chapter 16 aggie - and hunchy

'i feel as if i want some exercise,' said george, when aggie had gone. 'let's explore the grounds.

you never know what we might find!'

they got up, glad of something to do to take their minds off their surprising problems. really, whowould have thought yesterday, when they were happily cycling along sunny country roads, 69that they would be held prisoner like this today? you just never knew what would happen. it madelife exciting, of course - but it did spoil a cycling tour!

they found absolutely nothing of interest in the grounds except a couple of cows, a large number ofhens, and a brood of young ducklings. evidently even the milkman didn't need to call at owl's dene!

it was quite self-contained.

'i expect that black bentley goes down each day to some town or other, to collect letters, and to buymeat, or fish,' said george. 'otherwise owl's dene could keep itself going for months on end ifnecessary without any contact with the outside world. i expect they've got stacks and stacks of tinnedfood.'

'it's weird to find a place like this, tucked away on a deserted hill, forgotten by everyone -guarding goodness knows what secrets,' said dick. 'i'd love to know who that man was you saw in thesecret room, julian - the snorer!'

'someone who doesn't want to be seen even by hunchy or aggie,' said julian. 'someone the policewould dearly love to see, i expect!'

'i wish we could get out of here,' said george, longingly. 'i hate the place. it's got such a nasty"feel" about it. and i hate the thought of somebody trying to poison timmy.'

'don't worry - he won't be poisoned,' said dick. 'we won't let him be. he can have half our food, can'tyou, timmy, old fellow?'

timmy agreed. he woofed and wagged his tail. he wouldn't leave george's side that morning, butstuck to her like a leech.

'well, we've been all round the grounds and there's nothing much to see,' said julian, when they hadcome back near the house. 'i suppose hunchy sees to the milking and feeds the poultry and brings inthe vegetables. aggie has to manage the house. i say - look - there's hunchy now. he's putting downfood for timmy!

hunchy was making signs to them. 'here's the dog's dinner!' he yelled.

'don't say a word, george,' said julian in a low voice. 'we'll pretend to let timmy eat it, but we'llreally throw it away somewhere - and he'll be frightfully astonished when timmy is still all-alive-otomorrow morning!'

hunchy disappeared in the direction of the cow-shed, carrying a pail. anne gave a little giggle.

'i know what we'll pretend! we'll pretend that timmy ate half and didn't like the rest - so we gave itto the hens and ducks!'

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'and hunchy will be frightfully upset because he'll think they'll die and he'll get into a row,' saidgeorge. 'serve him right! come on - let's get the food now.'

she ran to pick up the big bowl of food. timmy sniffed at it and turned away. it was obvious that hewouldn't have fancied it much even if george had allowed him to have it. timmy was a very sensibledog.

'quick, get that spade, ju, and dig a hole before hunchy comes back,' said george, and julian set towork grinning. it didn't take him more than a minute to dig a large hole in the soft earth of a bed.

george emptied all the food into the hole, wiped the bowl round with a handful of leaves andwatched julian filling in the earth. now no animals could get at the poisoned food.

'let's go to the hen-run now, and when we see hunchy we'll wave to him,' said julian. 'he'll ask uswhat we've been doing. come on. he deserves to have a shock.'

they went to the hen-house, and stood looking through the wire surrounding the hen-run. as hunchycame along they turned and waved to him. george pretended to scrape some scraps out of the dog'sbowl into the run. hunchy stared hard. then he ran towards her, shouting.

'don't do that, don't do that!'

'what's the matter?' asked george, innocently, pretending to push some scraps through the wire.

'can't i give the hens some scraps?'

'is that the bowl i put the dog's food down in?' asked hunchy, sharply.

'yes,' said george.

'and he didn't eat all the food - so you're giving it to my hens!' shouted hunchy in a rage, andsnatched the bowl out of george's hands. she pretended to be very angry.

