2

arrival of gustavus

the afternoon was spent in looking all over the house to see if any changes had been made, and inexploring the garden from end to end to see what flowers were out, what edible things there were(only lettuces, alas!) and to introduce kiki to six new hens.

‘there’s a new carpet in the guest room,’ said lucy-ann. ‘but that’s all the changes there are.

i’m glad. i don’t like to come home and find anything changed. i suppose this small boy will sleepin the guest room, aunt allie?’

‘yes,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘i’m getting it ready in a minute or two. go and join the others inthe garden. you can pick a few daffodils, if you like – we want some in the hall.’

lucy-ann wandered off happily. the very first day of the holidays was always heavenly. all thefirst few days went slowly, and the thought of days and days of holiday ahead was one to dwell oncontentedly almost every minute.

‘lucy-ann! come here! kiki’s having the time of her life!’ called jack. ‘look at her showingoff in front of the new hens!’

kiki was sitting on a post in the hen run. the six hens were gathered admiringly around her.

‘cluck-cluck-cluck,’ they said to one another, and one stretched herself on tiptoe and flappedher wings as if trying to fly. kiki put her head on one side, stretched herself on tiptoe too, spreadher wings wide and took off. she sailed down to the surprised hens.

‘cluck-luck-luck, urrrrrrk!’ she said, earnestly. ‘cluck-luck-luck, urrrrrrk!’

‘cluck-uck-uck, cluck!’ said the hens, in admiration, and went nearer. one hen daringly peckedat one of the parrot’s tail feathers.

this was insolence! kiki danced round the alarmed hens, making a noise like an aeroplane introuble. the hens took to their heels and fled into the hen house, almost tumbling over one anotheras they tried to squeeze in at the narrow doorway two at a time.

kiki waddled after them, clucking again. mrs cunningham called from a window.

‘children! the hens will never lay us eggs if you let kiki scare them.’

‘kiki’s gone into the hen house – she’ll probably sit in a nesting box and try to lay an egg likethe hens!’ called jack. ‘come out, kiki.’

kiki came back and looked inquiringly out of the little doorway. ‘polly put the kettle on,’ shesaid, peaceably, ‘cluck-luck-luck, urrrrrrk!’

she flew to jack’s shoulder, and the hens looked at one another in relief. was it safe to go outand wander round yet?

‘there’s the next-door cat,’ said dinah. ‘come to see what all the fuss is about, i expect! hangon to kiki, jack.’

‘oh, she’ll bark like a dog if the cat comes any nearer,’ said jack. ‘come on – let’s see what thegardener has got in the greenhouse.’

it was a pleasant sunny afternoon, and the four really enjoyed themselves ‘mooching about’ asjack called it. they all longed for bill to arrive. then the family would be complete – except, ofcourse, that it would have one too many, if he really brought the unexpected boy with him!

‘i’m going to watch at the gate for bill,’ announced lucy-ann after tea.

‘we all will,’ said philip. ‘good old bill! what luck for us that he’s not on one of his hush-hushjobs just now, and can come away with us!’

they went to hang over the front gate together. kiki kept putting her crest up and downexcitedly. she knew quite well that bill was coming.

‘bill! pay the bill!’ she kept saying. ‘where’s bill? pop goes bill!’

‘you’re a silly-billy,’ said lucy-ann, stroking the parrot’s soft neck. ‘that’s what you are!’

‘that’s an idiotic thing to call her,’ said dinah. ‘just as we’re expecting bill! she’ll screech out“silly-billy” to him now, i bet you she will!’

‘silly-billy, billy-silly!’ shouted kiki. she always loved words that sounded the same. jacktapped her on the head.

‘no, kiki, stop it. look, here’s a car coming. perhaps it’s bill’s.’

but it wasn’t. as it went by, kiki hooted loudly – parp-parp-parp – exactly like a car.

the driver was astonished. he could see no car in sight. he sounded his horn, thinking theremust be a hidden corner somewhere.

and then lucy-ann gave a squeal. ‘here’s bill!’ she said. ‘a big black car, very sleek andshiny! bill, bill!’

she was right. it was bill’s car. it drew up at the front gate, and bill’s jolly face grinned at themas he looked out of the window. somebody sat beside him. was it the boy?

bill opened the door and leapt out. the four children pounced on him. ‘bill! good old bill!

how are you, bill?’

‘silly-billy!’ screeched a voice.

‘ah – good evening, kiki,’ said bill, as the parrot landed full on his shoulder. ‘still the samerude old bird. aha! you want me at home to teach you a few manners!’

kiki cackled like an excited hen. ‘now then – don’t you lay eggs down my neck!’ said bill.

‘what are you cackling about? where’s your mother, dinah?’

