"MOTHER, have you heard about our summer holidays yet?" said Julian, at the breakfast-table.
"Can we go to Polseath as usual?"
"I'm afraid not," said his mother. "They are quite full up this year."The three children at the breakfast-table looked at one another in great disappointment. They did solove the house at Polseath. The beach was so lovely there, too, and the bathing was fine.
"Cheer up," said Daddy. "I dare say we'll find somewhere else just as good for you. And anyway,Mother and I won't be able to go with you this year. Has Mother told you?""No!" said Anne. "Oh, Mother—is it true? Can't you really come with us on our holidays? Youalways do."
"Well, this time Daddy wants me to go to Scotland1 with him," said Mother. "All by ourselves!
And as you are really getting big enough to look after yourselves now, we thought it would be ratherfun for you to have a holiday on your own too. But now that you can't go to Polseath, I don't reallyquite know where to send you."
"What about Quentin's?" suddenly said Daddy. Quentin was his brother, the children's uncle.
They had only seen him once, and had been rather frightened of him. He was a very tall, frowningman, a clever scientist who spent all his time studying. He lived by the sea— but that was about allthat the children knew of him!
"Quentin?" said Mother, pursing up her lips. "Whatever made you think of him? I shouldn't think he'dwant the children messing about in his little house.""Well," said Daddy, "I had to see Quentin's wife in town the other day, about a business matter—and I don't think things are going too well for them. Fanny said that she would be quite glad if shecould hear of one or two people to live with her for a while, to bring a little money in. Their house isby the sea, you know. It might be just the thing for the children. Fanny is very nice—she would look after them well."
"Yes— and she has a child of her own too, hasn't she?" said the children's mother. "Let me see—what's her name— something funny— yes, Georgina! How old would she be? About eleven, I shouldthink."
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"Same age as me," said Dick. "Fancy2 having a cousin we've never seen! She must be jolly3 lonely allby herself. I've got Julian and Anne to play with— but Georgina is just one on her own. I shouldthink she'd be glad to see us."
"Well, your Aunt Fanny said that her Georgina would love a bit of company," said Daddy. "Youknow, I really think that would solve our difficulty, if we telephone to Fanny and arrange for thechildren to go there. It would help Fanny, I'm sure, and Georgina would love to have someone to playwith in the holidays. And we should know that our three were safe."The children began to feel rather excited. It would be fun to go to a place they had never been tobefore, and stay with an unknown cousin.
"Are there cliffs4 and rocks and sands there?" asked Anne. "Is it a nice place?""I don't remember it very well," said Daddy. "But I feel sure it's an exciting kind of place.
Anyway, you'll love it! It's called Kirrin Bay. Your Aunt Fanny has lived there all her life, andwouldn't leave it for anything."
"Oh Daddy, do telephone to Aunt Fanny and ask her if we can go there!" cried Dick. "I just feel as ifit's the right place somehow. It sounds sort of adventurous6!""Oh, you always say that, wherever you go!" said Daddy, with a laugh. "All right— I'll ring up now,and see if there's any chance."
They had all finished their breakfast, and they got up to wait for Daddy to telephone. He went outinto the hall, and they heard him putting the call through.
"I hope it's all right for us!" said Julian. "I wonder what Georgina's like. Funny name, isn't it?
More like a boy's than a girl's. So she's eleven— a year younger than I am— same age as you, Dick— and a year older than you, Anne. She ought to fit in with us all right. The four of us ought to havea fine time together."
Daddy came back in about ten minutes' time, and the children knew at once that he had fixed7 upeverything. He smiled round at them.
"Well, that's settled," he said. "Your Aunt Fanny is delighted about it. She says it will be awfullygood for Georgina to have company, because she's such a lonely little girl, always going off byherself. And she will love looking after you all. Only you'll have to be careful not to disturb yourUncle Quentin. He is working very hard, and he isn't very good-tempered when he is disturbed.""We'll be as quiet as mice in the house!" said Dick. "Honestly we will. Oh, goody, goody—when are we going, Daddy?"
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"Next week, if Mother can manage it," said Daddy.
Mother nodded her head. "Yes," she said, "There's nothing much to get ready for them— just bathingsuits and jerseys8 and shorts. They all wear the same.""How lovely it will be to wear shorts again," said Anne, dancing round. "I'm tired of wearing schooltunics. I want to wear shorts, or a bathing suit, and go bathing and climbing with the boys.""Well, you'll soon be doing it," said Mother, with a laugh. "Remember to put ready any toys or booksyou want, won't you? Not many, please, because there won't be a great deal of room.""Anne wanted to take all her fifteen dolls with her last year," said Dick, "Do you remember, Anne?
Weren't you funny?"
"No, I wasn't," said Anne, going red. "I love my dolls, and I just couldn't choose which to take—so I thought I'd take them all. There's nothing funny about that.""And do you remember, the year before, Anne wanted to take the rocking-horse?" said Dick, with agiggle.
Mother chimed in. "You know, I remember a little boy called Dick who put aside two golliwogs, oneteddy bear, three toy dogs, two toy cats and his old monkey to take down to Polseath one year," shesaid.
Then it was Dick's turn to go red. He changed the subject at once.