'don't! why shouldn't your hens have scraps from the dog's bowl? the food you gave timmy lookedvery nice - can't the hens have some?'

hunchy looked into the hen-run with a groan. the hens were pecking about near the children for allthe world as if they were eating something just thrown to them. hunchy felt sure they would all bedead by the next day - and then, what trouble he would get into!

he glared at george. 'idiot of a boy! giving my hens that food! you deserve a good whipping.'

he thought george was a boy, of course. the others looked on with interest. it served hunchy rightto get into a panic over his hens, after trying to poison dear old timmy.

hunchy didn't seem to know what to do. eventually he took a stiff brush from a nearby shed andwent into the hen-run. he had evidently decided to sweep the whole place in case any poisoned 71bits of food were still left about. he swept laboriously and the children watched him, pleased that heshould punish himself in this way.

'i've never seen anyone bother to sweep a hen-run before,' said dick, in a loud and interested voice.

'nor have i,' said george at once. 'he must be very anxious to bring his hens up properly.'

'it's jolly hard work, i should think,' said julian. 'glad i haven't got to do it. pity to sweep up all thebits of food, though. an awful waste.'

everyone agreed heartily to this.

'funny he should be so upset about my giving the hens any scraps of the food he put down fortimmy,' said george. 'i mean - it seems a bit suspicious.'

'it does rather,' agreed dick. 'but then perhaps he's a suspicious character.'

hunchy could hear all this quite plainly. the children meant him to, of course. he stopped hissweeping and scowled evilly at them.

'clear off, you little pests,' he said, and raised his broom as if to rush at the children with it.

'he looks like an angry hen,' said anne, joining in.

'he's just going to cluck,' put in richard, and the others laughed. hunchy ran to open the gate of thehen-run, red with anger.

'of course - it's just struck me - he might have put poison into timmy's bowl of food,' said julian,loudly. 'that's why he's so upset about his hens. dear, dear - how true the old proverb is -he that digs a pit shall fall into it himself!'

the mention of poison stopped hunchy's rush at once. he flung the broom into the shed, and madeoff for the house without another word.

'well - we gave him a bit more than he bargained for,' said julian.

'and you needn't worry, hens,' said anne, putting her face to the wire-netting of the run. 'you're notpoisoned - and we wouldn't dream of harming you!'

'aggie's calling us,' said richard. 'look - perhaps she's got some food for us.'

'i hope so,' said dick. 'i'm getting very hungry. it's funny that grown-ups never seem to get as hungryas children. i do pity them.'

'why? do you like being hungry?' said anne as they walked over to the house.

'yes, if i know there's a good meal in the offing,' said dick. 'otherwise it wouldn't be at all funny. ohgoodness - is this all that aggie has provided?'

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on the window-sill was a loaf of stale-looking bread and a piece of very hard yellow cheese.

nothing else at all. hunchy was there, grinning.

'aggie says that's your dinner,' he said, and sat himself down at the table to spoon out enormoushelpings of a very savoury stew.

'a little revenge for our behaviour by the hen-run,' murmured julian softly. 'well, well - i thoughtbetter than this of aggie. i wonder where she is.'

she came out of the kitchen door at that moment, carrying a washing-basket that appeared to be fullof clothes. 'i'll just hang these out, hunchy, and i'll be back,' she called to him. she turned to thechildren and gave them a broad wink.

'there's your dinner on the window-sill,' she said. 'get it and take it somewhere to eat. hunchy andme don't want you round the kitchen.'

she suddenly smiled and nodded her head down towards the washing- basket. the childrenunderstood immediately. their real dinner was in there!

they snatched the bread and cheese from the sill and followed her. she set down the basket under atree, where it was well-hidden from the house. a clothes-line stretched there. 'i'll be out afterwards tohang my washing,' she said, and with another smile that changed her whole face, she went back to thehouse.

'good old aggie,' said julian, lifting up the top cloth in the basket. 'my word - just look here!'