27
　　A surprise – and a plan
　　‘Sh!’ said the man, urgently. ‘I . . .’
　　And then, before he could say another word, a very strange thing happened! Kiki, who had beenwatching the man in greatest surprise, suddenly spread her wings and flew to his shoulder! Sherubbed her beak¹ against his cheek in the most loving manner, crooning like a dove.
　　‘Kiki!’ said the man, and stroked her neck.
　　‘Silly-Bill,’ said Kiki, lovingly. ‘Silly-Billy, put the kettle on, send for the doctor!’
　　Jack² was so astonished that he simply couldn’t say a word. Why in the world was Kiki behavinglike that – and how did this man know her? It was Philip who guessed. He suddenly rolled himselfover on hands and knees, and crawled at top speed from under the wagon³.
　　‘Bill! BILL ! This must be a dream! Bill, it isyou, isn’t it? Are you wearing a wig⁴?’
　　With a grin, the big man stripped off the whole of his black hair – yes, he was wearing a wig!
　　And without it he looked himself at once, in spite of the little black moustache which, of course,was merely stuck on.
　　‘Bill, oh, Bill! I can’t believe it!’ said Philip. Bill put out his great hand and the two shookhands solemnly for quite a long time. Then Jack joined them, his eyes almost falling out of hishead. It must be a dream! This couldn’t be real!
　　But it was. It was Bill himself. He asked eagerly about the girls. ‘I was so relieved to see themboth looking so well,’ he said. ‘Though I hardly knew them in that get-up they were wearing. But Iknew Lucy-Ann’s clear high voice all right – and I spotted⁵ Kiki too, of course. I couldn’t believe itwhen I saw her on your shoulder, Jack. I really couldn’t. Where are the girls? In this van here?’
　　‘Yes. We heard that you had made enquiries about where our van was,’ said Jack. ‘And wethought you were spies! We didn’t guess it was you, and that you wanted to come and find us inthe night. Let’s get into the van and wake the girls. We’ll wake old Pedro too. He’s a great friendof ours.’

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