"Daddy, are we going by train or by car?" he asked.
"By car," said Daddy. "We can pile everything into the boot. Well— what about Tuesday?""That would suit me well," said Mother. "Then we could take the children down, come back, and doour own packing at leisure9, and start off for Scotland on the Friday. Yes — we'll arrange forTuesday."
So Tuesday it was. The children counted the days eagerly, and Anne marked one off the calendareach night. The week seemed a very long time in going. But at last Tuesday did come. Dick andJulian, who shared a room, woke up at about the same moment, and stared out of the nearby window.
"It's a lovely day, hurrah10!" cried Julian, leaping out of bed. "I don't know why, but it always seemsvery important that it should be sunny on the first day of a holiday. Let's wake Anne."Anne slept in the next room. Julian ran in and shook her. "Wake up! It's Tuesday! And the sun'sshining."
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Anne woke up with a jump and stared at Julian joyfully11. "It's come at last!" she said. "I thought itnever would. Oh, isn't it an exciting feeling to go away for a holiday!"They started soon after breakfast. Their car was a big one, so it held them all very comfortably.
Mother sat in front with Daddy, and the three children sat behind, their feet on two suitcases. In theluggage-place at the back of the car were all kinds of odds12 and ends, and one small trunk.
Mother really thought they had remembered everything.
Along the crowded London roads they went, slowly at first, and then, as they left the town behind,more quickly. Soon they were right into the open country, and the car sped along fast.
The children sang songs to themselves, as they always did when they were happy.
"Are we picnicking soon?" asked Anne, feeling hungry all of a sudden.
"Yes," said Mother. "But not yet. It's only eleven o'clock. We shan't have lunch till at least half-pasttwelve, Anne."
"Oh, gracious13!" said Anne. "I know I can't last out till then!"So her mother handed her some chocolate, and she and the boys munched14 happily, watching the hills,woods and fields as the car sped by.
The picnic was lovely. They had it on the top of a hill, in a sloping field that looked down into asunny valley. Anne didn't very much like a big brown cow who came up close and stared at her, but itwent away when Daddy told it to. The children ate enormously15, and Mother said that instead ofhaving a tea-picnic at half-past four they would have to go to a tea-house somewhere, because theyhad eaten all the tea sandwiches as well as the lunch ones!
"What time shall we be at Aunt Fanny's?" asked Julian, finishing up the very last sandwich andwishing there were more.
"About six o'clock with luck," said Daddy. "Now who wants to stretch their legs a bit? We've anotherlong spell in the car, you know."
The car seemed to eat up the miles as it purred along. Tea-time came, and then the three childrenbegan to feel excited all over again.
"We must watch out for the sea," said Dick. "I can smell it somewhere near!"He was right. The car suddenly topped a hill— and there, was the shining blue sea, calm and smoothin the evening sun. The three children gave a yell16.
"There it is!"
"Isn't it marvellous17!"
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"Oh, I want to bathe this very minute!"
"We shan't be more than twenty minutes now, before we're at Kirrin Bay," said Daddy. "We've madegood time. You'll see the bay soon— it's quite a big one— with a funny sort of island at the entranceof the bay."
The children looked out for it as they drove along the coast. Then Julian gave a shout.
"There it is— that must be Kirrin Bay. Look, Dick— isn't it lovely and blue?""And look at the rocky little island guarding the entrance of the bay," said Dick. "I'd like to visitthat."
"Well, I've no doubt you will," said Mother. "Now, let's look out for Aunt Fanny's house. It's calledKirrin Cottage."
They soon came to it. It stood on the low cliff5 overlooking18 the bay, and was a very old house indeed.
It wasn't really a cottage, but quite a big house, built of old white stone. Roses climbed over the frontof it, and the garden was gay19 with flowers.
"Here's Kirrin Cottage," said Daddy, and he stopped the car in front of it. "It's supposed to be aboutthree hundred years old! Now— where's Quentin? Hallo, there's Fanny!"
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1
Scotland
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| n.苏格兰 | |
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2
fancy
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| n.想像力，幻想；喜好，爱；adj.想像的，时髦的，华丽装饰的，奢侈的；技巧的；vt.想象，自认为，喜好 | |
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jolly
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| adj.快乐的，高兴的；adv.很；vt.劝服，哄 | |
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4
cliffs
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| n.悬崖，峭壁（cliff的复数形式） | |
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cliff
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| n.悬崖，峭壁 | |
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6
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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7
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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8
jerseys
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| n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 ) | |
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9
leisure
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| n.空闲时间，空暇；悠闲，安逸 | |
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10
hurrah
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| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
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11
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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12
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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gracious
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| adj.亲切的，客气的，宽厚的，仁慈的 | |
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munched
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| v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
enormously
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| adv.巨大地，庞大地；大大 | |
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16
yell
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| vi./n.号叫，叫喊 | |
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17
marvellous
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| adj.引起惊异的，不可思议的 | |
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18
overlooking
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| v.忽视( overlook的现在分词 )；监督；俯视；（对不良现象等）不予理会 | |
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gay
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| adj.同性恋的；色彩鲜艳的；n.(男)同性恋者 | |
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