The Secret Series - Complete Collection. Enid blyton

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СКАЧАТЬ water as we go. Get in, you girls.”

      “Ay, ay, Captain!” they sang out, full of joy to think they had such a fine captain as Jack! Off they all went, floating across the water in the evening light. What would they be doing next Sunday?

Chapter III - The Escape

       Table of Contents

      All that week the three children carried out their plans. Aunt Harriet and Uncle Henry could not understand what was different about the children - they did not seem to mind being scolded at all. Even Nora took a slapping without tears. She was so happy when she thought of the secret island that she couldn’t shed a tear!

      The children took all the clothes they possessed down to the hollow tree by the lakeside. Mike took four enamel cups, some enamel plates, and two enamel dishes.

      Nora smuggled down an old kettle that Aunt Harriet had put away in a cupboard. She did not dare to take one of those on the stove. Peggy took a frying-pan and a saucepan to the hollow tree, and had to put up with a dreadful scolding when her aunt could not find them.

      Jack took a saucepan too, and an axe and a fine sharp knife. He also took some small knives and forks and spoons, for the other children did not dare to take these.

      There were only just enough put out for them and their aunt and uncle to use. So they were glad when Jack found some and brought them along.

      “Can you get some empty tins to store things in?” asked Jack. “I am trying to get sugar and things like that, because we must have those, you know. Grandad gave me some money the other day, and I’m buying a few things to store.”

      “Yes, I’ll get some empty tins,” said Mike. “Unde has plenty in the shed. I can wash them out and dry them. And could you get matches, Jack? Aunt only leaves one box out, and that won’t go far.”

      “Well, I’ve got a small magnifying glass,” said Jack, and he showed it to the others. “Look, if I focus the rays of the sun on to that bit of paper over there, see what happens. It burns it, and, hey presto, there’s a fire ready-made!”

      “Oh, good!” said Mike. "We’ll use that on a sunny day, Jack, and save our matches!”

      “I’m bringing my work-basket in case we need to sew anything,” said Peggy.

      “And I’ve got a box of mixed nails and an old hammer,” said Mike. “I found them in the shed.”

      “We’re getting on!” said Jack, grinning, “I say - what a time we’re going to have!”

      “I wish Sunday would come!” sighed Nora.

      “I shall bring our snap cards and our game of ludo and our dominoes,” said Peggy.

      “We shall want to play games sometimes. And what about some books?”

      “Good for you!” cried Mike. “Yes - books and papers we’ll have, too - we shall love to read quietly sometimes.”

      The old hollow tree by the lakeside was soon full of the queerest collection of things. Not a day went by without something being added to it. One day it was a plank of wood. Another day it was half a sack of potatoes. Another day it was an old and ragged rug. Really, it was a marvel that the tree held everything!

      At last Sunday came. The children were up long before their uncle and aunt. They crept into the kitchen garden and picked a basket of peas, pulled up six lettuces, added as many ripe broad beans as they could find, a bunch of young carrots, some radishes, and, putting their hands into the nest-boxes of the hens, they found six new-laid eggs!

      Nora crept indoors and went to the larder. What could she take that Aunt Harriet would not notice that morning? Some tea? Yes! A tin of cocoa from the top shelf. A packet of currants and a tin of rice from the store shelf, too. A big loaf, a few cakes from the cake-tin! The little girl stuffed them all into her basket and raced out to join the others. Long before Aunt Harriet was up all these things were safely in the hollow tree.

      Peggy didn’t quite like taking anything from the larder, but Mike said that as Aunt and Uncle wouldn’t have to keep them after that day, they could quite well spare a few odds and ends for them.

      “Anyway, if they paid us properly for our work, we would have enough to buy all these things and more,” he said, as he stuffed them into the tree.

      They went back to the farm for the last time, to breakfast. Peggy cooked the breakfast, and hoped Aunt would not notice that her long iron cooking spoon was gone. She also hoped that Aunt would not want to get another candle from the packet in the larder, for Peggy knew Mike had taken the rest of them, and had taken an old lantern of Uncle’s too!

      The children ate their breakfast in silence.

      Aunt Harriet looked at them. “I suppose you think you are going off for a picnic to-day!” she said. “Well, you are not! You can stay and weed the kitchen garden, Peggy and Nora. And I’ve no doubt Uncle Henry can set Mike something to do. Someone has been taking cakes out of my tin, and so you’ll all stay in to-day!”

      The hearts of the three children sank. To-day of all days! As soon as the girls were washing up alone in the scullery, Mike looked in at the window.

      “You girls slip off down to the lake as soon as you get a chance,” he said. “Wait there for me. I won’t be long!”

      Peggy and Nora felt happier. They were to escape after all, then! They washed up a few more things and then saw their aunt going upstairs.

      “She has gone to look out Uncle’s Sunday suit and shirt,” whispered Nora. “Quick!

      Now’s our chance. We can slip out of the back door.”

      Peggy ran to the cupboard under the dresser and took out a long bar of soap. “We forgot all about soap!” she said. “We shall want some! I just remembered in time!”

      Nora looked round for something to take, too. She saw a great slab of margarine on the dresser, and she caught it up.

      “This will help us in our frying!” she said. “Come on, Peggy - we’ve no time to lose.”

      They raced out of the back door, down the path, and out into the fields. In five minutes’ time they were by the hollow tree, well out of sight. Jack was not yet there. They did not know how long Mike would be. He would not find it so easy to get away!

      But Mike had laid his plans. He waited for the moment when his aunt discovered that the girls had gone, and then walked into the kitchen.

      “What’s the matter, Aunt Harriet?” he asked, pretending to be very much surprised at her angry face and voice.

      “Where have those two girls gone?” cried his aunt.

      “I expect they have only gone to get in the clothes or something,” said Mike. “Shall I go and find them for you?”

      “Yes, and tell them they’ll get well slapped for running off like this without finishing their work,” said his aunt in a СКАЧАТЬ