chapter 6 a little excitement for breakfast!

it was fun to sleep in the barn. dick tried to keep awake for a while, and enjoy the barn-smell, and thesight of the stars in the sky seen through the open door, where a cool little night- breeze camewandering in.

julian fell asleep at once, and did not even hear the crashing of the knocker at the front door of thefarmhouse when the hennings came in, or the loud voices. he awoke with a start at about one o'clockin the morning, and sat straight up in bed, his heart beating fast. what on earth was that noise he hadheard?

he heard it again and laughed. 'what an ass i am! it's only an owl. or maybe more than one. andgosh, what was that high little scream? a mouse - or a rat? perhaps the owls are hunting in here?'

he lay still and listened. he suddenly felt a rush of cool air over his face, and stiffened. that musthave been an owl's soft-feathered wings! owls' wings made no noise, he knew. the feathers were sosoft that not even a quick-eared mouse could hear an owl swooping silently down!

there came another little high-pitched squeak. 'the owl's doing his job well,' thought julian.

'what a fine hunting-place for him - a barn where food-stuffs are stored - over-run with mice and rats,of course. i bet this owl is worth his weight in gold to the farmer. well, owl, do your job -but for goodness' sake don't mistake my nose for a mouse! ah - there you go again - just over myhead. i saw you then - a shadow passing by!'

he fell asleep once more and didn't wake until the sun streamed into the barn, lighting up hundreds oftiny motes floating in the air. julian looked at his watch.

'half past seven! and i meant to be up at seven. dick! wake up!'

dick was so sound asleep that he didn't wake even when julian shook him. he merely rolled over andsettled down again. julian glanced across the barn, and saw that the twins' camp-beds were empty.

they had stacked their pillows and bed-clothes in neat piles, and disappeared silently out of the door.

without waking us! thought julian, pulling on his socks. i wonder if i can wash at the big kitchen-sink. 'dick - will you wake up?' he said loudly. 'it might be teno'clock for all you care!'

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dick heard the two shouted words and sat up at once, looking aghast. 'ten o'clock? oh no! gosh, imust have slept all round the clock, oh, i say - i didn't mean to be late for breakfast. i... '

'calm down,' grinned julian, brushing his hair. 'i only said, 'it might be ten o'clock for all you care!'

actually, it's just gone half past seven.'

'thank goodness for that,' said dick, lying back in bed. 'oh for ten minutes more!'

'the twins have gone already,' said julian. 'i wonder if the girls are up. oh my goodness, what's that?'

something had jabbed him sharply in the back, making him jump violently. julian swung round,expecting it to be junior or one of the twins playing a silly joke.

'oh - it's you - nosey the jackdaw!' he said, looking at the cheeky bird, now perched on his pillow.

'you've got a jolly sharp beak!'

'chack!' said the jackdaw, and flew to his shoulder. julian felt flattered - until the jackdaw pecked hisear! 'here - you take the bird,' he said to the unwary dick and handed nosey to him.

nosey promptly pounced on the watch lying beside dick's pillow and flew off with it. dick gave anangry yell.

'bring that back, you ass of a bird! don't you know a watch when you see one? he's taken my watch,ju - goodness knows where he'll hide it!'

'he's gone into the roof,' said julian. 'we'd better tell the twins. perhaps they can deal with him.

now why doesn't he take junior's watch - that would be a trick i should really applaud!'

'chack, chack, chack,' said nosey, exactly as if he agreed. he had to open his beak to say'chack' and the watch promptly fell out. it bounced on to a sack far below, and the bird swoopeddown to get it. dick also swooped, and as the watch had now slipped between two sacks, he managedto get it before the jackdaw.

nosey flew up into the roof, and chacked angrily. 'don't use such bad language,' said dick severely,strapping on his watch. 'you ought to be ashamed of yourself!'

they went out of the barn and round to the farmhouse. there were sounds of people about, and thetwo boys felt quite ashamed of being so late! breakfast was on the table, but already quite a numberof people seemed to have had it!

'the girls haven't had theirs,' said dick, looking at the places set in front of the chairs where georgeand anne had sat the night before. 'but the twins have. it looks as if everyone has, except us four,apparently! ah - here's mrs. philpot. sorry we're late. we overslept, i'm afraid.'

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'that's all right!' said mrs. philpot, smiling. 'i don't expect my visitors to be up early. anyone cansleep late on a holiday!'

she held a tray in her hands, and set it down on the table. 'that's for mr. henning - he'll ring when hewants his breakfast. that's junior's tray over there. i make the coffee when they ring,'

she said, and went out again.

there was cold ham for breakfast, boiled eggs and fruit. the two boys tucked in, and looked roundreprovingly when the two girls came, with timmy behind them, still sleepy-eyed.

'overslept, i suppose?' said dick, pretending to be shocked. 'sit down. i'll pour you some coffee.'

'where's junior - not down yet, i hope?' said george anxiously. 'i've not forgotten my bet abouttaking up his breakfast!'

'i say - do you think it's all right to let george take up junior's breakfasts,' said julian, after a pause.

'george, don't throw the tray at him or anything, will you?'

'i might,' said george, eating a boiled egg. 'anything to get your new pocket-knife from you!'

'well, don't go too far in teasing junior,' said julian warningly. 'you don't want to make the henningfamily walk out and leave mrs. philpot high and dry!'

