‘Shut up,’ said Tiger Dan in such a fierce voice that all the children were shocked. Lou nudged Dan, and he made an effort to appear pleasant again.
‘We didn’t want Nobby to make friends with posh folk like you,’ he began again. ‘But it seems as if you want to pal up with him so it’s okay with us. You come on down and camp by the lake, and Nobby’ll show you everything in the circus. Can’t say fairer than that.’
‘You’ve got other reasons for making all these suggestions,’ said Julian, scornfully. ‘I’m sorry but our plans are made, and I am not going to discuss them with you.’
‘Come on,’ said Dick. ‘Let’s go and find Timmy. He’s barking his head off because he can hear us, and it won’t be long before he comes flying along here. Then we shall find it difficult to keep him off these two fellows.’
The four children began to move off. Nobby looked doubtfully at his uncle. He didn’t know whether to go with them or not. Lou nudged Dan again.
‘You go, too, if you want to,’ said Tiger Dan, trying to grin amiably at the surprised Nobby. ‘Keep your fine friends, see! Much good may they do you!’ The grin vanished into a scowl, and Nobby skipped smartly out of reach of his uncle’s hand. He was puzzled and wondered what was behind his uncle’s change of mind.
He tore after the children. Timmy came to meet them, barking his head off, waving the plumy tail wildly in joy.
‘Good dog, good dog!’ said George, patting him. ‘You keep on guard beautifully. You know I would have whistled for you if I’d wanted you, didn’t you, Timmy? Good dog!’
‘I’ll get you some supper,’ said Anne to everyone. ‘We’re all famishing. We can talk while we eat. George, come and help. Julian, can you get some ginger-beer? And, Dick, do fill up the water-bowl for me.’
The boys winked at one another. They always thought that Anne was very funny when she took command like this, and gave her orders. But everyone went obediently to work.
Nobby went to help Anne. Together they boiled ten eggs hard in the little saucepan. Then Anne made tomato sandwiches with potted meat and got out the cake the farmer’s wife had given them. She remembered the raspberry syrup, too how lovely!
Soon they were all sitting on the rocky ledge, which was still warm, watching the sun go down into the lake. It was a most beautiful evening, with the lake as blue as a cornflower and the sky flecked with rosy clouds. They held their hard-boiled eggs in one hand and a piece of bread and butter in the other, munching happily. There was a dish of salt for everyone to dip their eggs into.
‘I don’t know why, but the meals we have on picnics always taste so much nicer than the ones we have indoors,’ said George. ‘For instance, even if we had hard-boiled eggs and bread and butter indoors, they wouldn’t taste as nice as these.’
‘Can everyone eat two eggs?’ asked Anne. ‘I did two each. And there’s plenty of cake and more sandwiches and some plums we picked this morning.’
‘Best meal I’ve ever had in my life,’ said Nobby, and picked up his second egg. ‘Best company I’ve ever been in, too!’
Thank you,’ said Anne, and everyone looked pleased. Nobby might not have their good manners, but he always seemed to say just the right thing.
‘It’s a good thing your uncle didn’t make you go back with him and Lou,’ said Dick. ‘Funny business changing his mind like that!’
They began to talk about it. Julian was very puzzled indeed, and had even begun to wonder if he hadn’t better find another camping site and go over the hill.
The others raised their voices scornfully.
‘JULIAN! We’re not cowards. We’ll jolly well stay here!’
‘What, leave now why should we? We’re in nobody’s way, whatever those men say!’
‘I’m not moving my caravan, whatever anyone says!’ That was George, of course.
‘No, don’t you go,’ said Nobby. ‘Don’t you take no notice of Lou and my uncle. They can’t do nothing to you at all. They’re just trying to make trouble for you. You stay and let me show you over the camp, see?’
