(no subject)
The characters and settings in this story belong to the estates of Antonia Forest and Enid Blyton. This is not a profit making exercise.
Chapter Twenty Two
Home Again
Julian, Dick, George and Anne stood on the platform at Kirrin Station waving hard at the departing train and calling out last goodbyes to Peter, Nicola and Lawrie. When there was nothing left to wave at they wandered back down the platform towards the pony and trap.
"I shall miss them," said Julian regretfully. "They were good fun."
"I really liked them," said Anne. "Especially Lawrie. She's so funny and she was awfully helpful."
"I liked Nick," said George judiciously. "But Lawrie's a bit of a baby. And Peter can be awfully grouchy."
Julian and Dick exchanged a chuckle.
"What's so funny?" demanded George.
"You," said Dick. "Ever heard of pots calling kettles black? Grouchy indeed!"
George gave him a frown and a punch. He dodged the punch neatly and returned the frown with another chuckle.
"See what I mean?" he said. "If you were a kettle - a big black one - you'd be the sort that lets off loads of noisy steam and spills water all over the place - although you'd probably come to the boil pretty quickly."
George scowled and then gave him a reluctant grin.
"I probably have been a bit bad tempered," she admitted. "But that was mostly because of everything that's been happening. Sorry."
"That's all right, old thing," said Julian. "We all know you were bothered about Uncle Quentin's plans."
"And now none of us have got a thing to worry about," said Anne contentedly. "And I liked having our cousins to stay but it'll be nice for it to be just the four of us for the last few days of the holiday, won't it?"
"Woof!" said Timmy.
"He's saying five of us," said George. "You mustn't ever forget Timmy, Anne!"
In spite of their best efforts Peter, Nicola and Lawrie missed a connection and it was
nearly supper time before they finally reached home.
"Is this all there is?" Peter asked, coming into the dining room and looking critically at the dishes on the table. "Shepherds Pie and carrots? Shepherds Pie and carrots?"
"Good wholesome food, you ingrate," said Rowan.
"What's for pudding?"
"Stewed apples and custard."
"Stewed apples and custard?" repeated Peter wistfully. "And that's it?"
"What's the matter with him?" asked Rowan. "You haven't been gone long enough for the fatted calf to be wheeled out, Peter, my boy. Try five years or so next time. In the meantime what are these new second cousins of ours like?"
"The thing about our cousins," said Nicola, starting to answer both of Rowan's questions, "is that they eat like nothing we've ever seen. And Aunt Fanny and Joanna cook things all day long and we - eat them all."
"So that's why Peter's put on several pounds - "
"I have not! Too busy racing about rounding up criminals."
"Yes, just what have you been up to?" Mrs Marlow inquired. "We had a very garbled account of things from Fanny and Quentin."
"And then seeing your ugly mugs pop up on the local news," put in Ginty. "The phone didn't stop ringing for hours."
"We foiled a plot," said Lawrie dreamily. "If it wasn't for us Uncle Quentin's plans would be in the hands of the Russians by now and they would be heading for world domination."
"Not quite," said Nicola. "And Klonski was Estonian. So was Rodney Stone, come to that."
"Same thing."
"Don't suppose the Estonians think so. Or the Russians. And you didn't do much foiling, anyway. You were too busy getting yourself locked in a dungeon and having to be rescued."
"By Alf," said Lawrie with a little smile. "He was so nice in the boat when he rowed me back and he kept saying sorry all the time. I'm going to write to him."
"Oh Lawrie!"
"Why did he need to say sorry?" Peter asked. "I would have thought he was feeling a bit of a hero."
"He thought the whole thing was his fault because he rowed Rodney Stone and Klonski out to the island, of course," Lawrie said.
"If Julian had done what I said and told Alf we'd borrowed his boat that's something that would never have happened," said Peter. "But of course Cousin Julian always had to have the last word. Never met anyone so bossy."
