After Tinker had fetched a new supply of morning papers, he decided1 to go down to the camp in thefield and tell the others all that had happened that morning. He still felt angry about being ticked offby Julian the night before - but he simply couldn't wait to tell the others about the robbery - and aboutthe grand idea he, Tinker, had of hiding the rest of his father's papers on Kirrin Island.
So off he went, with Mischief2 happily on his shoulder, holding tightly to his hair. The others were allthere in the field. They had just come back from a shopping expedition, and Tinker's 58eyes gleamed when he saw the various tinned meats and tinned fruits, fresh rolls, tomatoes and applesand bananas that had been brought back from the shops at Big Hollow.
Julian was glad to see that Tinker looked bright and cheerful. He was afraid that the boy might havesulked, and that would have spoilt things for the others.
'Hi!' said Tinker. 'I've got news!' And he proceeded to tell the others all about the happenings of thenight before, ending up with his father solemnly going off to hide his morning newspapers under thecoal at the back of the coal-cellar, under the impression that he was hiding the rest of his preciouspapers.
'But why on earth didn't you tell him he had left his valuable papers behind and hidden hisnewspapers?' asked George.
'Because if he knew that, he'd go and hide the precious papers somewhere, and forget where he'd putthem - and they might be lost for ever!' said Tinker.
'Well, what are you going to do with them?' asked Dick.
'I've had rather a brain-wave,' said Tinker, as modestly as he could. 'Er - I thought that we'd hide themaway ourselves, where nobody could possibly find them.'
'And where is this wonderful hiding-place?' asked Dick.
'On Kirrin Island!' said Tinker, triumphantly3. 'Who'd think of looking there? And as we shall all knowthe hiding-place, we can't possibly forget it. The papers will be absolutely safe. Dad can get on withthe rest of his ideas without worrying about anything.'
'Have you told him all this?' asked Julian.
'Well, no,' said Tinker. 'Jenny thought we'd better just keep it to ourselves. She's pretty certain thethieves will try their hand at breaking in to get the rest of the papers, though.'
'Ha! Well, I vote we scribble4 some papers ourselves,' said Dick. 'Complete with wonderful diagrams,and all kinds of peculiar5 figurings and numberings. I feel I could do that very well!
And we'd leave them up in the tower room for the thieves to take - they'd think they were the onesthey'd missed!'
Everyone chuckled6. 'Ass8!' said Julian. 'Still - it's not a bad idea to leave something behind for thethieves that isn't worth a moment's look - and hide the genuine figures where they'd never dream offinding them - on Kirrin Island!'
59
'When shall we go?' asked George. 'It's ages since I've visited my island - and will you believe it, lasttime I rowed over, trippers had been there and left their beastly mess everywhere! Paper bags, brokenglass, lettuce9 leaves, orange peel, ugh!'
'Why DO people do that?' asked Anne. 'They'd hate to have to sit in the midst of other people's mess -so why in the world can't they clear up their own?'
'Oh, they're probably just like that in their own homes,' said Dick. 'All mess and litter - and yet ittakes so little time to clear up a picnic mess, and leave the place decent for the next comers.'
'What did you do with all the mess left on Kirrin Island?' asked Julian.
'I buried it deep in the sand at the back of one of the beaches,' said George. 'Where the tide can't turnit all up again. And with every dig of my spade I said 'Blow you, you awful trippers without manners,blow you - and next time you go anywhere, may you find someone else's litter to make you feel sick.
Blow you!' '
George looked and sounded so very fierce that everyone burst out laughing. Timmy sat there with histongue lolling out, looking as if he were laughing too, and Mischief made a funny little noise ratherlike a giggle10.
'Good old George. She always says straight out what she thinks!' said Julian.
They sat and talked over their plans for some time. 'Dick and Julian had better make the fake plansand figures,' said George. 'They'd be better at that kind of thing than anyone else. And Tinker canplant them somewhere in his father's tower room for the thief to take if he goes there again - and I bethe will. He found it easy enough last night!'
'And George could take Tinker's father's papers with the correct figures and plans over to KirrinIsland,' said Anne.
'Not till night-time, though,' said Dick. 'If anyone were on the watch, and saw George rowing overthere, they might guess she was taking something important to hide. They might be watching herfather too. By the way - where are these papers? You did not leave them behind at home, did you,Tinker?'
