Blyton, Enid – Famous Five 15 – Five On a Secret Trail

The bed was empty. There was no George and Timmy’s basket was empty. Joan went to take the note to Mrs Kirrin.

‘Oh dear! How silly George is!’ she said, when she had read it. ‘Look, Quentin – such a fuss about Timmy! Now George has gone off with him, goodness knows where!’

Her husband took the note and read it out loud. ‘Dear Mother, I’m going off for a few days with Timmy till his ear is better. I’ve taken my tent and a few things. Don’t worry, please. Tell Anne if she wants to join me, to come to the end of Carters Lane on the common and I will show her where I’m camping. Tell her to come at twelve. Love from George.’

‘Well, I’m blessed!’ said George’s father. ‘All right – let her stay away if she wants to – I’m tired of her sulky face and Timmy’s hang-dog looks. Tell Anne to join George, and maybe I shall have peace for a few days!’

‘George should be all right,’ said his wife. ‘She’s quite sensible really – and she’s got Timmy. I’ll tell Anne to join her when she arrives this morning.’

When Anne arrived at Kirrin Station, and looked out for George and Timmy, they weren’t there – only her aunt was there, smiling as usual.

‘What’s happened?’ said Anne. ‘Where’s George – and Timmy?’

‘Oh – George has gone off by herself,’ said her Aunt Fanny. ‘Come along, and I’ll tell you!’

Chapter Two

ANNE JOINS THE LITTLE CAMP

Aunt Fanny soon told Anne about Timmy’s ear and the big collar of cardboard that had caused all the trouble. Anne couldn’t help smiling.

‘Oh Aunt Fanny – George is quite crazy about old Tim, isn’t she? I’ll go and meet her at twelve, and of course I’ll camp with her for a day or two. It’s lovely weather and I’d like to. I expect Uncle Quentin will be glad to have us out of the house!’

‘How are Julian and Dick?’ asked her aunt. She was very fond of Anne’s two brothers, George’s cousins. ‘Will they be coming down here at all these holidays?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Anne. ‘They’re still in France, you know, on a school-boys’ tour. I feel funny without them! George will be cross to hear they probably won’t be coming to Kirrin. She’ll just have to put up with me!’

At twelve o’clock Anne was standing patiently at the end of Carters Lane. It ran to the common and then ended in a small, winding path that led to nowhere in particular. Big gorse bushes grew here and there, and slender birch trees. Anne, her belongings strapped to her back, and a bag in her hand, looked over the common to see if she could spy George coming.

There was no sign of her. ‘Blow!’ said Anne. ‘I suppose she’s changed her mind or something. Perhaps her watch has stopped and she doesn’t know the time. She ought to, though, by looking at the sun! How long shall I wait?’

She sat down by a big gorse-bush, out of the hot sun. She hadn’t been there for more than a minute when she heard a hissing sound.

‘Pssssst!’

Anne sat up at once. The sound came from the other side of the bush, and she got up and walked round it. Half-hidden under a prickly branch were George and Timmy!

‘Hallo!’ said Anne, surprised. ‘Didn’t you see me when I arrived? Hallo, Tim darling! How’s your poor old ear? Oh, doesn’t he look a quaint old dear in that collar, George?’

George scrambled out of the bush. ‘I hid here just in case Father or Mother should come with you and try to make me come back,’ she said. ‘I wanted to make quite sure they weren’t waiting somewhere a little way away. I’m glad you’ve come, Anne.’

‘Of course I’ve come,’ said Anne. ‘I wouldn’t stay alone at Kirrin Cottage while you were camping out. Besides, I understand how you feel about Timmy. The collar’s a jolly good idea, of course – but it does make him look comical. I think he looks rather a dear in it, I do really.’

George was almost relieved that Anne had not laughed at Timmy as most people had. She smiled at her cousin, and Timmy licked her till Anne really had to push him away.

