8

bill explains

there was a dead silence after this dramatic announcement. nobody said a word, not even kiki.

they all stared in astonishment at gus, not knowing whether to believe a word of what he hadsaid.

then his lips began to shake, and he tried to press them together firmly. lucy-ann was sure hewanted to cry again!

‘i have broke my word!’ suddenly wailed gus. ‘i am a prince and i have broke my word!’

a voice came from behind them. it was bill’s.

‘yes, you have broken your word, aloysius gramondie racemolie torquinel. and your uncletold me you would never do that. how am i to keep you safe if you break your word?’

bill came forward, his face stern. everyone stared at him in alarm. whatever was up?

‘bill – he’s not really a prince, is he?’ said jack.

‘believe it or not, he is,’ said bill. ‘his uncle is the king of tauri-hessia.’

‘well! that explains his peculiar behaviour,’ said dinah. ‘his ordering people about – and hishigh and mighty airs – and all his money and boasting.’

‘and his long hair too,’ said bill. ‘the princes in his country never have their hair cut short asours do. they wear it a certain length, as you see. it’s bad luck on him, really, because he getsteased. still, the boys at his school knew who he was and knew he couldn’t help it, and he didn’thave too bad a time.’

there was a pause while the four took a look at prince aloysius. he shook back his hair anddinah groaned.

‘i wish you wouldn’t do that, gussy. i can’t call you ally – ally-something or other. you’llhave to go on being gussy.’

‘oh, he must,’ said bill, at once. ‘i gave him the name of gustavus barmilevo for a specialreason. things – rather serious things – are happening in his country at the moment, and it’sessential that he should go under another name here.’

‘what serious things are happening?’ said jack. ‘revolts or something?’

‘well, i’ll tell you,’ said bill. ‘his uncle is king, and as he has no children, gussy is the heir tothe throne. now there are certain people in tauri-hessia who don’t like his uncle or the firm wayin which he governs the country. incidentally he governs it very well, and our own governmentthinks him a very sound ruler.’

‘i can guess what’s coming,’ said jack. ‘those who don’t like the strong uncle think it would bea good thing to get a weak youngster, who’ll have to do what they tell him, and put him on thethrone. then they can do as they like!’

‘exactly,’ said bill. ‘and so they are on the look-out for gussy here. if they can get hold of himand put him on the throne, he will have to do exactly what he’s told. his uncle will be imprisonedor killed.’

‘and gussy knows all this, does he?’ asked philip.

‘he knows all right!’ said bill. ‘everything was explained to him. he’s fond of his uncle; hedoesn’t want to be used as a kind of pawn by his uncle’s enemies – and so he was put in mykeeping, and told to be merely a foreign schoolboy called gustavus. and here he is.’

‘i have broke my word to you,’ said gussy, sounding very doleful. ‘mr bill, i ask you to pardonme.’

‘well, don’t do it again, that’s all,’ said bill. ‘nobody here is likely to give you away,fortunately – we are all your friends – or would like to be if only you’d behave yourself a bitbetter.’

‘i behave better at once immediately,’ said gussy, emphatically.

‘hm. well, we’ll see,’ said bill, drily. ‘it would help considerably if you could try to behavelike the others so that if any stranger comes hanging round he’ll think you are an ordinaryschoolboy staying with friends. at present i think you’re behaving rather stupidly, not like aprince at all. in fact, if i were a tauri-hessian citizen, i’d be sorry to think i’d have you as kingwhen you grew up.’

‘bill – is it the tauri-hessian government or ours that has asked you to have charge of gussy?’

said dinah.

‘both,’ said bill. ‘it’s important to both governments that there should be a sound, strong rulerin tauri-hessia. i can’t tell you why at present. i think it’s possible that all this will blow over in afew weeks, and then gussy can go back to school in safety. in the meantime, we’ve got to makethe best of all this.’

‘yes. i see everything now,’ said dinah. ‘you should have told us at first. bill. we’d haveunderstood better.’

‘i had orders not to say a word except to your mother,’ said bill. ‘she had to be in on this, ofcourse. i took this cottage because it was well hidden and nobody would guess that gussy wouldbe here. and i thought if you all came too, he would be even better hidden – hidden in the midst ofyou, one of many, so to speak.’

‘you’re clever, bill,’ said lucy-ann, slipping her hand in his. ‘we’ll look after gussy. wewon’t let him out of our sight. gussy, we’re your friends.’

‘i thank you,’ said gussy, with a funny little bow. ‘it is an honour.’

‘that’s the way to talk,’ said bill, and gave him a clap on the back. ‘now then, everyone –you’ve got to forget all about aloysius gramondie and tauri-hessia. got that?’

‘yes, bill,’ said everyone. they looked rather solemn. it was peculiar to have serious andunusual problems suddenly presented to them candidly in the middle of a game of racing demon.

the ordinary and the extraordinary didn’t really mix. they turned with relief to their game again,as bill went out of the room to find his wife and tell her what had happened.

