7

a surprising announcement

philip and jack were more interested in the car, after bill’s remarks. they took it in turns to keepan eye on it, but it simply stayed where it was for twenty minutes, and then went away, taking thesame route as it came.

‘it’s gone, bill,’ said philip. ‘i expect it was only some visitor. i say, look at gussy! his mouthis wide open. let’s put something into it.’

‘let sleeping donkeys lie!’ said jack. ‘and don’t put ideas into kiki’s head! she’ll hunt aroundfor something now to pop into gussy’s mouth.’

philip looked round at everyone. only bill and jack were awake besides himself. he put hishand into his pocket and brought out something – something small and brown and pretty. it sat upon his hand.

‘i say! you’ve got a dormouse! what a pet! said jack. ‘don’t let dinah see it – she’ll have a fit.’

‘i got it on the way here,’ said philip. ‘i saw it sitting on a branch and it let me pick it up.’

‘it would!’ said jack, enviously. ‘you’ve got some magic about you, philip. i’ve never seen ananimal yet that didn’t come under your spell. isn’t he a pretty little fellow?’

‘i’ve called him snoozy,’ said philip, stroking the tiny creature, whose large black eyes shonelike mirrors in his head. ‘dormice are very dozy, snoozy things. i must remember to buy somenuts from the grocer’s next time we go to the village. snoozy will like those. we won’t tell dinah.

he’ll live comfortably in my pocket. i’ve had dormice before – they’re very tame.’

‘how nice to keep putting your hand in your pocket and feeling a furry dormouse there!’ saidjack. ‘hallo – do i hear voices?’

the boys looked in the direction of the voices. they saw two men, obviously farm labourers,taking a path near the foot of the hill, talking together.

‘i think i’ll just scoot down and ask them if they know anything about badgers here,’ saidphilip. ‘coming, jack?’

the two boys ran down the hill. the men heard them coming and looked round. ‘goodafternoon,’ panted philip. ‘do you mind if i ask you a question or two? it’s about badgers.’

‘badgers – what may they be?’ said the younger man.

‘eee, man – you know badgers,’ said the older man. ‘brocks, they be.’

‘oh, the brocks,’ said the younger fellow. ‘no, i don’t know nothing about them. never seedone in my life.’

‘that’s a-cause you sleeps in your bed every night!’ said the other man, with a laugh. ‘brock,he comes out at night. i sees him many a time.’

‘you’re an old poacher, you are, jeb,’ said the younger man. ‘out at nights when honest folkare asleep. that’s how you see the brocks!’

‘maybe, maybe,’ said the older man, with a twinkle in his bright eyes. he turned to the boys.

‘what are you wanting to know about the brocks?’ he said.

‘well – i’d like to watch them,’ said philip at once. ‘i’m keen on wild creatures – all kinds. i’venot had much chance of seeing badgers, though. where can i see them around here? we’re atquarry cottage.’

‘ah, so that’s where you be,’ said the old man. ‘then you’ll find old brock not far away fromyou, little master. you may see him in the woods on the east side of the cottage – that’s the mostlikely place – or you may see him down in the old quarry. i saw a badger’s sett there – his den,you know – last year. i knew he had his hole down there by the big pile of earth he’d taken out ofit.’

‘yes – that’s right. he always does that,’ said philip, wishing he could get to know this oldfellow. he felt sure that he would be able to tell him many tales. ‘well, thanks very much. we’llwatch in both places.’

‘there’s owls in the quarry too,’ said the old man. ‘little owls, and barn owls and tawnies.

they go there for the rats and mice. i’ve heard them – the barn owls – screeching their heads off.

frighten the life out of you, they do!’

‘i know,’ said jack, making up his mind at once that he would go and watch in the quarry. heliked owls very much. perhaps he could get a young one and tame it. but he’d have to be carefulnot to let it see snoozy the dormouse. that would be the end of snoozy!

the boys walked off together, exploring the cone-shaped hill. a shout from above attracted theirattention.

‘jack! philip! we’re going back in a minute. are you coming with us, or do you want to followsometime later?’

‘we’ll come now,’ shouted jack, and he and philip began to climb up towards the others. theyfound gussy awake but scowling. he spat something out of his mouth as they came up.

‘manners, manners!’ said jack, reprovingly.

‘he says somebody popped bits of grass into his mouth,’ said dinah, with a giggle. ‘so hekeeps on spitting them out. did you put them in, jack?’

‘no,’ said jack. ‘and philip didn’t either.’

‘there you are!’ said dinah, triumphantly, turning to the angry gussy. ‘nobody put anything inyour mouth when you were asleep. you’re just making it all up. i bet you chewed a bit of grassyourself.’

‘i did not,’ said gussy. ‘it was a wicket thing to do. it nearly chocked me. i was chocked.’

‘choked, you mean,’ said lucy-ann. ‘well, it’s a mystery. nobody did it – and yet you werenearly “chocked” with grass. don’t spit any more. you can’t have any left in your mouth now.’

jack and philip threw a quick look at one another. they knew quite well who had played thistrick on poor gussy. gussy saw the look and rounded on them. ‘you know who did it! i saw youlook!’

