2 bill gets his way

bill came along to lunch the next day. he had a ruddy face, twinkling eyes and a rather bald headwith plenty of hair at each side. the children rushed to meet him. mrs mannering smiled at him.

‘you gave the children a wonderful time yesterday,’ she said. ‘and now i hear that you want totake them on a night flight. i can’t think why you want to bother yourself with a pack of childrenlike these.’

‘ah – you never know when they’re going to embark on some wonderful adventure,’ said billsmugs, grinning round at them. ‘i don’t want to be left out of it, you know. besides, i feel sorryfor you, mrs mannering, having to put up with them for eight or nine weeks these summerholidays – i thought it would be a kind deed if i took them off your hands for a while.’

‘well, what do you want them to do?’ asked mrs mannering. ‘just go for a night flight, spendthe night at your old home and come back the next day?’

‘that was the first idea i had,’ said bill. ‘but now i hear i’m due to have three or four days off –and i thought maybe you could spare the children for longer. we could fly to my old home, andthen stay there and mess about a bit. there are heaps of wild birds for jack to see, and i’ve nodoubt that philip will find plenty of even wilder animals. the girls will enjoy the change too.’

‘oh! it does sound good!’ cried jack, and the others agreed. mrs mannering listened andthought for a moment.

‘yes – i don’t see why they shouldn’t go with you, bill. i know you’ll look after them all rightand see that they don’t get mixed up in any awful adventure again.’

‘i can promise you that,’ said bill. ‘there are no adventures to be found anywhere near my oldhome. it’s a most peaceful, quiet place. nothing doing at all.’

‘well, if you promise not to rush into danger or trouble, you can go,’ said mrs mannering to thedelighted children. ‘when do you want them, bill?’

‘tomorrow, if possible,’ said bill. ‘the job i am on seems to be hanging fire at the moment, so imight as well take my few days now.’

‘what’s the job, bill? do, do tell us!’ begged lucy-ann. bill laughed.

‘i couldn’t possibly tell,’ he said. ‘all my work is secret, you know that. i’ll tell you all aboutthe job when it’s over and done with, though. you’ll find it jolly interesting.’

‘we’ll have to pack suitcases, won’t we?’ said dinah. ‘if we’re going to stay a few days, imean. we may want a change of clothes – and macks.’

‘yes, bring jerseys and shorts to mess about in,’ said bill, ‘and macks too, because it alwaysseems to rain at my home. and, mrs mannering, could you spare a few rugs, as i may not havequite enough blankets for so many visitors?’

‘of course,’ said mrs mannering. ‘i’ll look some out for you.’

‘i’ll bring my lovely camera,’ said jack. ‘there’ll be room for odds and ends like that in theplane, won’t there, bill?’

‘plenty’ said bill. ‘bring your field glasses too, because you may want to have a squint at thedifferent birds in the hills around.’

‘oh, it will be exciting!’ said jack, his eyes shining at the thought. ‘i can’t wait till tomorrow.

let’s go today!’

‘the plane’s not ready,’ said bill. ‘got to have something done to her today. anyway, my leavedoesn’t start till tomorrow. you get everything packed and ready, and come to the aerodrometomorrow night. be there at eleven o’clock sharp. i’ll order a car to call for you and take youthere.’

‘what a time to start on a journey!’ said mrs mannering. ‘i don’t know that i altogether like it.’

you can’t change your mind now, you can’t!’ cried the children.

‘no, i won’t,’ said mrs mannering. ‘but somehow i don’t feel very easy in my mind about itall. oh, children, you won’t go and do anything dangerous, will you?’

‘there’s nothing dangerous for them to do,’ said bill. ‘i’ll look after them all right. anyonedoing anything dangerous will be sent back to you, mrs mannering.’

the children laughed. then jack’s face fell. ‘i say – what about kiki? she won’t like me beingaway for some days. can i take her with me? what about the plane – will she be all right in it?’

‘you’d better put her into a basket or something,’ said bill. ‘she might get scared at the noiseand fly off. she’ll be all right in a basket on your knee. we can’t leave her behind.’

‘right,’ said jack, pleased. ‘do you hear that, kiki old bird? you’re to travel in a basket – andmind you behave yourself!’

‘wipe your feet,’ said kiki, ‘put the kettle on, kettle on! poor, poor polly!’

‘idiot!’ said jack, and scratched her poll. ‘all i hope is that you don’t try to imitate the noise anaeroplane makes. your express train screech is bad enough.’

they all had a pleasant lunch and then bill departed. the children went upstairs to put togethertheir things. dinah put a whole packet of chocolate into her case, in case there were no shops atbill’s home. jack stuffed a packet of biscuits into his case. he often woke up at night and liked abiscuit to nibble then.

‘better take plenty of films with you, jack, if you’re thinking of photographing birds,’ saidphilip. ‘i bet there won’t be anywhere to buy them where bill lives. it’s somewhere buried rightdown in the country.’

mrs mannering came up to see what they were packing. it was a cold august, with rather a lotof rain, and the children would need a fair amount of warm things. they had put in pullovers andjerseys and macks and sou’westers. she added rubber boots too, thinking that shoes would not beof much use if they walked over wet fields.