‘look what kiki’s been doing while we’ve been talking!’ said jack, in exasperation. ‘mixing upall the cards. put down the ones you’re holding, kiki!’

‘she’s been playing a quiet little game by herself,’ said lucy-ann, with a laugh. ‘and she’sholding two cards in her foot eactly as if she was waiting for her turn to go. put them down, kiki.’

‘one, two, three, six, eight, four, one,’ said kiki, getting her numbers muddled up as usual.

‘three, four, buckle my shoe.’

‘one, two, buckle my shoe,’ said lucy-ann. ‘your memory’s going, kiki!’

kiki gave a hiccup, as she often did when she thought she had made a mistake.

‘enough, kiki,’ said jack. ‘anyone want another game?’

nobody really felt like one after all the revelations bill had made. they didn’t like to discussthem in front of gussy, though they were longing to talk about them.

mrs cunningham put her head in at the door. ‘bill’s going up to the farm for milk. anyonewant to go with him? not gussy, he says.’

‘i’ll go,’ said lucy-ann, scrambling up. ‘i’d like a walk. you boys stay with aunt allie, andlook after her.’

‘right,’ said jack, thinking it was just as well to do so, with prospective kidnappers andrevolutionaries about, even although they might be as far away as tauri-hessia.

‘i’ll stay behind too,’ said dinah. ‘i’ve got a blister on my foot.’

so lucy-ann went off happily with bill. she liked getting him alone. he was always jolly andfull of fun when they were all together, but lucy-ann thought he was even nicer alone. sheslipped her hand through his arm, and they walked off in the dusk together.

‘in case you want to say anything about gussy, i’ll just warn you not to,’ said bill, in a lowvoice. ‘i don’t want the slightest suspicions to get about that he’s not all he seems. it would be avery serious thing for him if he were forced to be king at his age.’

‘i won’t say anything,’ said lucy-ann in a whisper. ‘let’s talk about jack.’

‘you’re always ready to talk about jack, aren’t you?’ said bill, amused. ‘well, i must say thatjack has got something i’d dearly like to have myself.’

‘what’s that? kiki?’ asked lucy-ann.

‘no – a very nice little sister,’ said bill. ‘it’s good to see a brother and sister so fond of oneanother.’

‘well, our mother and father died when we were very young,’ said lucy-ann, ‘so we only hadeach other. but now we’ve got you and aunt allie, and we’ve got philip and dinah as well. we’relucky!’

‘i’m lucky too,’ said bill. ‘a nice ready-made family for me! hark at the owls hooting round.

what a collection of hoots!’

‘that was the little owl,’ said lucy-ann, who had been well trained in bird calls by jack. ‘that“tvit-tvit-tvit” noise. and that lovely long quavering hoot is the tawny owl.’

‘and what in the world is that?’ said bill, suddenly startled by a loud screech near his head.

lucy-ann laughed.

‘the screech owl – the old barn owl!’ she said. ‘he does that to frighten the mice and the rats.’

‘well, he scared me too,’ said bill. ‘ah – is that the farmhouse looming up? it is. you come inwith me, lucy-ann, and don’t be surprised at my conversation with mrs ellis!’

they knocked at the door and went into the big, cosy kitchen. although it was a warm nightthere was a fire in the chimney corner, and old aunt naomi sat there, knitting, huddled up in ashawl.

mrs ellis hurried to meet them. ‘well, it’s good to see you! and how are you getting on?

settled in nicely? that’s right. now, what can i do for you? sit you down, do!’

they sat down. lucy-ann found a rocking chair and began to rock to and fro. a big tabby cameand jumped into her lap, settled down and went to sleep. lucy-ann felt quite honoured.

mrs ellis brought her a piece of cake, and she nibbled at it and listened lazily to bill. he gavemrs ellis all the news first. then he went on to talk about quarry cottage.

‘it’s a lovely, peaceful spot,’ he said. ‘i shouldn’t think strangers ever come along here, do they,mrs ellis? except people like ourselves who want to stay for a bit.’

‘now, it’s funny you should say that,’ said mrs ellis, ‘because two strangers came to ourfarmhouse this very afternoon – in a lovely black car. rather like yours, mr cunningham.’

‘i suppose they lost their way,’ said bill. although he spoke in his ordinary voice lucy-annknew that he had pricked up his ears at once.

‘no, they hadn’t lost their way,’ said mrs ellis. ‘they’d been hunting round for a nicefarmhouse to stay in for a few days – the man’s wife has been ill, and simply longed to be in aquiet farmhouse, with good food. somebody told him of our farm, and they came to enquire.’

‘i see,’ said bill. ‘and – er – did you say you would take them, mrs ellis?’

‘i did,’ said mrs ellis, ‘though my husband scolded me for it. he says my kind heart runs awaywith me! they’re coming tomorrow. they said their name was jones – but it’s my belief they’reforeigners!’

‘foreigners,’ said bill, slowly. ‘yes – i had an idea you were going to say that!’