Chapter 15 AN INTERESTING DAY
　　EVERYONE began to feel distinctly excited. 'I think I'll catch the bus into the next town,' said Julian.
　　'The telephone-box here is too easily overheard. I'd rather go to a kiosk somewhere in a 63street, where nobody can hear what I'm saying.'
　　'All right. You go,' said Dick. 'We'll do some shopping and go back to the caravans². I wonder whatUncle Quentin will say!'
　　Julian went off to the bus-stop. The others wandered in and out of the few village shops, doing theirmarketing. Tomatoes, lettuces³, mustard and cress, sausage rolls, fruit cake, tins of fruit, and plenty ofcreamy milk in big quart bottles.
　　They met some of the fair-folk in the street, and everyone was very friendly indeed. Mrs. Alfredo wasthere with an enormous basket, nearly as big as herself. She beamed and called across to them.
　　'You see I have to do my shopping myself! That big bad man is too lazy to do it for me. And he hasno brains. I tell him to bring back meat and he brings fish. I tell him to buy cabbage and he bringslettuce. He has no brains!'
　　The children laughed. It was strange to find great big Alfredo, a real fire-eater, ordered about andgrumbled at by his tiny little wife.
　　'It's a change to find them all so friendly,' said George, pleased. 'Long may it last. There's the snake-man, Mr. Slither - he hasn't got his snakes with him, though.'
　　'He'd have the whole village to himself if he did!' said Anne. 'I wonder what he buys to feed hissnakes on.'
　　'They're only fed once a fortnight,' said Jo. 'They swallow...'
　　'No, don't tell me,' said Anne, hastily. 'I don't really want to know. Look, there's Skippy.'
　　Skippy waved cheerily. She carried bags filled to bursting too. The fair-folk certainly did themselveswell.
　　'They must make a lot of money,' said Anne.
　　'Well, they spend it when they have it,' said Jo. 'They never save. It's either a good time for them or avery bad time. They must have had a good run at the last show-place - they all seem very rich!'
　　They went back to the camp and spent a very interesting day, because the fair-folk, eager to make upfor their unfriendly behaviour, made them all very welcome. Alfredo explained his fire-eating a littlemore, and showed how he put wads of cotton wool at the hook-end of his torches, and then soakedthem in petrol to flare⁵ easily.
　　The rubber-man obligingly

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