‘there she is,’ said dinah, as mrs cunningham came running to the gate. bill was about to callto her when an extremely loud cough came from the car – a cough that was meant to be noticed.

‘oh – i completely forgot for the moment,’ said bill. ‘i’ve brought a visitor. did you tell them,allie?’

‘yes, i did,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘where is he? oh, in the car. bring him out, bill.’

‘come on out,’ said bill, and in the midst of a dead silence the owner of the loud cough slid outof the car in as dignified a manner as he could.

everyone stared at him. he was about eleven, and certainly very foreign-looking. his blue-black hair was curly and rather longer than usual. his eyes were as black as his hair, and he hadthicker lashes than either of the girls. and he certainly had magnificent manners.

he went to mrs cunningham, and took the hand she held out to him. but instead of shaking ithe bowed over it and touched it with his lips. mrs cunningham couldn’t help smiling. the fourchildren stared in amusement.

‘my thanks to you, dear lady,’ he said, in a very foreign accent.

‘that’s all right,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘have you had any tea?’

but before the boy chose to answer this question he had to make a further display of manners.

he went to dinah, and before she knew what he meant to do, he took her hand and bent over it.

she gave a squeal and snatched it away.

‘don’t!’ she said. lucy-ann put her hands firmly behind her back. she didn’t want them kissedeither. what an extraordinary boy!

‘gus, old fellow – we just shake hands, you know,’ said bill, trying to hide his amusement atthe sight of the two girls’ indignant faces. ‘er – this is gustavus barmilevo, allie. he will be withus for the next few weeks, as his uncle has asked me to keep an eye on him.’

gustavus barmilevo bowed very low, but did not attempt any more hand- kissing. billintroduced the rest.

‘dinah – lucy-ann – jack – and philip. i – er – hope you’ll soon all be good friends.’

the two boys shook hands with gus, eyeing him with much disfavour. goodness! were they toput up with this little foreigner all the holidays?

gus did a funny little bow each time he shook hands. ‘plizzed to mit you,’ he said. ‘what is zisbird? how you call it?’

‘it’s a kiki-bird,’ said jack, solemnly. ‘gus, meet kiki. kiki, meet gus!’

kiki held out her left foot as usual, to shake hands. gus looked extremely surprised, but hismanners remained perfect. he held out his hand to kiki’s foot. unfortunately kiki dug her talonsinto his fingers, and he gave a loud yell.

‘what a noise, what a noise!’ said kiki, severely. ‘wipe your feet and blow your nose. fetch thedoctor!’

‘my finger’s blidding,’ said the boy with tears in his voice. ‘it blids, look.’

‘fetch the doctor, polly’s got a cold, fetch the doctor,’ chanted kiki, enjoying herself. the boysuddenly realized that it was the parrot who was talking. he forgot his ‘blidding’ and stared atkiki in amazement.

‘it spiks!’ he announced in awe. ‘it spiks. it spiks words. it sees my blidding finger, and spiks tofetch the doctor. i never haf seen a kiki-bird before.’

‘come along in, and i’ll put a bit of bandage on your finger,’ said mrs cunningham, gettingtired of all this.

‘yes. it blids,’ said gus, mournfully, watching a minute drop of blood fall to the ground. helooked as if he was going to cry. then he said a most extraordinary thing.

‘this bird,’ he said, looking at kiki suddenly, ‘the bird – it must be in a cage. i order it.’

‘don’t be a fathead,’ said jack, after a moment’s silence of astonishment. ‘come on, aunt allie– let’s go indoors. gus might “blid” to death!’

this was a most alarming thought, and gus rushed into the house at once. the others followedslowly. what an extraordinary boy!

‘bit dippy,’ said dinah in a low voice, and they all nodded. bill’s voice hailed them.

‘hey! what about a spot of help with the luggage?’

‘oh, bill. sorry, we weren’t thinking,’ said jack, and ran back at once. ‘gus rather took ourbreath away. what nationality is he?’

‘oh, he’s a bit of a mixture, i think,’ said bill. ‘don’t bother him about his family or his home,or he’ll probably burst into tears. sorry to inflict him on you like this. he’ll be better when he’sshaken down a bit. i believe he got on quite all right at the english school he was at. anyway – i’lltake him off your hands as much as i can, i promise you, as it’s my friend who asked me to keepan eye on him!’

‘we’ll help, bill,’ said lucy-ann. ‘i expect he’s shy. oh dear – i was so afraid he’d kiss myhand! what would the girls at school say?’

‘well, i should hardly think they’d know anything about it,’ said bill. ‘you take that bag, jack –and you that box, philip. well – it’s nice to see you all home again! and kiki, too, you old rascal.

how dare you call me silly-billy?’

‘pop goes billy, pop goes billy!’ screeched kiki in delight, and flew down to his shoulder tonibble his ear. ‘pop-pop-pop!’