10

an urgent call

jack slipped out to make sure that the couple went back to the farm. he came back to report thatthey had and bill held a conference at once. gussy had been hauled with difficulty out of thewardrobe.

he had recognized the woman but not the man. ‘she is madame tatiosa,’ he said. ‘the wife ofthe prime minister. i hate her! she is clever and sharp and cruel.’

‘what – that pretty young woman?!’ said mrs cunningham in astonishment.

‘yes,’ said gussy, nodding his head vigorously. ‘once she was a spy for our country. my uncletold me. a very clever spy. and she married the prime minister, and tells him what to do.’

‘hm,’ said bill. ‘and you didn’t know the man, gussy? not that that matters. you’verecognized one of them and so we know for certain that they’re after you. i almost think we’dbetter clear out. i really don’t know what to do for the best! i think i’d better take you and handyou over to the keepers in the tower of london! you’d at least be safe there!’

‘but you said, bill, that if there were only two of them, the man and the woman, they couldn’tvery well do anything to gussy,’ said jack. ‘why not let one of us keep watch each day to makesure no other car comes down to the farm – or no other visitor? i can easily go and spend the dayat the farm, and watch – and philip can watch the next day.’

‘i think perhaps you’re right,’ said bill, puffing at his pipe. ‘anyway – we’ll stay put for thenext two days, and wait for the enemy to make the next move. there’s no doubt that they thinkgussy’s the boy they want. i expect mrs ellis has described him carefully to them – and he’seasily described!’

‘yes – long hair, for one thing,’ grinned jack. ‘shall i nip along to the farm now, bill, and keepwatch for the rest of the day? i can go and ask for some butter or something, and then hang round,helping with a few jobs. i’d like that, anyway.’

‘right. you go,’ said bill, and jack sped off with kiki on his shoulder. the others got up to gofor a walk, well away from the farm! ‘take your tea,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘nobody will knowwhere you are, if you go off for a walk, so nobody will be able to find you! you should be quitesafe, gussy!’

so gussy, philip and the two girls went off with a picnic basket. they walked for about twomiles and then found a glade that was golden with polished celandines. they sat down, hot withtheir walk.

‘this is heavenly,’ said lucy-ann. ‘i do love celandines. they look as if someone polishedthem every single morning. jolly good workman he must be – he never misses a petal!’

dinah gave a scream. ‘oh – what’s that on your shoulder, philip! oh, it’s a mouse!’

philip’s dormouse had decided that the pocket he lived in was getting too hot for his liking. sohe had squeezed his way out, run up philip’s vest, and appeared through the opening of his collar.

there he was now, sitting up on the boy’s shoulder.

‘oh – a dormouse!’ cried lucy-ann in delight. ‘what’s his name, philip? will he let me holdhim?’

‘his name is snoozy and it suits him,’ said philip. he felt in a pocket and brought out a nut. hegave it to lucy-ann. ‘here, take this, offer it to him on the palm of your hand and he’ll run over toyou.’

lucy-ann balanced the nut on her palm and held it out to the tiny mouse, being careful not tomove too quickly. the dormouse watched her hand coming close to philip’s shoulder, and hiswhiskers quivered as his nose twitched.

‘he can smell the nut,’ said philip. ‘keep quite still, lucy-ann. there he goes! how do you likethe feel of his tiny feet?’

‘oh, lovely!’ said lucy-ann. ‘isn’t he a dear, philip. i wish i had one too.’

‘i’ll try and get you one,’ said philip.

but dinah gave a squeal at once. ‘no! she sleeps with me, and i’m not having mice in thebedroom.’

‘but this is a dormouse, not a housemouse,’ said lucy-ann. ‘it doesn’t smell, or anything. it’sjust perfectly sweet.’

snoozy nibbled daintily at the nut. a bit broke off and he took it into his front paws, sitting upjust like a squirrel. he looked at lucy-ann out of his bright eyes.

‘he’s got such big black eyes that they really are like mirrors,’ she said. ‘i can see my own face,very tiny, in each of them.’

‘can you?’ said gussy, in surprise and put his face close to lucy-ann’s to look into the bigeyes of the dormouse. it fled at once, disappearing down philip’s neck at top speed.

‘you moved too fast, gussy,’ said lucy-ann crossly. ‘you would manage to startle him.’

‘excuse, pliss. i pollygize,’ said gussy. ‘i beg your pardon, lucy-ann.’

‘all right. but i do hope snoozy will come back,’ said lucy-ann, rather cross.

he peered out of philip’s neck once or twice, but he wouldn’t come right out. ‘he’s notabsolutely tame yet,’ explained philip. ‘i’ve not had him long enough. but he soon will be. he’llbe coming out at meal times soon and nibbling his little nut on my bread-plate.’

‘not if i can help it,’ said dinah.

‘don’t be silly,’ said philip. ‘you simply don’t try to like dormice. you . . .’

