AS they had their supper they talked about the queer new arrivals. Timmy sat close to George, tryingto tell her that he was sorry for causing such a disturbance1. She patted him and scolded him at thesame time.
'I quite understand that you don't like the snakes, Timmy - but when I tell you to stop barking andcome away you MUST do as you're told! Do you understand?'
Timmy's tail dropped and he put his big head on George's knee. He gave a little whine2.
19
'I don't think he'll ever go near that box again, now he's seen the snakes that came out of it,' saidAnne. 'You should have seen how scared he was when he looked out of the window with me and sawthem. He went and hid under the table.'
'It's a pity we've made a bad start with the fair-folk,' said Julian. 'I don't expect they like childrenmuch, because as a rule the kids would make themselves an awful nuisance - peering here and pokingthere.'
'I think I can hear more caravans4 arriving,' said George, and Timmy pricked5 up his ears and growled6.
'Be quiet, Timmy. We're not the only ones allowed in this field!'
Dick went to the window and peered out into the twilight7. He saw some large dark shapes in anotherpart of the field, looming8 out of the darkness. A little camp-fire burned brightly in front of one,showing a small figure bending over it.
'These are jolly good sandwiches, Anne,' said Dick. 'What about another pickled onion, everyone?'
'No Dick,' said Anne, firmly. 'You've eaten your sandwich.'
'Well, I can eat a pickled onion without a sandwich, can't I?' said Dick. 'Hand over, Anne.'
Anne wouldn't. 'I've hidden them,' she said. 'You want some for tomorrow, don't you? Don't begreedy, Dick. Have a biscuit if you're still hungry.'
'I meant to ask if we could have a camp- fire outside tonight,' said George, remembering. 'Butsomehow I feel so sleepy I think I'd nod off if I sat by it!'
'I feel sleepy too,' said Anne. 'Let's clear up, George, and snuggle into our bunks10. The boys can go totheir caravan3 and read or play games if they want to.'
Dick yawned. 'Well - I might read for a bit,' he said. 'I hope you've got enough water, Anne, for thevarious things you use it for - because I do NOT intend to stumble over this dark field to the stream,and fall over snakes and anything else the fair-folk may have strewn carelessly about the grass!'
'You don't think those snakes could get loose, do you?' said Anne, anxiously.
'Of course not!' said Julian. 'Anyway, Timmy will bark the place down if even a hedgehog comesroving by, so you don't need to worry about snakes!'
The boys said good night and went off to their own caravan. The girls saw a light suddenly shine outthere, and shadows moved across the curtains drawn11 over the windows.
'Dick's lighted their lamp,' said Anne. Theirs was already lighted, and the caravan looked cosy12 20and friendly. Anne showed George how to put up her bunk9. It clicked into place, felt nice and firmand was most inviting-looking.
The girls made their beds in the bunks, putting in sheets and blankets and rugs. 'Where's my pillow?'
asked George. 'Oh - it's a cushion in the daytime, is it? What a good idea!'
She and Anne took the covers off the two cushions in the chairs, and underneath13 were the pillow-cases over the pillows, ready for the night!
They undressed, washed in stream water in the little sink, cleaned their teeth and brushed their hair.
'Does the water go under the caravan when I pull the plug out of the sink?' said George.
'Here it goes!'
The water gurgled out and splashed on the ground under the van. Timmy pricked up his ears andlistened. He could see that he would have to get used to quite a lot of new noises here!
'Got your torch?' said Anne when at last they had both got into their bunks. 'I'm going to blow out thelamp. If you want anything in the night you'll have to put on your torch, George. Look at Timmysitting on the floor still! He doesn't realize we've gone to bed! Tim - are you waiting for us to goupstairs?'
Timmy thumped14 his tail on the floor. That was just exactly what he was waiting for. When Georgewent to bed she always went upstairs, whether she was at school or at home - and though he hadn'tmanaged to discover any stairs in the caravan yet, he was sure that George knew where they were!
It took Timmy a few minutes to realize that George was going to sleep for the night in the bunk shehad put up against the wall. Then, with one bound he was on top of her, and settled down on her legs.
She gave a groan15.
'Oh, Timmy - you are rough! Get off my legs - get further down - get into the curve of my knees.'
Timmy found the bunk too small to be really comfortable. However he managed to curl himself up inas small a space as possible, put his head down on one of George's knees, gave one of his heavysighs, and fell asleep.
He had one ear open all the time, though - an ear for a rat that for some peculiar16 reason ran over theroof - an ear for a daring rabbit that nibbled17 the grass under the caravan - and a very alert ear for a bigcockchafer that flew straight into the glass pane18 of the right-hand window, just above George's bunk.
Plang! It collided with the pane, and fell back, stunned19. Timmy couldn't for the life of him think 21what it was, but soon fell asleep again, still with one ear open. The blackbird in the hawthorn20 treewoke him up early. It had thought of a perfectly21 new melody, and was trying it out very loudly anddeliberately. A thrush nearby joined in.
