chapter 7 the twins change their minds

the twins, harry and harriet, had had their breakfast some while ago. they now came into the bigkitchen, snippet at their heels, and scowled to see the five still having breakfast there. anne was infits of laughter over george's account of the way she had dealt with junior.

'you should have seen his face when i planked the breakfast tray on his knees, and the hot coffeesplashed him!' said george. 'he let out a yell that startled even old timmy. and when he hit me, andtimmy leapt on the bed and dragged him out on to the floor, his eyes nearly fell out of his head!'

'no wonder he's decided to come down to breakfast each morning, then,' said julian. 'he'll be scaredstiff of you appearing with a breakfast tray again!'

the twins listened to this in amazement. they looked at one another, and nodded. then they walkedup to the breakfast table, and for once in a way, only one twin spoke. whether it was harry orharriet, nobody knew, for they both looked so much alike.

'what's happened?' said the twin to george. 'why did you take up junior's breakfast tray.'

'because we were all so fed up with the way junior - and his pop - impose on your mother,' saidgeorge. 'fancy a boy having breakfast in bed!'

'so old george took it into her head to take up his breakfast herself, and said she'd teach him such alesson he'd be a bit more considerate of your mother in future,' said dick. 'what's more, i was idioticenough to bet george she wouldn't do it - and now she's won my best pocket-knife off me - look!'

george proudly displayed the knife. the twins each gave a sudden loud laugh, which surprised theothers very much. 'well, i'm blessed!' said dick. 'fancy you being able to laugh! you always look sofierce and unfriendly. well, now that you've condescended to talk to us, let me tell you this - we thinkyour mother is absolutely tops, and far from giving her more trouble, we're all going to help as muchas we can. got that?'

both twins were smiling broadly now. they took it in turns to speak, which was really much morefriendly than their usual stiff way of talking in unison.

'we hate junior!' said one twin. 'he thinks our mother is a kind of slave, to come when he rings forher, or shouts for her.'

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'his father's the same,' said the other twin. 'wanting this and that, and sending our mother all over theplace to fetch and carry for him. why doesn't he go and stay at a hotel?'

'he doesn't because he's so set on snooping out our old things and buying them,' said the other twin. 'iknow for a fact that mother has sold him some of her own things - but she just had to have somemoney; things are so expensive, and we grow out of our clothes so quickly.'

'i say - it is nice to hear you talking properly,' said julian, clapping the twin on the back. 'and nowwould you mind letting us know how to tell which of you is which? i know one's a boy and one's agirl, but you both look exactly alike to me - you might be two boys!'

the twins gave sudden, mischievous grins. 'well - don't you tell junior, then,' said one. 'you canalways tell me by this scar on my hand, see? harriet hasn't any scar. i'm harry.'

the four looked at the long thin scar on the boy's hand. 'i got that by tearing the back of my hand onbarbed wire,' said harry. 'now you'll know us from each other! i say - tell us all about george and thebreakfast tray, from beginning to end. good old george. she looks just as much a boy as harrietdoes.'

it was very pleasant to find the twins so friendly, after their stiff, sullen dislike. the four warmed tothem - and when mrs. philpot suddenly appeared in the kitchen to clear away breakfast, she wasastounded to see her twins talking and laughing gaily with the others. she stood and stared, adelighted smile on her face.

'mother! junior's not going to have breakfast in bed any more!' said harry. 'listen why!' and thestory had to be told all over again. george went red. she was half afraid that mrs. philpot would bereally displeased. but no, she threw back her head and laughed.

'oh, that really does me good,' she said. 'but i hope junior doesn't tell his father, and they don't bothgo off in a hurry! we do need their money, you know, much as i hate having them here.

now i must clear away breakfast!'

'no, you mustn't. that's our job,' said anne. 'isn't it, twins?'

'yes!' said both twins together. 'we're all friends now, mother - let them belong to the family.'

'well, i'll go and see to the chickens, then, if you're going to clear away,' said mrs. philpot. 'you canwash up, too, bless you!'

'look - how would you like to go round the farm in our old land-rover today?' said harry to theothers. 'it's the best way to see over the farm. i think bill's got to go round this morning, and check onthe fields and the stock. he'll take you, if i ask him.'

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'fine!' said julian. 'what time?'

'in about half an hour,' said harry. i'll find bill - and when you hear a horn hooting, come on out.

by the way, bill isn't much of a talker, but if he takes to you, he'll be quite pally.'

'right,' said julian. 'can dick and i do something while the girls are clearing away?'

'gosh yes, there's always something to do on a farm,' said harry. 'come on up to the chicken-houses - harriet and i are patching them up to stop the rain leaking in.'

julian and dick, with timmy behind them, immediately went off with the twins, now as merry andfriendly as before they had been dour and sullen! what a change!

'well, thank goodness i took junior's breakfast up to him, and put him in his place,' said george,folding up the table-cloth. 'it was apparently just the one thing that would make the twins friendly!

hark, anne, i believe that's junior coming.'

she slipped behind the dresser, while anne set the chairs straight round the table. junior camecreeping in very quietly indeed, and looked round fearfully. he seemed very relieved to find onlyanne there. he considered that she was quite harmless!

'where's that dog?' he asked.

'what dog?' said anne innocently. 'snippets?'

'no - that great ugly mongrel - and that awful boy he belongs to,' said junior, still fearful.

'oh, you mean george, i suppose,' said anne, amused that junior thought george was a boy.

'well, look over there!'

junior saw george advancing on him from behind the dresser, gave one agonized yell and fled,fearing that she had timmy somewhere behind her. george laughed.

'we shan't have much trouble with him in future,' she said. 'i just hope he doesn't say too much to hispop!'

after a while they heard the sound of a hooter outside. 'that's the land-rover,' said george, excited.

'well, we've just finished the washing-up. hang up the tea-cloths to dry, anne. i'll pop these dishesinto the cupboard...'

soon they were out of the great kitchen door and down the passage that led to the yard. not far offwas a van-like car, the land-rover. it was an old one, very dirty, and a bit lop-sided. dick and julianyelled to the girls.

'buck up! didn't you hear us hooting?'

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the girls ran to the land-rover. bill, the farmhand, was at the wheel. he grinned at them andnodded. timmy greeted george as if he hadn't seen her for a year and almost knocked her down inhis playfulness.

'tim! don't be such an ass!' said george, 'planting your great muddy paws all over me! where are thetwins? aren't they coming?'

'naw,' said bill. 'they be busy.'

they all got in, and were just about to set off when someone else appeared. 'wait! i'm coming!

wait, i say!'

and up ran junior, full of himself as usual. 'jump down, tim - go to him,' said george, in a lowvoice. and very willingly indeed timmy leapt down and ran full-tilt towards the unsuspecting junior.

he gave one loud yell, turned, and fled for his life.

'well, that's got rid of him!' said dick, with much satisfaction. 'look at timmy - he's laughing allover his hairy old face! you love a joke, don't you, tim?'

it did indeed look as if tim was laughing, for he had his mouth wide open, showing all his teeth, andhis tongue was hanging out happily. he leapt back into the car.

'sensible dog, that,' said bill, and then relapsed into his usual silence as he started up the land-roverwith a really shattering noise. it moved off towards the fields.

how it jolted! the four clung to the sides of the van, almost bumped off their seats as the land-roverjerked its way over field-paths, uphill and downhill, jolting in and out of deep ruts, appearing to be onthe point of overturning at any minute. anne wasn't sure that she liked it much, but the othersenjoyed every minute.

'now you'll see the farm-land,' said bill, as they came to the top of the hill. 'look yonder! could bethe finest farm in the county, if mester philpot had the money!'