"He wasn't that bad," Nicola said. "And there wasn't really time to find Alf. They were practically on their way to Kirrin Island while we climbing that awful cliff."
"Climbing cliffs, locked in dungeons - " murmured Mrs Marlow. "And what do you mean Rodney Stone was an Estonian? He sounds as English as can be."
"Well, half Estonian," explained Nicola. "His father was English and you'd never know about the Estonian part."
"What did they want to do with Uncle Quentin's plans?" asked Ginty. "Sell them?" "Something like that," Peter said. "They were part of a much larger gang and thanks to clever old us the police think they'll be able to get them all."
"And there we were imagining you having a few quiet days at the seaside with your cousins," said Rowan. "And all the time you were off having spiffing adventures."
"They were rather spiffing," said Nicola. "Looking back. But I wouldn't go through that tunnel again for anything. I thought my back was going to break - some places we had to crawl and all the time I had this feeling the sea was going to come crashing in."
"I couldn't have," said Ginty. "I simply couldn't have. And as for Lawrie being locked up in a dungeon - "
"It was awful," said Lawrie, brightening at the memory. "And they had a gun sticking in my back and they kept firing it. It was awful!"
"What was really awful was them threatening to shoot Timmy," said Nicola.
"Who's Timmy?" Anne asked.
"George's dog. She's sort of a bit obsessed with him - "
"Sort of? She's totally and completely in love with the creature," said Peter. "Off her head, if you ask me."
"Sounds a little bit unhealthy," Anne said doubtfully.
"George is a bit - intense," Nicola said. "But she's awfully brave. When they said they'd shoot Timmy if she didn't tell them where the plans were she still wouldn't say."
"I think she would have in the end," said Peter. "This is Timmy we're talking about, isn't it - the almost human super dog? Only luckily you did your thing with the torch and sent Klonski flying. Now that was brave."
As Peter was sparse in his praise for anyone this was a rare compliment.
"It was more of a reaction than being brave," Nicola said modestly. "It was only afterwards I thought how terrible if I'd hit George by mistake. Or hit no-one so they ended up rounding us all up."
"But a quick reaction," said Rowan adding her own rarer-than-Peter's approval. "All that bowling practice paying off obviously."
"The best bit," said Lawrie, who felt that Nicola had now had her fair share of acclamation, "was coming back to the island on the police launch and showing the police where the dungeons were with Rodney Stone and Klonski in. They were so respectful and admiring of us for catching them - "
Nicola and Peter couldn't let that pass.
"Which part of the catching were you involved in?" asked Peter. "Do tell us."
"And you didn't even have to go and tell the police," said Nicola. "They were already on their way over because of Julian's phone call."
"Actually," said Lawrie haughtily. "It was me that saw them coming in Alf's boat. Even if the others didn't believe me at first."
"I don't know whether we'll ever disentangle what actually happened," said Mrs Marlow. "But I must say I'm extremely surprised Quentin and Fanny left you all on your own like that. Anything could have happened."
"Sounds like anything did," said Rowan. "Who wants this last bit of Shepherds Pie? Not you, Peter, you had a gigantic portion to start with."
"Aunt Fanny always gets torn between looking after George and the others and looking after Uncle Quentin," said Nicola in defence of her newfound relatives. "That's what George told us. Uncle Quentin is awfully absent minded."
"He's like a big three year old complete with temper tantrums," said Peter. "But I must say he was very decent when they got back from London and doled out ten shilling notes all round for taking care of his plans so well."
"I still don't think he actually grasped what had actually happened about the science broadcast," said Nicola. "Even though we explained over and over about how Rodney Stone was an utter crook and never been anywhere near a BBC studio in his life."
"Sad," said Lawrie mournfully. "He was going to get me a job."
"No he wasn't, Lawrie. That's the whole point."
"Yes, I know. I mean if he'd been genuine he was going to."
Peter swivelled a finger against his temple.
"You and Uncle Quentin must have some shared genes for batty thinking," he said sympathetically.