‘It isn’t that I want to give in to those fellows’ ideas,’ said Julian. ‘It’s just that well, I’m in charge of us all and I don’t like the look of Lou and Tiger Dan and, well …’
‘Oh, have another egg and forget about it,’ said Dick. ‘We’re going to stay here in this hollow, however much Dan and Lou want us out of it. And, what’s more, I’d like to find out why they’re so keen to push us off. It seems jolly queer to me.’
The sun went down in a blaze of orange and red, and the lake shimmered with its fiery reflection. Nobby got up regretfully, and Barker and Growler, who had been hobnobbing with Timmy, got up, too.
‘I’ll have to go,’ said Nobby. ‘Still got some jobs to do down there. What about you coming down tomorrow to see the animals? You’ll like Old Lady, the elephant. She’s a pet. And Pongo will be pleased to see you again.’
‘Your uncle may have changed his mind again by tomorrow, and not want us near the camp,’ said Dick.
‘Well I’ll signal to you,’ said Nobby. ‘I’ll go out in the boat, see? And wave a hanky. Then you’ll know it’s all right. Well so long! I’ll be seeing you.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
FUN AT THE CIRCUS CAMP
Next morning, while Anne cleared up the breakfast things with George, and Dick went off to the farm to buy whatever the farmer’s wife had ready for him, Julian took the field-glasses and sat on the ledge to watch for Nobby to go out on the lake in his boat.
Dick sauntered along, whistling. The farmer’s wife was delighted to see him, and showed him two big baskets full of delicious food.
‘Slices of ham I’ve cured myself,’ she said, lifting up the white cloth that covered one of the baskets. ‘And a pot of brawn I’ve made. Keep it in a cool place. And some fresh lettuces and radishes I pulled myself this morning early. And some more tomatoes.’
‘How gorgeous!’ said Dick, eyeing the food in delight. ‘Just the kind of things we love! Thanks awfully, Mrs Mackie. What’s in the other basket?’
‘Eggs, butter, milk, and a tin of shortbread I’ve baked,’ said Mrs Mackie. ‘You should do all right till tomorrow, the four of you! And in that paper there is a bone for the dog.’
‘How much do I owe you?’ asked Dick. He paid his bill and took up the baskets. Mrs Mackie slipped a bag into his pocket.
‘Just a few homemade sweets,’ she said. That was her little present. Dick grinned at her.
‘Well, I won’t offer to pay you for them because I’m afraid of that rolling-pin of yours,’ he said. ‘But thank you very, very much.’
He went off delighted. He thought of Anne’s pleasure when she came to unpack the baskets. How she would love to put the things in the little larder and pop the butter in a dish set in a bowl of cold water and set the eggs in the little rack!
When he got back Julian called to him: ‘Hobby’s out in his boat. Come and look. He’s waving something that can’t possibly be a hanky. It must be the sheet off his bed!’
‘Nobby doesn’t sleep in sheets,’ said Anne. ‘He didn’t know what they were when he saw them in our bunks. Perhaps it’s a table-cloth.’
‘Anyway, it’s something big, to tell us that it’s absolutely all right to come down to the camp,’ said Julian. ‘Are we ready?’
‘Not quite,’ said Anne, unpacking the baskets Dick had brought. ‘I must put away these things and do you want to take a picnic lunch with you? Because if so I must prepare it. Oh look at all these gorgeous things!’
They all came back to look. ‘Mrs Mackie is a darling,’ said Anne. ‘Honestly, these things are super look at this gorgeous ham. It smells heavenly.’
‘Here’s her little present homemade sweets,’ said Dick, remembering them and taking them out of his pocket. ‘Have one?’
Anne had everything ready in half an hour. They had decided to take a picnic lunch with them for themselves and for Nobby as well. They took their bathing-things and towels, too.
‘Are we going to take Timmy or not?’ said George. ‘I want to. But as these two men seem rather interested in our caravans, perhaps we had better leave him on guard again. We don’t want to come back and find the caravans damaged or half the things stolen.’