'I didn't dare to,' said Tinker. 'I felt as if there might be eyes peeping at me, watching and hoping I'dgo out and leave the papers behind. I've got them under my jersey11, just here!' And he patted the top ofhis stomach.
'Oh - so that's why you look as if you've had too much breakfast!' said George. 'Well - what shall ourplans be?'
60
'We'd better make out the false papers straight away, with figures and diagrams,' said Julian. 'Just incase the thieves come sooner than we think. Tinker, we'd better go into your house to do those.
If we go to George's, her father might spot us, and wonder what on earth we were doing. We'dprobably be sent off, anyway, because of the scarlet-fever business.'
'Well, what about my father?' said Tinker. 'He might spot us too. Anyway, he's not keen on myhaving anyone there this week, because he's so busy with his new invention. It's awfully12 good, and...'
'Tinker - don't start spilling beans again!' said Julian, warningly. 'I say it would be best to go to yourhouse.'
'What about me going indoors and bringing out Dad's big drawing-board, and some of his paper, andhis mapping pens and ink, and doing the diagrams and things out here in the tent?' said Tinker.
'Honestly, I never know when Dad is going to come into my room. He'd wonder what on earth wewere doing if he found us all there! We can have a good look at the papers I've got under my coat,and do a whole lot in the same style - not the same figures, naturally - and we could do some fancydiagrams too.'
'All right,' said Julian, giving way, as he saw that Tinker was genuinely afraid that his father mightsee them making the false papers. 'Go and get the drawing-board and come back with it, and anythingelse we'll need. You go with him, George.'
'Right,' said George, and she and Tinker went up Tinker's garden to the house. Tinker scouted13 roundto see if his father was anywhere about, but couldn't see him. He found a large drawing-board, somebig sheets of paper used by his father for working out his figures, and a book of odd, but easy-to-copydiagrams. He also brought mapping pens, Indian ink and blotting14 paper, and even remembereddrawing-pins to pin the sheets of paper to the board. George carried half the things, and kept a sharplook-out for Tinker's father.
'It's all right. He's asleep somewhere - can't you hear that noise?' asked Tinker; and sure enoughGeorge could - a gentle snoring from some room not far off!
They went back down the garden and over the fence, handing everything to the others before theyclimbed over. 'Good!' said Julian. 'Now we can produce some beautiful charts of figures that meanabsolutely nothing at all - and diagrams that will look perfect and not mean a thing either!'
'Better come into the tent,' said George. 'If anyone wanders down from the circus camp, they mightask us what we're doing.'
61
So they all went into the boys' big tent, which was the bigger one, Timmy too, and Mischief, whowas delighted to be with the big dog. Julian soon set to work, though he found the space rathercramped. They were all watching him in admiration15 as he set out rows of beautiful, meaninglessfigures when Timmy suddenly gave a deep growl16, and all his hackles rose up on his neck.
Julian turned the drawing-board over at once, and sat on it. The canvas doorway17 of the tent waspulled aside and in poked18 the grinning face of Charlie the Chimp19!
'Oh, it's you, Charlie!' said Julian. 'Well, well, well, and how are you today?'
The chimpanzee grinned even more widely, and held out his hand. Julian shook it solemnly, and thechimpanzee went carefully all round the tent, shaking hands with everyone.
'Sit down, Charlie,' said Dick. 'I suppose you've let yourself out of your cage as usual, and come tosee what we've got for our dinner. Well, you'll be glad to hear we've got enough for you as well asourselves.'
Charlie squashed himself between Timmy and Tinker, and with much interest watched Julian at workwith his pen and ink. 'I bet that chimp could draw, if you gave him a piece of paper and a pencil,' saidAnne.
So, to keep him quiet, he was given a pencil, and a notebook. He at once began to scribble in it veryearnestly.
'Goodness - he's doing a whole lot of funny figures,' said Anne. 'He's trying to copy you, Ju!'
'If he's not careful, I'll hand the whole job over to him!' said Julian, with a chuckle7. 'George, let's talkabout your plans for tonight. I think if you are going over to Kirrin Island to hide those papers you'veplanned to hide, you must take Timmy with you.'
'Oh, I will!' said George. 'Not that there will be a single soul on the island, but I'd like old Tim just forcompany. I'll take the papers straight to the island, land, and hide them.'
'Where?' asked Julian.
'Oh, I'll decide that when I'm there,' said George. 'Somewhere cunning! I know my own little islandfrom top to bottom. And there those papers will stay until all danger is past. We'll let ProfessorHayling think he has hidden them somewhere himself, and forgotten where! It will be fun to rowacross to my island, at night, with Timmy.'