"He certainly sounds round the twist," said Ginty. "What were Dick and Anne like? You haven't mentioned them."
"Anne's domesticated," Nicola said as if that summed up Anne entirely. "And Dick is the most good natured person I've ever met in my life."
"I liked Dick the best," said Peter. "He's not as pompous as Julian. And he's not forever telling you what to do. And Anne's all right. Being domesticated has its uses."
"How perfectly lovely to hear you admit it," said Rowan. "So we can expect wholesale enthusiasm for washing up now, can we?"
"Anne has wholesale enthusiasm for washing up," said Nicola. "And making beds and packing picnics and just being helpful and kind."
"She sounds rather nice," said Ann. "Yes, you can all laugh, but someone has to do the donkey work so you might as well be cheerful about it. I'd like to meet cousin Anne."
"Yes, well," said Nicola into the brief silence that greeted this. "But the most interesting person was George - "
"Oh no, Nick, she was awful!" interrupted Lawrie. "And fancy wanting to dress up like a boy all the time and be called Master George! She's crackers."
"Not the easiest of people," agreed Peter. "But Nick's right. She was sort of interesting - when she wasn't scowling at someone or just being generally scathing. Poor old Anne only had to open her mouth and George slapped her down."
"Anne told me she didn't mind," said Lawrie. "That she was used to it. And she didn't seem to mind, did she?"
"Perhaps she was just putting up with it," said Ann. "Like some people just do. I must say, George doesn't sound very nice at all."
"She wasn't," said Nicola honestly. "But she could be kind. Even to Anne."
"Can't say I noticed her being particularly kind to anyone," said Peter. "Unless it was to Timmy, of course. Gosh, he was quite a dog wasn't he, the way he went for Klonski and Rodney Stone? He could have killed them. I wouldn't mind a dog like Tim. In fact out of all of them I think I liked him the best. What do you think, Nick?"
Nicola thought.
"I liked them all," she said. "It was a - different experience. But I do think it's nice to be home again."
And tomorrow, she thought, she would visit Patrick.
Chapter Twenty Two
Home Again
Julian, Dick, George and Anne stood on the platform at Kirrin Station waving hard at the departing train and calling out last goodbyes to Peter, Nicola and Lawrie. When there was nothing left to wave at they wandered back down the platform towards the pony and trap.
"I shall miss them," said Julian regretfully. "They were good fun."
"I really liked them," said Anne. "Especially Lawrie. She's so funny and she was awfully helpful."
"I liked Nick," said George judiciously. "But Lawrie's a bit of a baby. And Peter can be awfully grouchy."
Julian and Dick exchanged a chuckle.
"What's so funny?" demanded George.
"You," said Dick. "Ever heard of pots calling kettles black? Grouchy indeed!"
George gave him a frown and a punch. He dodged the punch neatly and returned the frown with another chuckle.
"See what I mean?" he said. "If you were a kettle - a big black one - you'd be the sort that lets off loads of noisy steam and spills water all over the place - although you'd probably come to the boil pretty quickly."
George scowled and then gave him a reluctant grin.
"I probably have been a bit bad tempered," she admitted. "But that was mostly because of everything that's been happening. Sorry."
"That's all right, old thing," said Julian. "We all know you were bothered about Uncle Quentin's plans."
"And now none of us have got a thing to worry about," said Anne contentedly. "And I liked having our cousins to stay but it'll be nice for it to be just the four of us for the last few days of the holiday, won't it?"
"Woof!" said Timmy.
"He's saying five of us," said George. "You mustn't ever forget Timmy, Anne!"
In spite of their best efforts Peter, Nicola and Lawrie missed a connection and it was
nearly supper time before they finally reached home.
"Is this all there is?" Peter asked, coming into the dining room and looking critically at the dishes on the table. "Shepherds Pie and carrots? Shepherds Pie and carrots?"
"Good wholesome food, you ingrate," said Rowan.