‘all right. we know who did it,’ said jack. ‘a jolly good trick too. we thought of doing itourselves, you looked so silly with your mouth wide open, snoring.’

‘i do not snore,’ said gussy. ‘and tell me who did it.’

‘come on,’ said bill. ‘i expect it was old kiki. she’s done it before – to me! can’t you see ajoke, gus?’

gus suddenly exploded into his own language. he stood there, shaking his long hair back, hisface scarlet, and a string of incomprehensible words coming from his mouth. nobody understooda thing.

kiki was intensely interested with this string of words she didn’t understand. she sat herself onjack’s shoulder, near to the angry gus, and listened intently. when he stopped for breath, shecontinued on her own.

‘gibberollydockeryblowykettlefussy-gussy,’ she began, and poured out strings of nonsense intowhich she wove many of the words she knew, mixed up with ones she didn’t! everyone roared. itsounded exactly as if kiki was talking to gus in his own language.

gus was silenced. he stared at kiki, amazed. ‘does she spik english now?’ he demanded.

‘what does she spik?’

‘she’s spikking a lot of nonsense, bad bird!’ said jack. ‘be quiet, kiki. don’t show off!’

bill and mrs cunningham had already set off down the hill. the girls followed, giggling. guswas annoying but he really did provide them with a lot of amusement.

gus followed them at last, shaking back his long hair defiantly. he spat now and again as if hestill had grass in his mouth, and kiki copied him with joy, going off into cackles of laughter everynow and again.

it was about half-past five when they got back to quarry cottage. ‘if any of you want tea afterthat enormous lunch, will you please get yourself a glass of milk, and some biscuits?’ said mrscunningham. ‘or a bit of fruit cake if you feel real pangs of hunger?’

all the five children apparently felt real pangs, for they raided the larder and reduced thefruitcake to a mere fragment of itself. they also drank all the milk, much to mrs cunningham’sdismay.

‘now we’ve none for your cocoa tonight or for breakfast tomorrow!’ she said.

‘i’ll get some at the farm when i slip up this evening,’ said bill. ‘it will be a good excuse to goup and ask a few questions.’

‘any mystery on?’ enquired dinah. ‘i’m never sure about you, bill! even in the middle of aholiday i always wonder if you’ve got a hush-hush job on as well.’

‘mystery or not, bill always keeps his eyes open!’ said philip. ‘it’s part of your job, isn’t it,bill?’

‘let’s play a game,’ said dinah. ‘where are the cards? let’s play racing demon. do you playit, gus?’

‘i play it,’ said gus. ‘i played it at school last term. i am good with this game. very good. i goas fast as this.’

he pretended to be putting cards down, and was so vigorous that his hair fell over his eyes. hepushed it back. he was always doing that, and it got on dinah’s nerves.

‘your long hair!’ she said. ‘it’s always in the way.’

‘now don’t start anything,’ said jack. ‘a spark is enough to set him off. talk about beingtouchy! don’t glare like that, gus, you make me shake at the knees!’

‘poof!’ said gus, rudely.

‘poof!’ said kiki at once. ‘poof, poof, poof!’

‘that’ll do,’ said jack. ‘one poofer is quite enough in the family. got the cards, di? oh, good!’

they were soon sitting in a ring on the floor, playing racing demon. kiki couldn’t understandthe game at all and wandered off into a corner because jack wouldn’t let her pick up any of thecards.

‘poof!’ they heard her say to herself quietly. ‘poof!’

surprisingly enough gussy was good at racing demon. he was very deft with his cards, andvery sharp to see which pile he could put them on. he got very excited, and panted loudly. hishair fell over his eyes, and he pushed it back. jack calmly put a card on a pile that gus was justabout to put one on, and gus exclaimed in annoyance.

‘i was going to put mine there – but my hair fell over me!’

‘why do you have hair like that then?’ said dinah. ‘it’s really very long. why don’t you get itcut?’

‘yes, that’s a good idea,’ said philip, putting a card down. ‘we’ll go into the village tomorrowand see if there’s a barber. he’ll cut it shorter for you, gus. you’ll get a crick in your neck, tossingyour hair about like that!’

‘yes. good idea! we’ll have it cut tomorrow,’ said jack, grinning at gus.

gus surprised them. he flung down his cards, stood up, and went scarlet in the face. ‘short hairis for boys like you,’ he said, scornfully. ‘it is not for me. never must i have my hair short. in mycountry always it is the custom for such boys as me to wear their hair long!’

‘such boys as you!’ echoed jack. ‘what do you mean? you’ve got a very high opinion ofyourself, my lad. you may come from a rich family, but you act like royalty, and it won’t do.

you’re not a prince, so don’t try and act like one. it only makes you ridiculous.’

gus drew himself up to his last inch. he threw back his hair once more. ‘i am a prince!’ he said,dramatically. ‘i am the prince aloysius gramondie racemolie torquinel of tauri-hessia!’