! Their boat was drawn up beside George’s. They saluted her and grinned.

‘Afternoon, Miss George!’

‘What are you doing on my island?’ demanded George, recognising them. ‘Why have you come here?’

‘Someone reported suspicious people on the island,’ said the first policeman.

‘Who did?’ said George. ‘Nobody knew about it but us!’

‘I bet I know who reported it,’ said Dick suddenly. ‘Joan did! She didn’t like us going off by ourselves; she said we ought to telephone the police.’

‘That’s right,’ said the policeman. ‘So we came to see for ourselves. Found anyone?’

Julian took command then, and related how they had first seen the cigarette ends, and then heard the motorboat starting up, and had gone to see it roaring away from the island.

‘Ah,’ said both policemen, profoundly. ‘Ah!’

‘What do you mean – “AH”?’ asked Dick.

‘Fred here heard a motorboat somewhere in the bay in the night,’ said the first man. ‘What was it doing there, I’d like to know?’

‘So would we,’ said Julian. ‘We saw someone on the island looking through binoculars at the beach this morning.’

This brought forth two more ‘Ahs’, and the policemen exchanged glances.

‘Good thing you’ve got a couple of dogs with you,’ said the one called Fred. ‘Well – we’ll just have a bit of a look round, and then we’ll go back on our beats again. And mind you ring us up next time anything turns up, Miss George, see?’

Off they went together, looking closely at the ground. They found the cigarette ends and picked them up. Then on they went again.

‘Let’s go back,’ said George, in a low voice. ‘It spoils things if other people are on the island. I don’t want to have a picnic here now. We’ll go off in the boat somewhere and have a picnic tea in a cove.’

So they dragged the boat down to the water and jumped in. Sally was very pleased to be back in the boat and ran from end to end wagging her stiff little tail in delight. Timmy followed her up and down and got in everyone’s way.

‘How can I row if you keep on jumping over me, Timmy?’ complained Dick. ‘Sally, you’re just as bad. Berta, are you all right? You look a bit green?’

‘It’s only excitement and the bumpy bit past the rocks,’ said Berta, anxious not to appear seasick in front of the others. ‘I’ll be all right as soon as we get on to calm waters.’

But she wasn’t, so it was regretfully decided that they must row to the shore. They had a lazy tea on the beach, and Berta recovered enough to join in heartily.

‘Anyone got room for an ice-cream?’ asked Anne. ‘Because if so I’ll stroll down to the shops and get some. I want to buy a new pair of shoe-laces too. One of mine broke this morning.’

Everyone appeared to have room for an ice-cream, so Anne set off with Sally, who wanted to come with her. She went to the draper’s and got the laces, and then went to the tea-shop that sold ices.

‘Seven, please,’ she said. The girl in the shop smiled.

‘Seven! You used to ask for five.’

‘Yes, I know. But we’ve got someone staying with us – and another dog,’ explained Anne. ‘And both dogs like ice-creams.’

‘That reminds me – someone was in my shop yesterday asking about your uncle,’ said the girl. ‘He said he knew him. He wanted to know how many children were staying at Kirrin Cottage, and I thought only the four of you were there – and Timmy, of course. He seemed surprised, and said, surely there was another girl?’

‘Good gracious!’ said Anne, startled. ‘Did he really? How inquisitive! What did you say then?’

‘I just said there were two boys and a girl, and a girl who liked to dress as a boy,’ said the girl.

Anne was glad to think the shop-girl hadn’t known about Berta. ‘What was the man like?’ she asked.

‘Quite ordinary,’ said the girl, trying to remember. ‘He wore dark glasses like so many visitors do in the bright sun. I noticed he had a large gold ring on his finger when he paid my bill. That’s all I can remember.’

‘Well, if anyone else asks you about us, just say we’ve got a friend staying with us called Lesley,’ said Anne. ‘Good-bye.’

She went off at top speed, anxious to tell the others. The man in the tea-shop must have been one of those who had gone to the island to watch the beach – he might have been staring at the five of them as they had played together. He must be one of the men now in the motorboat. Anne didn’t like it, and it made her feel very uneasy.

She told the others what the shop girl had said as they sat in the sand and ate their ice-creams. Timmy gobbled his almost at once, and sat patiently watching for Sally to deal with hers, hoping that she would leave some.

All the four listened intently to Anne’s little story.

‘That settles it,’ said Dick. ‘Those men are certainly snooping round trying to find out if Lesley is here.’

‘They are getting uncomfortably close,’ said Julian.

‘Still, your uncle and aunt come back tomorrow,’ said Berta. ‘We’ll tell them, and maybe they’ll have some good plan.’

‘I hope those men don’t know that they are away,’ said Dick, uneasily. ‘I think we’ll have to keep a pretty close watch from now on. I wonder if Berta ought to stay on here with us.’

‘See what Father says tomorrow,’ said George. So it was decided that nothing should be done except to keep a sharp lookout until George’s parents came back. They all went back rather soberly to Kirrin Cottage and told Joan what had happened on the island.

‘You telephoned to the police, Joan!’ said Dick, shaking his finger at her.

‘I did. And I was right to,’ said Joan. ‘And what’s more Master Lesley’s bed is going to be moved away from the window tonight and the window’s going to be fastened even if we melt, and the door will be locked.’

‘I’ll lend you Timmy, too, if you like,’ said George ‘He can sleep in the room with Sally. You ought to be safe then!’

She really only meant it as a joke, but to her surprise Joan accepted at once. ‘Thank you, Miss,’ she said. ‘I’d be glad of Timmy. I feel all of a dither, left on my own like this, and kidnappers closing in on us!’

Julian laughed. ‘Oh, it’s not so bad as that, Joan! Only one more night and Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny will be back.’

‘Oh – I quite forgot to tell you,’ said Joan. ‘Look, there’s a telegram come. They’re staying away a whole week! That’s why I feel so scared. A week – well a lot can happen in a week!’

Chapter Thirteen

A HORRID SHOCK

Julian was not very happy to hear that his aunt and uncle were staying away for a week. He picked up the telegram. It was addressed to George, but Joan had opened it.

‘Not returning for a week,’ it said. ‘Complications have arisen, Hope all goes well. Love from Mother.’

There was no address. How annoying! Now Julian couldn’t even let them know that he was feeling uneasy. He made up his mind to guard Berta every minute! Thank goodness they had Timmy. Nobody would dare to do any kidnapping under Timmy’s eye!