'all right, all right,' said george. 'don't nag. i think i'll have another egg, dick. pass one over, please.

i don't know why i'm so hungry.'

'leave a bit of room for this ham,' said dick, who had cut himself two good slices. 'it's out of thisworld! simply too good to be true! i could eat it all day.'

the two girls tucked into their breakfast, and just as they were finishing, a bell rang very loudly in thekitchen, jangling just above their heads. they jumped violently. mrs. philpot came into the room atonce. 'that's mr. henning's bell,' she said. 'i must make his coffee.'

'i'll take up his tray,' said anne. 'george is going to take up junior's.'

'oh no - i really don't like you to do that,' said mrs. philpot, distressed. just then another bell rang. itjangled to and fro for a very long time.

'that's junior's bell,' said mrs. philpot. 'he always seems to think i'm quite deaf!'

'bad-mannered little beast!' said dick, and was pleased to find that mrs. philpot didn't disagree!

anne waited till mr. henning's tray was ready, and then firmly put her hands to the sides. 'i'm goingto take it to mr. henning,' she said in a most determined voice, and mrs. philpot smiled gratefullyand let her lift it. 'bedroom on the left of the stairs, first floor!' she said. 'and he likes his curtainspulled, too, when his breakfast is brought.'

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'and does junior like his pulled as well?' inquired george, in such a sugary voice that the two boyslooked round at her suspiciously. what was she up to now?

'well - i do pull them for him,' said mrs. philpot, 'but don't you pull them if you don't feel like it!

thank you very much, dear!'

anne had already gone upstairs with mr. henning's tray, and now george set off with junior's.

she winked at dick. 'get that pocket-knife ready for me!' she said, and disappeared through the door,grinning wickedly. she went carefully upstairs with timmy close at her heels, wondering whatevergeorge was doing with a tray!

george came to junior's door. it was shut. she gave it a violent kick and it flew open. she entered,clattering with her feet, and set the tray down on a table with a jolt that upset the coffee.

she went whistling to the windows, and pulled the curtains back across the poles so that they made aloud clattering noise.

junior had apparently fallen asleep again, his head under the clothes. george upset a chair with acrash. that made junior sit up, half scared. 'what's going on here?' he began. 'can't you bring mybreakfast without ...' then he saw that it was george in the room, not the kindly mrs. philpot.

'get out!' he said angrily. 'crashing about like that! pull the curtains across again. the sun's toostrong. and look how you've spilt the coffee! why didn't mrs. philpot bring my breakfast? sheusually does. here - put the tray on my knees, like she does!'

george whipped the bed-clothes off him, took up the tray and set it down violently on his pyjama'dknees. the hot coffee got a violent jerk and some drops fell on to his bare arm. they were hot, and heyelled loudly. he lashed out at george, and hit her hard on the shoulder.

that was a very great mistake. timmy, who was at the door watching, leapt on to the bed at once,growling. he pulled the terrified boy on to the floor, and kept him lying there, standing over him,deep growls coming from the depths of his great body.

george took absolutely no notice. she went round the room, humming a little tune, putting this andthat straight, tidying the dressing-table, not seeming to notice what timmy was doing. she shut thedoor so that no one would hear junior's howls.

'george - take this dog off me!' begged junior. 'he'll kill me! george! i'll tell my pop of you.

i'm sorry i hit you. oh no, take this dog off me, please do!'

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he began to weep, and george looked scornfully down at him. 'you nasty spoilt little pest,' she said.

'i've a good mind to leave you here all morning, with timmy on guard! but this time i'll be generousto you. come here, tim. leave that funny little worm there on the floor!'

junior was still weeping. he crept into bed and wrapped the blankets round him. 'i don't want anybreakfast,' he wept. 'i'll tell pop about you. he'll lam you all right.'

'yes, you tell him,' said george, tucking him in so tightly that he couldn't move. 'you tell him -and i'll whisper into timmy's ear that you've told tales of me - and honestly, i simply don't knowwhat he'll do!'

'you are the most horrible boy i've ever met,' said junior, knowing when he was beaten. georgegrinned. so he thought she was a boy, did he? good!

'mrs. philpot isn't going to bring up your breakfast any more,' she said. 'i'm going to - with timmy.

see? and if you dare to ring that bell more than once each morning, you'll be sorry!'

'i don't want my breakfast brought up,' said junior, in a small voice. 'i'd rather get up and godownstairs for it. i don't want you to bring it.'

'right. i'll tell mrs. philpot,' said george. 'but if you change your mind, just tell me. i'll bring it upany morning - with timmy!'

she went out and banged the door, timmy trotting down the stairs in front of her, puzzled butpleased. he didn't like junior any more than george did.

george went into the kitchen. dick and julian were still there. 'you've lost your bet, dick,' saidgeorge. 'pocket-knife, please. i not only took up his breakfast, and accidentally spilt hot coffee onhim, but timmy here pulled him out of bed and stood over him, growling. what a sight that was!

poor junior doesn't want his breakfast in bed any more! he's coming down for it each morning.'

'good for you, george!' said dick, and slid his pocket-knife across the table. 'you deserve to win.

now - sit down and finish your breakfast and mind - i'm not betting anything else for a long, longtime!'