'Mind how you do it, mind how you do it!' sang the thrush at the top of its voice. Timmy sat up andstretched. George woke up at once, because Timmy trod heavily on her middle.
She couldn't think where she was at first, then she remembered and smiled. Of course - in a caravan,with Anne. How that blackbird sang - a better song than the thrush! Cows mooed in the distance, andthe early morning sun slid in through the window and picked out the clock and the bowl of primroses22.
Timmy settled down. If George wasn't going to get up neither was he! George shut her eyes and fellasleep again too. Outside, the camp began to awake. Caravan doors opened. Fires were lighted.
Somebody went down to the stream to get water.
The boys came banging at the door of the girls' caravan. 'Come on, sleepyheads! It's half-past seven,and we're hungry!'
'Goodness!' said Anne, sitting up, bright-eyed with sleep. 'George! Wake up!'
It wasn't long before they were all sitting round a little fire, from which came a very nice smell.
Dick was frying bacon and eggs, and the smell made everyone very hungry. Anne had boiled a kettleon her little stove, and made some tea. She came down the steps with a tray on which she had put theteapot and hot water.
'Anne always does things properly,' said Dick. 'Here, hold your plate out, Ju - your bacon's done.
Take your nose out of the way, Timmy, you silly dog - you'll get it splashed with hot fat again.
Do look after Timmy when I'm cooking, George. He's already wolfed one slice of bacon.'
'Well, it saved you cooking it,' said George. 'I say, aren't there a lot of caravans here now? They musthave come last night.'
They stared round at the field. Besides the snake-man's caravan, and Bufflo's and Mr. India-rubber's,there were four or five more.
One interested the children very much. It was a brilliant yellow with red flames painted on the sides.
The name on it was 'Alfredo, the Fire Eater'.
'I imagine him to be a great big fierce chap,' said Dick. 'A regular fire-eater, with a terribly ferocioustemper, an enormous voice and a great stride when he walks.'
'He will probably be a skinny little fellow who trots23 along like a pony,' said Julian.
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'There's someone coming out of his caravan now,' said George. 'Look.'
'It's a woman,' said Anne. 'His wife, I expect. How tiny she is - rather sweet. She looks Spanish, she'sso dark.'
'This must be the fire-eater, coming behind her,' said George. 'Surely it is! And he's JUST like youimagined him, Dick. How clever of you!'
A great big fellow came down the steps behind his tiny wife. He certainly looked very fierce, for hehad a lion-like mane of tawny24 hair, and a big red face with large, gleaming eyes. He took enormousstrides as he went, and his little wife had to run to keep up with him.
'Just my idea of a fire-eater,' said Dick, pleased. 'I think we'll keep out of his way until we know if healso dislikes children, like the snake-man. What a tiny wife he has! I bet he makes her run aroundhim, and wait on him hand and foot.'
'Well, he's fetching water from the stream for her, anyway,' said Anne. 'Two huge pails. My word, hereally does look like a fire-eater, doesn't he?'
'There's somebody else, look,' said Dick. 'Now who would he be? Look at him going to the stream -he walks like a tiger or a cat - all slinky and powerful.'
'The man who can set himself free from ropes no matter how he's tied!' said Anne. 'I'm sure he is.'
It was most exciting to watch the new arrivals. They all seemed to know one another. They stoppedto talk, they laughed, they visited one another's caravans, and finally three of the women set offtogether with baskets.
'Going off to shop,' said Anne. 'That's what I ought to do. Coming George? There's a bus that goesdown to the village in about ten minutes. We can easily clear up when we come back.'
'Right,' said George, and got up too. 'What are the boys going to do while we're gone?'
'Oh, fetch more water, find sticks for the fire, and see to their own bunks,' said Anne, airily.
'Are we really?' said Dick, grinning. 'Well, we might. On the other hand, we might not. Anyway, youtwo go, because food is getting rather low. A very serious thought, that! Anne, get me some moretooth-paste, will you? And if you can spot some of those doughnuts at the dairy, bring a dozen backwith you.'
'Yes - and see if you can get a tin of pineapple,' said Julian. 'Don't forget we want milk too.'
'If you want many more things you'll have to come and help us carry them,' said Anne. 'Anythingelse?'
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'Call at the post office and see if there are any letters,' said Dick. 'And don't forget to buy a paper.
We may as well find out if anything has happened in the outside world! Not that I feel I can takemuch interest in it at the moment.'
'Right,' said Anne. 'Come on, George - we shall miss that bus.' And off they went with Timmy at theirheels.
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1
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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caravans
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| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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7
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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9
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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bunks
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| n.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的名词复数 )；空话，废话v.（车、船等倚壁而设的）铺位( bunk的第三人称单数 )；空话，废话 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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nibbled
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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hawthorn
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| 山楂 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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primroses
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| n.报春花( primrose的名词复数 )；淡黄色；追求享乐（招至恶果） | |
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trots
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| 小跑，急走( trot的名词复数 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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tawny
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| adj.茶色的，黄褐色的；n.黄褐色 | |
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