9

an afternoon out

lucy-ann stopped rocking the chair, and her heart sank into her shoes. foreigners! did that meanthey were from tauri-hessia, or whatever the country was – and had they tracked down gussy?

oh dear – surely, surely another adventure wasn’t beginning! this had seemed as if it would besuch a nice peaceful holiday.

‘blow!’ whispered lucy-ann to the cat on her knee. ‘blow gussy! blow his uncle!’

bill asked a few more cautious questions, but mrs ellis had nothing else to tell him of anyinterest. he got up, took the milk she had brought him from the dairy, and paid her. he thankedher, said good night, and out he and lucy-ann went, into the starry night.

‘i fear – i very much fear – that somebody is on gussy’s track,’ said bill, in a half-whisper asthey went along together. ‘now, how could they have guessed he was with us? it’s a pity he’s sostriking-looking, and so easily recognizable. i suppose someone must have spotted him with me,made enquiries about me – and as soon as they knew who i was, the rest would be easy. hm! idon’t like it very much.’

‘will you and gussy have to disappear from here?’ whispered lucy-ann, so softly that billcould hardly hear. ‘please don’t go away, bill.’

‘i’ll have to discuss things with your aunt,’ said bill. ‘don’t say a word to gussy. he’ll get thewind up properly, if i know anything about him. and on no account must any of you leave himalone anywhere – always keep him in your midst.’

‘yes, bill,’ said lucy-ann. ‘oh dear – i do wish those people weren’t going to the farm. bill,they might be ordinary people, mightn’t they? they haven’t got to be enemies, have they?’

bill squeezed lucy-ann’s hand. ‘no. i may be wrong. but i get hunches about these things,lucy-ann. and i’ve got a hunch this very minute. you needn’t worry. i shan’t let anythinghappen.’

‘well – so long as you’re with us,’ said lucy-ann. ‘but please don’t go away, bill.’

‘i won’t,’ said bill. ‘not unless i take gussy with me, which would really be the safest thing todo.’

they reached quarry cottage, and went in. gussy and dinah had gone to bed. aunt allie andthe boys were still up, reading.

bill put the milk in the larder and came back. he sat down and told the three of them what mrsellis had said. mrs cunningham looked grave.

‘how did they know he was down here?’ she wondered. ‘oh, bill – what shall we do now?

shall we leave here at once – all of us?’

‘no. that would tell the enemy too much,’ said bill. ‘i don’t see that two people – a man and awoman – can do very much by themselves – i mean they can’t fall on us and wrest gussy awayfrom our midst! as long as there are only the two of them we haven’t much to fear – and mrs elliswill soon tell us if any more arrive. one of the boys can go up each day for milk, and get the latestnews.’

‘right. we’ll go on as we are then,’ said his wife, and lucy-ann heaved a sigh of relief. ‘you’lltell gussy of course, bill – put him on his guard? he’s got to be very sensible now – keep with usall, not wander away – and i’m afraid the boys must fasten their window at night.’

‘blow!’ said jack, who hated a shut window at night. ‘kiki’s enough of a sentinel, aunt allie.

she would screech the place down if anyone came.’

‘i’d feel safer with your window shut,’ said his aunt. ‘i think kiki would screech. still – i don’twant to run any risks.’

gussy was told the next morning, and so was dinah. philip was posted up by the farm to watchthe new people arrive. they came in the same black car that philip had seen through his fieldglasses the day before. it was long and low and large – and very expensive-looking.

‘a daimler,’ said philip. ‘i bet that can get along! now – can i spot what the visitors are like?’

there were two. one was a spruce, tall, lean man, wearing a very well cut suit, an eyeglass inone eye, and hair smoothly brushed back. the other was a woman – pretty, young and with a veryforeign voice. the man spoke english well, but he was obviously a foreigner too.

he handed the woman out very carefully indeed. then she leaned on his arm as they walked upthe path to the farmhouse door. they went very slowly.

‘either she’s been ill or she’s pretending to be,’ thought philip. ‘i’d better go back and tell bill –and gussy too. he may recognize them from my description.’

but gussy didn’t. he shook his head. ‘no, i don’t know them.’

‘i wouldn’t be surprised if they come along here sometime today,’ said bill. ‘just to have asnoop round. i feel sure they know i’m at this cottage – and that gussy may be with you all onholiday!’

bill was right. that afternoon, while jack was bird-watching near the house, he heard the soundof voices. he peeped through the bushes. it must be the visitors from the farm! the man had aneyeglass in his eye, as philip had described – and the woman was walking slowly, leaning on hisarm.

jack sped indoors by the back way. ‘bill! he called. ‘they’re coming. where’s gussy? hecould peep at them as they go by and see if he knows them!’

gussy ran to a front window and hid behind the curtain, waiting. but the couple from the farmdidn’t go by! they turned in at the front gate and came right up to the cottage door. a sharp soundcame on the afternoon air.

rat-a-tatta- tat !

mrs cunningham jumped. she was having a rest on her bed. bill opened the door and went in.

