chapter 22 'these kids sure are wunnerful!'

what shrieks and shouts there were from joan and anne when the four arrived at kirrin cottage atlast, at half past three in the morning! joan was awake, but anne had just gone to sleep. she wassleeping in joan's room for company and sally was there too.

the stories had to be told again and again. first dick, then julian, then george, then jo - they alltalked without stopping, excited and happy. sally ran from one to the other, and followed timmyabout - but sometimes her little stiff tail drooped when she remembered that berta was not there.

'i say,' said dick, suddenly drawing back the sitting-room curtains - it's daylight! the sun's up!

and all the time i've been thinking it was still night!'

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'no use going to bed, then,' said jo, at once. she was so much enjoying this that she felt as if shenever wanted it to stop!

'well, i suppose it isn't,' said joan. 'i know what we'll do - we'll have a big breakfast now, a very bigone to celebrate - and then we'll all go back to bed and sleep till lunchtime. we're tired out really -just look at our black-rimmed eyes and pale cheeks!'

'joan! we're all as sunburnt as can be, you're just making that up!' said george. 'come on - let's getthis celebration breakfast going! bacon - eggs - tomatoes - fried bread. oh, and mushrooms too -have you any mushrooms, joan? and lots and lots of hot coffee, and toast and marmalade.

i'm ravenous.'

they discovered that they all were, and twenty minutes later they sat at the table tucking in as if theyhad eaten nothing for a month.

'i can't eat a thing more,' said dick, 'and i don't know what's happening to my eyes - they keepclosing!'

'so do mine,' said george, with an enormous yawn. 'joan - don't say we've got to do the washing-up,will you?'

'of course not!' said joan. 'go on up to your beds now - don't even bother to undress.'

'i feel as if there's something i ought to do - but i can't remember it,' said julian, sleepily, staggeringupstairs. 'i - just - can't remember!'

he flopped on his bed and was asleep as soon as his head fell on the pillow. in two minutes everyonebut joan was asleep too. joan stopped to give timmy a drink, and then he bounded up to george andcurled up in the crook of her knees as usual.

joan went to lie down too, thinking she would just have a rest, but not go to sleep. but in half asecond she slept too.

the sun rose higher in the sky. the milkman came whistling up the path and left four bottles of milkon the step. the gulls in the bay circled and soared and called loudly. but nobody stirred in kirrincottage.

a car came up to the front gate, and another one followed. out of the first stepped uncle quentin,aunt fanny, mr. elbur wright - and berta! out of the second car stepped the sergeant and hisconstable.

berta flew to the front door, but it was shut. she raced round to the garden door. that was locked too- and so was the kitchen door!

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'pops! we'll have to ring - all the doors are locked!' she called. and then, from up above came asound of excited barking, and sally's head appeared at a bedroom window. when she saw it reallywas berta down below, she tore down the stairs and scraped at the front door.

'what's happened? where is everyone?' said aunt fanny in amazement. 'all the doors locked?

but it's ten o'clock in the morning. where are the children?'

'i've got my key,' said uncle quentin, and he put it into the front door lock. he opened the door andsally leapt straight into berta's arms, licking her face from forehead to chin!

aunt fanny went into the hall and called, 'anyone at home?'

no answer. timmy heard her call, but as george did not stir, he didn't either. he was not going toleave george for a minute, not even to go downstairs!

aunt fanny walked into all the rooms on the ground floor. nobody there! she marvelled at theremains of the meal spread all over the dining-room table, and even more at the dirty pans and dishesin the kitchen. what was joan thinking of? where was everybody? she did not expect george to bethere, because she knew george had been kidnapped - but where in the world were all the others?

she went upstairs and her husband followed with berta and her father. they were all feeling mostastonished now. they went into julian's room - good gracious he was there, then! and dick too -lying choppily on their beds, absolutely sound asleep! aunt fanny couldn't understand it.

and then she went into the girls' room - and there was anne fast asleep too - and goodgracious, could that be george? but surely george was kidnapped - then how - why -where...

her mother suddenly put her arms round the sleeping george and kissed her and hugged her. she hadworried so much about her - and now here she was, safe and sound after all!

george awoke at once. she sat up and gazed at her mother and father in astonishment.

'oh - you're back! oh, how lovely! when did you come?'