'The thieves can make do with my figures and diagrams if they come to the tower room again,'
said Julian. 'Don't they look professional?'
62
They certainly did! Everyone looked at the neat figures and carefully drawn20 diagrams withadmiration.
Timmy suddenly sat up and gave a deep growl again. Charlie the Chimp patted him as if to say,'What's wrong, old boy?' but Timmy took no notice and went on growling21. He suddenly shot out ofthe tent, and there was a shout from someone outside. 'Get off! Get down! GET DOWN!'
George swung back the tent opening. Mr. Wooh was there, looking extremely frightened, as Timmygrowled menacingly round his ankles. Charlie the chimp ran up to him on all fours, and, angrybecause Timmy was snarling22 at his friend, showed his teeth suddenly at the big dog.
George was terrified. 'Don't let them fight!' she cried, afraid that Timmy would get decidedly theworst of it. Charlie was jumping up and down in a most alarming way.
'Charleee!' said Mr. Wooh in his deep voice. 'Charleee!'
And Charlie stopped jumping up and down and making horrible noises, and leapt straight on to Mr.
Wooh's back, putting his arms round his neck.
Mr. Wooh bowed courteously23 to them all. 'I trust I have not disturbed you, my friends,' he said, in hisforeign-sounding voice. 'I now take a little walk with my friend Charleee. You come again to see ourshow, I hope. Yes? No?'
'Probably,' said Dick, noticing that the magician had taken a quick and interested look at Julian'sfigures and diagrams. Julian covered them up immediately, as if he didn't want the magician to seethem. He had seen something in the man's eyes that puzzled him. Could Mr. Wooh possibly have hadanything to do with the theft of the papers the night before? After all, he was a wizard at figureshimself - he might be able to read the Professor's figures and diagrams and understand them perfectly24.
Well - he wouldn't gather much from the ones Julian was now doing - they were more or lessnonsense made up by Julian himself to deceive anyone interested in the real ones.
'I interrupt you? Pardon me!' said Mr. Wooh, and bowed himself politely away from the group in thetent. Charlie the Chimp followed him, hoping that Mischief would too, so that they could have agame. But Mischief didn't want to. He didn't like Mr. Wooh.
'Well, I didn't realize that anyone from the circus would walk down the field so quietly, and be able tohear what we were saying inside the tent,' said Julian, worried. 'I didn't like the look in his eyes. Dick- you don't suppose he heard anything we were saying, do you?'
'Would it matter?' said Dick.
63
'It might,' said Julian. 'Do you think he heard what George said about going over to Kirrin Island withthe other papers - the valuable ones that the thieves didn't see in the tower room last night? I wouldn'tlet George go if I thought he had heard. In fact, I think she'd better not go. She might run into danger.'
'Don't be silly, Ju,' said George. 'I am going. And Timmy will be with me.'
'You heard what I said, George. You are not to go!' said Julian. 'I'll take the papers and hide them onthe island. I'll get them when it's dark, fairly late. I'll cycle over to Kirrin and untie25 the boat you keepthere, and row over to the island.'
'All right, Julian,' said George, astonishingly meekly26. 'Shall we have a meal now? We've only to openthe tins, and empty the tomatoes and lettuces27 out of the basket there. And the drinks are in that coolcorner over there.'
'Right,' said Julian, glad that George had given way to him so easily. He would go across in George'sboat and find a good hiding-place. If danger was about, he could deal with it better than Georgecould. After all, she was only a girl!
Yes, Julian, she is - but, as you've often said, she's just as brave as a boy. Don't be too sure abouttonight!
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1
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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scribble
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| v.潦草地书写，乱写，滥写；n.潦草的写法，潦草写成的东西，杂文 | |
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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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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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chuckle
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| vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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lettuce
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| n.莴苣；生菜 | |
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giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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jersey
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| n.运动衫 | |
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awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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scouted
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| 寻找，侦察( scout的过去式和过去分词 )； 物色（优秀运动员、演员、音乐家等） | |
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14
blotting
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| 吸墨水纸 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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chimp
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| n.黑猩猩 | |
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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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growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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courteously
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| adv.有礼貌地，亲切地 | |
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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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untie
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| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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27
lettuces
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| n.莴苣，生菜（ lettuce的名词复数 ）；生菜叶 | |
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