IT didn't seem as if George's feeling that the holiday was going to be 'super' was at all correct the nextmorning. A loud rapping came on the door of the boys' caravan1 before they were even 37awake!
Then a large red face looked in at the window, startling Julian considerably2.
'Who gave you permission to camp here?' said the face, looking as black as thunder.
Julian went to the door in his pyjamas3. 'Do you own this field?' he said, politely. 'Well, we werecamping in the next field, and...'
'That's let for campers and caravanners,' said the man, who was dressed like a farmer. 'This isn't.'
'As I said, we were in the next field,' repeated Julian, 'and for some reason the fair-folk there didn'tlike us - and when we were out they brought our caravans4 here! As we've no horses to take themaway, we couldn't do anything else but stay!'
'Well, you can't stay,' said the farmer. 'I don't let out this field. I use it for my cows. You'll have to gotoday, or I'll put your caravans out into the road.'
'Yes, but look here...' began Julian, and then stopped. The farmer had walked off, a determined5 figurein riding breeches and tweed coat. The girls opened their window and called to Julian.
'We heard what he said. Isn't he mean? Now what are we going to do?'
'We're going to get up and have breakfast,' said Julian. 'And then I'm going to give the fair-folk onemore chance - they'll have to lend us two horses - the two they used yesterday to pull our vans! - andpull us back into our rightful place. Otherwise I very much fear I shall have to get help from thepolice!'
'Oh, dear,' said Anne. 'I do hate this kind of thing. We were having such a lovely time before the fairpeople arrived. But it seems quite impossible to get them to be friends with us.'
'Quite,' said Julian. 'I'm not so sure I want to be friendly now, either. I'd rather give up this holidayaltogether and go back home than have continual trouble going on round us! Dick and I will go andtackle the fair-folk after breakfast.'
Breakfast was just as solemn as supper had been. Julian was rather silent. He was thinking what wasbest to say to the sullen6 folk in the next field.
'You must take Timmy with you,' said George, voicing the thoughts of everyone.
Julian and Dick set off with Timmy about half past eight. All the fair people were up and about, andthe smoke of their fires rose up in the morning air.
Julian thought he would go and tackle the fire-eater, so the two boys went towards his caravan.
The other fair people looked up, and one by one left their vans or their fires and closed round theboys. Timmy bared his teeth and growled7.
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'Mr. Alfredo,' began Julian, 'the farmer is turning us out of that field. We must come back here.
We want you to lend us two horses for our vans.'
A ripple8 of laughter spread through the listening people. Mr. Alfredo answered politely, with a largesmile on his face. 'What a pity! We don't hire out our horses!'
'I don't want to hire them from you,' said Julian, patiently. 'It's up to you to let us have them to bringback our vans. Otherwise - well, I shall have to go and ask the police for help. Those caravans don'tbelong to us, you know.'
There was an angry murmur9 from the listening crowd. Timmy growled more loudly. One or two ofthe fair-folk stepped back hurriedly when they heard him.
CRACK! Julian turned quickly. The fair people ran back, and the two boys found that they werefacing Bufflo, who, with a large and unpleasant grin on his face, was swinging his whip in his hand.
CRACK! Julian jumped violently, for a few hairs from the top of his head were suddenly whisked offinto the air - the end of the lash10 had neatly11 cut them away!
The crowd laughed loudly. Timmy bared his white teeth, and snarled12.
Dick put his hand down on the dog's collar. 'Do that again and I shan't be able to hold the dog!'
he called, warningly.
Julian stood there, at a loss to know what to do next. He couldn't bear turning tail and going off to theaccompaniment of jeers13 and howls. He was so full of rage that he couldn't say a word.
And then something happened. Something so utterly14 unexpected that nobody did anything at allexcept let it happen!
A boyish figure came running up the grassy15 hillside - someone very like George, with short curly hairand a very freckled16 face - someone dressed, however, in a short grey skirt, and not in shorts, likeGeorge.
She came racing17 up, yelling at the top of her voice. 'Dick! DICK! Hey, DICK!'
Dick turned and stared in amazement18.
'Why - it's Jo! JO! The gypsy girl who once got mixed up with us in an adventure! Julian, it's Jo!'
There was no doubt about it at all. It was Jo! She came tearing up, her face glowing with the utmostdelight and flung herself excitedly on Dick. She had always liked him best.
'Dick! I didn't know you were here! Julian! Are the others here too? Oh, Timmy, dear old Timmy!
Dick, are you camping here? Oh, this is really too marvellous to be true!'
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Jo seemed to be about to fling herself on Dick again, and he fended19 her off. 'Jo! Where in the worldhave you come from?'
'Well, you see,' said Jo, 'I've got school holidays like you - and I thought I'd go and visit you at KirrinCottage. So I did. But you had all gone away together. That was yesterday.'