‘allie! it’s the couple from the farm. what nerve to come right to the house! they obviouslydon’t think that we suspect anything at all. will you go down and open the door? i shan’t appear –and gussy mustn’t either. the others can, of course.’

bill went to tell gussy to keep out of the way and mrs cunningham ran down the stairs to thefront door, patting her hair tidy. she opened it.

two people stood on the step, a man and a woman. the man raised his hat politely.

‘forgive this sudden visit,’ he said, ‘but my wife and i were taking a short walk, and she hasbegun to feel faint. a cup of water would help her, i think – if you would be so kind?’

‘oh – do come in,’ said mrs cunningham, hoping that gussy wouldn’t come running down thestairs. ‘i’ll get some water.’

she took them into the little sitting-room. the woman sank down into a chair and closed hereyes.

‘my wife has been ill,’ said the man. ‘i have brought her down to the farm for a few days –good air, and good food, you know – better than any hotel! but i should not have taken her so faron her first day.’

‘i’m so sorry,’ said mrs cunningham, playing her part as best she could. ‘dinah! where areyou? get a jug of water and a glass, will you, dear?’

dinah sped to the kitchen, and came back with a glass jug of ice-cold water, and a glass on alittle tray. she put them down on the table and looked curiously at the couple. they looked back ather.

‘and is this your daughter?’ said the woman. ‘what a nice child! have you any other children?’

‘oh yes,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘another of my own and two adopted ones. fetch them,dinah.’

dinah went to fetch the others. they came in politely, lucy-ann, philip and jack. the womanscreamed when she saw kiki on jack’s shoulder.

‘a parrot! don’t let it come near me, i beg of you!’

‘wipe your feet,’ ordered kiki. ‘shut the door. grrrrrrrrr!’

the woman gave an exclamation in a foreign language, and said something to the man. helaughed.

‘my wife says that people who come to visit you should have good manners, or your parrot willsoon teach them,’ he said. ‘so these are your four children. but have you not a fifth?’

‘no,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘only these four belong to me.’

‘i thought mrs ellis said there was another little boy,’ said the woman, sipping the water.

mrs cunningham reached for the jug and refilled the woman’s glass, hoping that she would notpursue the subject of the ‘other little boy’. but the woman persisted.

‘perhaps you have a little boy staying with you?’ she said, sweetly, smiling at mrs cunningham.

‘oh, i expect mrs ellis means gussy,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘little gussy is staying for awhile – till his family can take him home.’

‘and may we not see the little gussy?’ said the woman. ‘i love children. do not leave this littlegussy out.’

‘anyone know where he is?’ said mrs cunningham, in a voice that made the four children quitecertain that she didn’t want them to know. they didn’t know, anyway! gussy was at that momentin the wardrobe upstairs, where he had put himself straight away at the first sound of the knock onthe door. bill had thought he might as well stay there!

‘i’ve no idea where gus is,’ said jack. ‘doing something on his own, i expect. do you knowwhere he is, philip?’

‘no idea,’ said philip. ‘messing about somewhere, probably out in the woods.’

‘ah – he likes to wander about, does he?’ said the man. ‘well – we may see him when we goback to the farm. thank you, madam, for being so kind to my wife. may i please give your fournice children something to buy ice creams with? and here is something for the little missinggussy also.’

to the children’s surprise he put down a five- pound note on the table in front of mrscunningham. she pushed it back at once, quite horrified.

‘oh no – please! i couldn’t hear of it. we only got you a glass of water. no, no – take this back.

i couldn’t possibly allow the children to have it.’

the man looked surprised and rather uncomfortable. he put the note back in his pocket. ‘just asyou please,’ he said. ‘in my country it is only a courtesy to return a kindness.’

‘what is your country, sir?’ asked jack, at once. ‘aha!’ he thought. ‘now we’ll bring you outinto the open.’

the man hesitated, and the woman gave him a quick glance. ‘my country – oh, i come fromitaly,’ he said. ‘a beautiful land. come, my dear, we must go.’

he took his wife’s arm and led her to the door, his eyes searching everywhere for the missinggussy. he bowed to mrs cunningham and went down the path.

she called a sentence after him, and he turned. ‘what do you say?’ he said. ‘i didn’tunderstand.’

mrs cunningham repeated it. he looked puzzled, bowed again, and went out of the gate. hedisappeared with his wife up the lane.

‘well, he’s not from italy!’ said mrs cunningham. ‘i called out to him in italian to say that hewas to give my best wishes to mrs ellis – and he didn’t understand a word!’