‘someone coming,’ said lucy-ann, suddenly. her sharp ears had caught the sound of voices.

‘get under the bush, gussy,’ ordered philip. ‘go on, quick!’

gussy vanished at once, and the bush closed over him. it was a pity it was a gorse bush, butgussy didn’t have time to think of prickles.

two men came by, talking in the broad accent of the countryside. one was the man who hadtold philip so much about badgers. he waved to him.

‘it’ll be a good night for badgers tonight!’ he called. ‘moonlight – and that’s what they like.’

‘come out, gus,’ said philip, when the men had passed. ‘false alarm.’

gussy crawled out, scratched on face, hands and knees by the gorse prickles. he was veryfrightened.

‘he blids,’ said dinah unkindly. ‘gus, you are blidding all over.’

‘it’s nothing much,’ said philip, taking out his handkerchief and scrubbing the drops of bloodaway here and there. ‘everyone gets pricked by gorse sooner or later. cheer up, gus. and forgoodness’ sake don’t complain.’

‘i don’t like blidding,’ said poor gussy, in a woebegone voice. ‘it makes me feel sick.’

‘well, be sick then,’ said hard-hearted dinah. ‘but don’t make a fuss .’

gussy made a valiant effort and swallowed hard. he didn’t fuss after all. what a victory!

after they had eaten every crumb of their tea, they decided to go back. philip wanted to have alook at the quarry on the way to see if he thought that badgers might really make that their haunt.

he wandered round the big deserted place, examining the hedges round for signs of a badger’ssett. the girls and gussy ran the few hundred yards that lay between the quarry and the cottage.

lucy-ann thought they ought to, in case any enemy was lying in wait!

‘any news?’ she asked, as they went indoors, panting. ‘has jack come back from the farm yet?’

he hadn’t. nobody had any news at all, it seemed. jack had none either, when he came.

‘not a soul came to the farm,’ he said. ‘and i didn’t even see the man and the woman. theymust have been in their room all the time. once i heard a “ting” – as if somebody was using thetelephone. it might have been them.’

‘can’t tell,’ said bill. ‘well – i seem to have had a lazy day. i’ve got some papers to read andthen i suppose it will be supper time. there’s going to be a fine moon tonight!’

‘just right for badgers,’ philip whispered to jack. ‘like to come out and see if we can find any?’

‘rather,’ said jack. ‘we can slip out when the others are in bed. gussy always sleeps sosoundly, he’ll never hear!’

supper time came. cold ham, a salad, junket and cream. ‘just the right kind of meal,’ saidphilip. ‘why can’t we have this kind of food at school?’

‘don’t let’s start up the subject of school meals again, philip,’ said his mother. ‘you’reyawning. go to bed!’

‘i think i will,’ said philip. ‘coming, jack?’

jack remembered that they had planned an outing in the moonlight, and he nodded. they mightas well get a little sleep first. gussy went up with them. the girls stayed down to finish their booksand then went up too.

‘i’ll set my little alarm clock for eleven,’ said philip to jack, in a low voice, not wanting gussyto hear. ‘i’ll put it under my pillow and it won’t wake anyone but me. gosh, i’m sleepy.’

in ten minutes all the five children were fast asleep. downstairs bill and his wife sat listening tothe radio. ‘we’ll hear the ten o’clock news and then go to bed,’ said bill.

but, just as the ten o’clock news was about to come on, there came a cautious tapping at thefront door. bill stiffened. who was that? he looked at his wife, and she raised her eyebrows. whocould that be at this time of night?

bill went quietly to the door. he didn’t open it, but spoke with his mouth close to the crack.

‘who’s there?’

‘oh, sir, mrs ellis has sent me down to beg you to come up to the farm,’ said an anxious voice.

‘it’s her old aunt. she’s fallen down and broken her hip. can you come? mrs ellis is in such away! she sent me to ask you, because the doctor’s away.’

bill opened the door. he saw a bent figure, wrapped round in a shawl. it must be alice, the oldwoman who helped mrs ellis in the kitchen. ‘come in,’ he said.

‘no, sir, i’ll be getting back,’ said the old woman. ‘you’ll come, won’t you?’

‘yes, we’ll come,’ said bill. he shut the door and went back to tell his wife.

‘it’s a message from mrs ellis about the old aunt. apparently she has fallen and broken herhip,’ he said. ‘will you go, allie? i’ll take you there, of course, and then i must leave you andcome back here, because of gussy. but mr ellis will bring you back, unless you stay for thenight.’

‘yes, i’d better go at once,’ said mrs cunningham. ‘poor mrs ellis! just what she was afraidmight happen!’

she got her things on, and bill and she went out of the door. ‘it’s not worth waking up thechildren and telling them,’ he said. ‘they’re sound asleep. anyway, i’ll be back here in a fewminutes’ time.’

he shut the door quietly, made sure he had the key with him to open it when he came back, andthen set off with his wife. what a wonderful moonlight night! really, he would quite enjoy thewalk!