'Go on,' said Dick, as Jo stopped, out of breath.
'Well, I didn't want to go back home again straight away,' said Jo. 'So I thought I'd pay a visit to myuncle - he's my mother's brother - and I knew he was camping here so I hitch-hiked all the wayyesterday, and came late last night.'
'Well, I'm blessed,' said Julian. 'And who is your uncle, may I ask?'
'Oh Alfredo - the Fire-Eater,' was Jo's astonishing reply. 'Didn't you know? Oh, Dick! Oh, Julian!
Can I stay here while you're here? Do, DO say I can! You haven't forgotten me, have you?'
'Of course not,' said Dick, thinking that nobody could possibly forget this wild little gypsy girl, withher mad ways and her staunch affection.
Then for the first time Jo realized that something was going on! What was this crowd doing roundJulian and Dick?
She looked round, and immediately sensed that the fair people were not friendly to the two boys- although the main expression on their faces now was one of astonishment20!
'How did Jo know these boys?' they wondered. How was it she was so very friendly with them?
They were puzzled and suspicious.
'Uncle Alfredo, where are you?' demanded Jo, looking all round. 'Oh, there you are! Uncle, these aremy very best friends - and so are the girls too, wherever they are. I'll tell you all about them, and hownice they were to me! I'll tell everybody!'
'Well,' said Julian, feeling rather embarrassed at what Jo might reveal, 'well, you tell them, Jo, and I'lljust pop back and break the news to George and Anne. They will be surprised to find you are here -and that Alfredo is your uncle!'
The two boys and Timmy turned to go. The little crowd opened to let them pass. It closed up againround the excited Jo, whose high voice the boys could hear all the way across the field.
'Well, well, well!' said Dick, as they got through the hedge. 'What an astonishing thing! I couldn'tbelieve my eyes when young Jo appeared, could you? I hope George won't mind. She was alwaysrather jealous of Jo and the things she could do.'
The two girls were amazed at the boys' news. George was not too pleased. She preferred Jo at a 40distance rather than near. She liked and admired her but rather unwillingly21. Jo was too like Georgeherself for George to give her complete friendliness22!
'Well, fancy Jo, Jo herself being here!' said Anne, smiling. 'Oh, Julian - it was a good thing shearrived when she did! I don't like that bit about Bufflo cracking his whip at you. He might have madeyou bald on the top!'
'Oh, it was only a few hairs,' said Julian. 'But it gave me quite a shock. And I think it gave the fairpeople a shock too when Jo arrived like a little hurricane, yelling at the top of her voice, and flingingherself on poor old Dick. She almost knocked him over!'
'She's not a bad kid,' said Dick, 'but she never stops to think. I wonder if the people she stays withknow where she's gone. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she just disappeared without a word.'
'Like the two scientists,' said Julian, with a grin. 'Gosh, I can't get over it! Jo was the very last personI would expect here.'
'Well, not really, if you think a bit,' said Anne. 'Her father is a gypsy, isn't he - and her mother was ina circus, she told us so. She trained dogs, don't you remember, Julian? So it's quite natural for Jo tohave relations like the fair people. But just fancy having a fire-eater for an uncle!'
'Yes - I'd forgotten that Jo's mother was in a circus,' said Julian. 'I expect she's got peculiar23 relationsall over the country! I wonder what she's telling them about us.'
'She's singing Dick's praises anyway,' said George. 'She always thought the world of Dick.
Perhaps the fair people won't be quite so unfriendly if they know that Jo is fond of us.'
'Well, we're in a bit of a fix,' said Dick. 'We can't stay in this field, or the farmer will be after us again- and I can't see the fair people lending us their horses - and without horses we can't leave this field!'
'We could ask the farmer to lend us his horses,' suggested Anne.
'We'd have to pay him, though, and I don't see why we should,' said Julian. 'After all, it isn't our faultthat our caravans were moved here.'
'I think this is a horrid24 and unfriendly place,' said Anne. 'And I don't want to stay here another day.
I'm not enjoying it a bit.'
'Cheer up!' said Dick. 'Never say die!'
'Woof,' said Timmy.
'Look - someone's coming through that gap in the hedge down there by the lane,' said George,pointing. 'It's Jo!'
41
'Yes - and my goodness me, she's got a couple of horses with her!' cried Dick. 'Good old Jo!
She's got Alfredo's horses!'
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1
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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pyjamas
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| n.（宽大的）睡衣裤 | |
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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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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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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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ripple
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| n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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jeers
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| n.操纵帆桁下部（使其上下的）索具；嘲讽( jeer的名词复数 )v.嘲笑( jeer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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freckled
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| adj.雀斑；斑点；晒斑；（使）生雀斑v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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fended
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| v.独立生活，照料自己( fend的过去式和过去分词 )；挡开，避开 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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friendliness
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| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
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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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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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