‘Let’s go,’ said George, scrambling up. ‘I’ve got a lovely camping-place, Anne. You’ll like it. It’s near a little spring too, so there’s plenty of water for Timmy to drink – and us too. Did you bring any more food? I didn’t really bring much.’

‘Yes. I’ve brought heaps,’ said Anne. ‘Aunt Fanny made me. She’s not cross with you, George. I didn’t see your father. He was shut up in his study.’

George’s spirits suddenly rose. She gave Anne a friendly punch. ‘This is going to be fun! Timmy’s ear will soon be better, and he loves camping out as much as we do. I’ve really found a good place – about the loneliest on the common! Nobody near us for miles!’

They set off together, Timmy at their heels, darting off every now and again when he smelt rabbit.

‘When are Julian and Dick coming down?’ asked George. ‘In a few days? Timmy’s ear will be all right then and we can go back to Kirrin Cottage to welcome the boys, and have some fun there.’

‘They may not be coming down at all these hols,’ said Anne, and George’s face fell at once. She stopped and stared at Anne in dismay.

‘Not coming! but they always come in the hols – or we go away somewhere together!’ she said. ‘They must come! I shall be miserable without Ju and Dick.’

‘Well – they’re still in France, on a tour or something,’ said Anne. ‘We shall hear if they’re staying on there or coming down to Kirrin, when we get back to the cottage. Don’t look so woebegone, George!’

But George felt woebegone. The holidays stretched before her, suddenly seeming long and dreary. Her two boy cousins were always such fun – they had had such wonderful adventures together. And now – now they weren’t coming!

‘We shan’t have any adventures at all if the boys don’t come,’ she said, in a small voice.

‘I shan’t mind that,’ said Anne. ‘I’m the peaceful one, not always on the look-out for something to happen, like you and the boys! Perhaps these holidays will be quite unexciting without even the smell of an adventure! Oh George – cheer up! Don’t look so mournful. You’d better send a telegram to Julian and Dick if you feel so badly about it.’

‘I’ve a good mind to!’ said George. ‘I can’t imagine hols without the boys. Why – we shan’t be the Five – the Famous Five – if they don’t come!’

‘Woof!’ said Timmy, quite agreeing. He sat down and tried to scratch his ear, but the big collar prevented him. He didn’t seem to mind and ran off after a rabbit quite happily.

‘I think you are more upset about that collar than Timmy,’ said Anne, as they walked along. ‘Are we getting near this place of yours, George? It’s a jolly long way.’

‘We go up this hill in front of us – and then drop down to a little copse,’ said George. ‘There’s a funny old cottage nearby – quite ruined and empty. At first I thought perhaps people lived there, but when I went nearer I saw that it was ruined. There’s a big old rose-rambler climbing all over it, even inside. I suppose the people who used to live there planted it.’

They walked up the little hill and down again, following curving rabbit-paths. ‘Better look out for adders,’ said Anne. ‘This is just the kind of place for them. My word, it’s hot, George. Is there anywhere to bathe near here – a pool or anything?’

‘I don’t know. We could explore and see,’ said George. ‘I did bring my swim-suit just in case. Look – you can see part of the old cottage now. My camp is fairly near there. I thought I’d better camp near the spring.’

They were soon at George’s rough little camp. Her tent was up, and she had made a bed inside of the springy heather. A mug, a bag of dog biscuits, a few tins, and a loaf of bread were at one end of the tent. It didn’t seem to Anne as if George had brought very much, and she felt glad that she had managed to pack such a lot of things.

‘Aunt Fanny cut dozens and dozens of sandwiches,’ said Anne. ‘She said if we kept them in this tin they wouldn’t go stale, and would last us a day or two till we went back. I’m hungry. Shall we have some now?’

They sat out in the sun, munching the ham sandwiches. Anne had brought tomatoes too, and they took a bite at a sandwich and then a bite at a tomato. Timmy had to make do with a handful of dog biscuits and half a sandwich every now and again. After a bit he got up and wandered off.