'just now,' said her mother. 'but george - why is everyone asleep - and how did you get here -we thought you were...'

'oh, mother - yes, of course you don't know half the story, do you?' said george. 'gosh, there's bertahere too - and your pops, berta! hallo, everyone.'

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she was still so sleepy that she was not quite sure whether this was a dream or not. but then annewoke up and squealed, and that woke julian and dick. they came into the very crowded bedroom,and soon there was such a noise that joan and jo, in the room above, awoke too.

down they came, looking very dishevelled, joan full of apologies. she rushed downstairs to put somecoffee on and bumped into the two policemen in the hall. she screamed.

'excuse me, miss,' said the sergeant to joan. 'isn't anyone ever coming down again? we're supposedto be guarding miss berta.'

'oh my - you don't need to do that now!' said joan. 'didn't master julian telephone you last night- this morning, i mean - i thought he was going to.'

'what about?' said the sergeant.

'about the kidnappers. everything's all right,' explained joan to the two astonished policemen.

'we've got miss george back - and oh, bless us all, there's those kidnappers - you haven't been toldthey're all locked up and waiting for you, have you?'

'look here, miss, what are you talking about?' said the sergeant bewildered. 'this is too bad -what do you mean - kidnappers locked up and waiting!'

'master julian!' called joan, 'the police are here - and you forgot to telephone and tell them whathappened last night. they'd better go to that house and get the men, hadn't they?'

'i knew there was something i'd forgotten,' said julian, running down the stairs. 'i did mean totelephone, but i was so tired that i forgot.'

everyone then came downstairs and went into the sitting-room. jo was shy with so many peoplethere, and wouldn't sit anywhere near the two policemen.

'i've just been told, mr. wright, sir, that there's no need to guard your daughter now,' said thesergeant, rather stiffly. 'seems as if the police are the last to hear about anything!'

'well, the fact of the matter is that we found out that gringo, who owns the fair called gringo's fair,was paid to kidnap berta,' said julian. 'he kidnapped george instead, by mistake. we found outwhere gringo had taken her and went to rescue her last night. you go on, dick.'

'and we left gringo and somebody else locked up in a room on the ground floor, and two otherpeople locked up in a top-floor room - and we've left the front door open for you and the drive gatesopen too,' said dick. 'so don't be too annoyed about it, sergeant, because we really have tried tomake things easy for you! we've rescued george, as you see - and now you can get the men.'

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the sergeant looked as if he found it difficult to believe a single word! uncle quentin tapped himsharply on the shoulder.

'well, look alive, man - they'll escape before you can get them if you don't hurry.'

'what's the address?' said the sergeant, stolidly.

'i don't know the name of the house, or the lane it's in,' said julian. 'but you go through the village oftwining, turn to the left, and it's the house up on the hill.'

'how did you find out all this?' said the sergeant.

'it's too long to tell you now!' said dick. 'we'll write it all down in a book, and send you a copy.

we'll call it - er - we'll call it - what shall we call it, you others? it's a peculiar adventure really -it ended with everyone fast asleep in bed!'

'i want some coffee,' announced uncle quentin. 'i think we've talked enough. do go and catch yourkidnappers, my good men.'

the policemen disappeared. mr. elbur wright beamed round happily, berta on his knee.

'well, this is a very happy ending!' he said. 'and i can take my little berta back with me after all!'

'oh no!' wailed berta, much to her father's surprise.

'what do you mean?' he asked.

'gee, pops, be a honey and let me stay on here,' begged berta. 'these kids sure are wunnerful.'

'wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!' chanted the others.

'of course let her stay on if she'd like to,' said aunt fanny. 'but as a girl this time, not a boy!'

george heaved a sigh of relief. that was all right then. she wouldn't mind berta as a girl, eventhough she was a silly girl!

'woof!' said timmy suddenly, and made everyone jump.

'he says he's jolly pleased you're staying, berta, because now sally-dog will have to stay too,'

said dick. 'so he'll have someone to play with as well!'

'shall we really send the sergeant a book about this adventure?' said anne. 'did you really mean it,dick?'

'rather!' said dick. 'our fourteenth adventure - and may we have many more! what shall we call thebook?'

'i know!' said george, at once. 'i know! let's call it 'five have plenty of fun'.'

well, they did - and they hope you like it!

the end