Chapter 1 EASTER HOLIDAYS
'The nicest word in the English language is holidays!' said Dick, helping¹ himself to a large spoonfulof marmalade. 'Pass the toast, Anne. Mother, do you feel down-hearted to have us all tearing aboutthe place again?'
'Of course not,' said his mother. 'The only thing that really worries me when holidays come, is Food -Food with a capital F. We never seem to have enough in the house when all three of you are back.
And by the way - does anyone know what has happened to the sausages that were in the larder²?'
'Sausages - sausages - let me think!' said Julian, frowning. Anne gave a sudden giggle³. She knewquite well what had happened.
'Well, Mother - you said we could get our own meal last night, as you were out,' said Julian. 'So wepoked about and decided⁴ on sausages.'
'Yes, but Julian - two whole pounds of sausages!' said his mother. 'I know Georgina came over tospend the evening - but even so...!’
'She brought Timmy,' said Anne. 'He rather likes sausages too, Mother.'
'Well, that's the last time I leave the larder door unlocked, when I go out!' said her mother. 'Fancycooking those lovely pork sausages for a dog - especially Timmy, with his enormous appetite!
Really, Anne! I meant to have them for our lunch today.'
'Well - we rather thought we'd go and spend the day at Kirrin, with George and Timmy,' said Dick.
'That's if you don't want us for anything, Mother.'
'I do want you,' said his mother. 'Mrs. Layman⁵ is coming to tea, and she said she wants to see youabout something.'
The three groaned⁶, and Dick protested at once. 'Oh Mother - the first day of the holidays - and wehave to be in to tea! It's too bad - a glorious spring day like this too!'
'Oh - we'll be in to tea all right,' said Julian, giving Dick a sharp little kick under the table, as he sawhis mother's disappointed face. 'Mrs. Layman's a nice old thing - she was always giving us little treatswhen we were little.'
'And she never forgets our birthdays,' said Anne. 'Do you think we could ask George over too -with Timmy? George will be

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