Chapter 29 HAPPY ENDING AFTER ALL!
　　IN the night the Viking Star sailed once more. Bill didn't hear the engines starting up, nor did any ofthe five children. Kiki woke up, poked¹ her head out from under her wing and then put it back again.
　　It was astonishing to find themselves at sea once more. They were making for Italy. "Oh dear —we've left the treasure island far behind," said Lucy-Ann mournfully.
　　"Don't be a humbug," said Jack². "You know you're jolly glad you escaped from it.""Yes, I know that," said Lucy-Ann. "But I just hate leaving all that treasure.""I never even saw it," Jack reminded her. "I feel I've been done out of something — all because thatidiot of a Kiki took it into her head to fly off my shoulder just as we were going to look for thetreasure. Nit-wit!"
　　"Nit-wit," echoed Kiki pleasantly. "Tit-bit!" She flew down and looked at a plate of grapes.
　　"No, you don't," said Jack, and removed it from her. "No tit-bits for a nit-wit — and anyway you'vehelped yourself to about two hundred grapes already. You're a greedy pig, Kiki.""I suppose the rest of this cruise will be as dull as ditch-water," said Philip. He glanced at the littlecarved ship on the dressing-table of his cabin. "Golly — weren't we thrilled when we found thetreasure map inside! Bill says we've got to give that up to the Greek museum, but we can keep theredrawn map, the one we used — if we can get it back from Mr. Eppy!""I wonder what Mother will say to all this," said Dinah suddenly. "She won't be a bit pleased withBill, will she? She'll never speak to him again!""Well — that would mean we'd never even see him again!" said Lucy-Ann, horrified³ at the thought.
　　"I simply love Bill. I wish he was my father. It's horrid⁴ not having a father or a mother. You're lucky,you and Philip, Dinah, you have got a mother, even if you haven't a father.""Well, you share our mother with us, don't you?" said Philip, at once. "You call her Aunt Allie — andshe treats you as if she was your mother.""Yes, I know. She's a darling," said Lucy-Ann, and said no more. She was worrying about Bill.
　　Suppose Aunt Allie really kept her word, and refused to speak to Bill again because he had takenthem into danger? That really would be dreadful.

分享到：