Five Are Together Again Read Free

front gate where the luggage stil stood. „Anne, go out into the road and stop the bus when it comes," ordered Julian. „Then Dick and I wil heave our bags aboard. Gosh, I wonder what it wil be like with old Tinker at Big Hol ow. I"ve a feeling it might be rather exciting!"
    „I don"t think so," said George, mournful y. „I like Tinker all right - he"s funny - and that little monkey is a darling - such a naughty little thing too. But oh dear, don"t you remember what it was like when Tinker"s father came to stay with us? It was awful! He never remembered to come to meals, and was always losing his coat or his hanky or his money, and losing his temper too. I got very tired of him."
    „Well, he"ll probably get very tired of us!" said Julian. „He won"t find it very funny to have four kids parked on him, especially if he"s in the middle of difficult work - to say nothing of a rather large, licky dog leaping round the house as wel ."
    „Timmy isn"t likely to lick him," said George, at once, and put on one of her scowls. „I didn"t like Tinker"s father at al ."
    „Well, don"t look like a thunderstorm," said Julian. „I don"t expect he"l like any of us either.
    But it"s decent of him to give us an invitation to stay at Big Hol ow, and we"re jolly well going to behave ourselves, see? There"s to be no back-chat from you, George - even if he dares to disapprove of Timmy!"
    „He"d better not," said George. „In fact, I"ve a good mind not to go. I think I"l live in the summer-house with Timmy, at the bottom of the garden!"
    „You wil NOT!" said Julian, taking firm hold of her arm. „You"l play fair, come with us, and behave properly! Listen, there"s the bus. Come on, we"ll all wave, and hope the driver has a few empty seats."
    Anne had already stopped the bus, and run round to the back of it to ask the conductor if he could help with the bags. He knew the children very wel , and leapt down at once.

    „You"re going back to school pretty quick!" he said. „I thought the schools had only just broken up."
    „They have," said Julian, „but we"re off to stay at Big Hollow. The bus goes there, doesn"t it?"
    „Yes, we go right through the vil age of Big Hollow," said the conductor, carrying three bags at once, much to Julian"s envy. „Whereabouts are you staying there?"
    „At Professor Hayling"s house," said Julian. „I think that"s called Big Hollow too, like the vil age."
    „Ah, we pass it," said the conductor, „I"l stop the bus just outside and give you a hand with your things again. My word - you"l have to mind your p"s and q"s there - old Professor Hayling"s a bit peculiar, you know. Goes off the handle properly if things don"t go his way!
    Once a horse got into his garden and believe it or not he chased that horse for two miles, shouting at it al the way. And bless me, when he got back home, tired out, there was that horse, chewing up his garden again. The horse was cute - he"d taken a short cut back.
    Yes - you be careful how you behave at Big Hollow. The old man might get cross and pop you into one of his queer machines and grind you up into little pieces!"
    The four children laughed. „Oh, the old Professor is al right," said Julian. „A bit forgetful, like most people who work with their brains al the time. My brain goes fairly slowly - but my Uncle Quentin"s goes about a hundred miles an hour, and I bet the Professor"s does too!
    We"ll be al right!"
    Away went the bus, bumping over the road from Kirrin and Little Hol ow, and on to Big Hollow. The four children gazed out of the windows as they passed alongside the shore, where the sea shone as blue as cornflowers, and once more saw Kirrin Island out in the big bay.
    „Wish we were going there!" sighed George. „We"ll have to take a picnic meal there sometime, and enjoy ourselves. I"d like old Tinker to visit my island. He may have a lighthouse of his own, but having an island is MUCH better!"
    „I think I agree with you," said Julian. „Tinker"s