‘i’ve found you some rugs,’ she said. ‘you can each take one. they are old, but very thick andwarm, and as good as two blankets. if bill hasn’t enough blankets for you it won’t matter at all –the rugs will give you plenty of warmth. don’t forget to bring them back, now!’

jack got his camera ready. he looked out his rolls of films. he debated whether or not to takeone of his bird books with him, and then decided not to, because his suitcase was already veryheavy.

‘everything’s done now, aunt allie,’ said lucy-ann, sitting on her suitcase to make it shut. ‘iwish tomorrow would hurry up and come. fancy flying in the dark in bill’s plane! i never in mylife thought i would do that. i hope it’s a long long way to bill’s home.’

‘it is,’ said mrs mannering. ‘now let me see – i’d better pack you sandwiches and cake to takewith you for the journey because you are sure to be hungry if you stay up all night. i’ll do thosetomorrow. have you found a basket for kiki, jack? and what about taking some food for her?

there’s a new packet of sunflower seeds come today. put it into your suitcase.’

jack found a good basket for kiki, with a lid that closed down. he put it on the table. kiki flewover to it at once in curiosity. she hopped inside and looked out comically.

‘clever bird,’ said jack. ‘you know it’s your travelling basket, don’t you?’

‘god save the queen!’ said kiki, and began to rub her curved beak up and down the edge of thebasket.

‘don’t do that, said jack. ‘you’ll break it. stop it, kiki!’

kiki climbed out and flew to jack’s shoulder. she rubbed her beak against his hair.

‘ding-dong bell,’ she murmured. ‘polly’s in the well. ding-dong bell.’

‘polly’s in the basket, you mean,’ said lucy-ann. ‘kiki, you’re going in an aeroplane. think ofthat!’

the day went slowly – far too slowly for the children. the next day was even slower. by thetime that tea time came the children felt that night would never never come.

but when supper time came they felt more cheerful. the car was coming at a quarter past ten totake them to the aerodrome. then into the plane they would get with bill and off they would gointo the darkness. somehow it seemed far more thrilling to fly through the dark night than throughthe sunshiny day.

ten o’clock struck. the suitcases and rugs were taken down to the hall. jacks camera was theretoo, and a large packet of sandwiches and cakes. jack wore his field glasses on a strap over hisshoulder. kiki’s basket was in the hall also, but kiki was still free. she was not going into thebasket till the last moment.

‘here’s the car!’ cried philip, his sharp ears hearing the engine purring up to the door. ‘comealong! goodbye, mother! look after yourself well till we come back!’

‘goodbye, aunt allie,’ said jack, giving her a hug. ‘we’ll send you a postcard. hi, kiki, comeon – it’s time you got into your basket.’

kiki made a bit of a fuss going in. she was excited because of the excitement of the fourchildren. it took quite a time to get her into the basket and shut the lid down. she began to shout atthe top of her voice.

‘poor polly, poor polly, down the well, down the well, up the hill, in the corner!’

‘she’s mixing up ding-dong bell and jack and jill and jack horner,’ said lucy-ann with agiggle. ‘be quiet, kiki! you ought to be glad you’re coming with us, even if you have to travel ina shut basket!’

all the goodbyes were said. ‘i don’t like letting you go, somehow,’ said mrs mannering. ‘it’ssilly of me – but i don’t. i’ve got an uncomfortable feeling – as if you’re going off into anotherdreadful adventure.’

‘we promise not to,’ said philip earnestly. ‘don’t you worry mother. we’ll be all right, andyou’ll see us turning up, like bad pennies, in a few days’ time. anyway, bill’s on the phone andyou can always ring him.’

the taxi revved up its engine. it moved off down the drive, with mrs mannering left standing atthe door, waving. the children waved back, excited. they were really off.

‘now for the aerodrome!’ said philip, pleased. ‘i thought tonight would never come. what’s thetime? oh, we’re early. good. got the passes, jack?’

‘dinah’s got them in her bag,’ said jack. dinah fished them out. they were passes that wouldtake them into the aerodrome, and up to bill himself.

it was a good way to the aerodrome. the night was very dark. clouds covered the sky, and afew drops of rain spattered the windscreen.

‘here’s the aerodrome at last!’ cried jack, seeing the lights through the window. ‘look at theflare-path – all lit up. isn’t it fine? don’t the aeroplanes look enormous in the shadows at eachside? here, dinah – where are the passes? we’ve got to show them now.’

the passes were shown to the man at the entrance to the aerodrome and the children went in.

‘i’ll set you down here and you can speak to your friend,’ said the taxi man. ‘then i’ll run on tohis aeroplane and dump the luggage beside it for you. so long!’

‘now we’ll find bill,’ said philip as the car drove off. ‘there he is, look! hi, bill, we’re here!’