"What's for pudding?"
"Stewed apples and custard."
"Stewed apples and custard?" repeated Peter wistfully. "And that's it?"
"What's the matter with him?" asked Rowan. "You haven't been gone long enough for the fatted calf to be wheeled out, Peter, my boy. Try five years or so next time. In the meantime what are these new second cousins of ours like?"
"The thing about our cousins," said Nicola, starting to answer both of Rowan's questions, "is that they eat like nothing we've ever seen. And Aunt Fanny and Joanna cook things all day long and we - eat them all."
"So that's why Peter's put on several pounds - "
"I have not! Too busy racing about rounding up criminals."
"Yes, just what have you been up to?" Mrs Marlow inquired. "We had a very garbled account of things from Fanny and Quentin."
"And then seeing your ugly mugs pop up on the local news," put in Ginty. "The phone didn't stop ringing for hours."
"We foiled a plot," said Lawrie dreamily. "If it wasn't for us Uncle Quentin's plans would be in the hands of the Russians by now and they would be heading for world domination."
"Not quite," said Nicola. "And Klonski was Estonian. So was Rodney Stone, come to that."
"Same thing."
"Don't suppose the Estonians think so. Or the Russians. And you didn't do much foiling, anyway. You were too busy getting yourself locked in a dungeon and having to be rescued."
"By Alf," said Lawrie with a little smile. "He was so nice in the boat when he rowed me back and he kept saying sorry all the time. I'm going to write to him."
"Oh Lawrie!"
"Why did he need to say sorry?" Peter asked. "I would have thought he was feeling a bit of a hero."
"He thought the whole thing was his fault because he rowed Rodney Stone and Klonski out to the island, of course," Lawrie said.
"If Julian had done what I said and told Alf we'd borrowed his boat that's something that would never have happened," said Peter. "But of course Cousin Julian always had to have the last word. Never met anyone so bossy."
"He wasn't that bad," Nicola said. "And there wasn't really time to find Alf. They were practically on their way to Kirrin Island while we climbing that awful cliff."
"Climbing cliffs, locked in dungeons - " murmured Mrs Marlow. "And what do you mean Rodney Stone was an Estonian? He sounds as English as can be."
"Well, half Estonian," explained Nicola. "His father was English and you'd never know about the Estonian part."
"What did they want to do with Uncle Quentin's plans?" asked Ginty. "Sell them?" "Something like that," Peter said. "They were part of a much larger gang and thanks to clever old us the police think they'll be able to get them all."
"And there we were imagining you having a few quiet days at the seaside with your cousins," said Rowan. "And all the time you were off having spiffing adventures."
"They were rather spiffing," said Nicola. "Looking back. But I wouldn't go through that tunnel again for anything. I thought my back was going to break - some places we had to crawl and all the time I had this feeling the sea was going to come crashing in."
"I couldn't have," said Ginty. "I simply couldn't have. And as for Lawrie being locked up in a dungeon - "
"It was awful," said Lawrie, brightening at the memory. "And they had a gun sticking in my back and they kept firing it. It was awful!"
"What was really awful was them threatening to shoot Timmy," said Nicola.
"Who's Timmy?" Anne asked.
"George's dog. She's sort of a bit obsessed with him - "
"Sort of? She's totally and completely in love with the creature," said Peter. "Off her head, if you ask me."
"Sounds a little bit unhealthy," Anne said doubtfully.
"George is a bit - intense," Nicola said. "But she's awfully brave. When they said they'd shoot Timmy if she didn't tell them where the plans were she still wouldn't say."
"I think she would have in the end," said Peter. "This is Timmy we're talking about, isn't it - the almost human super dog? Only luckily you did your thing with the torch and sent Klonski flying. Now that was brave."
As Peter was sparse in his praise for anyone this was a rare compliment.
"It was more of a reaction than being brave," Nicola said modestly. "It was only afterwards I thought how terrible if I'd hit George by mistake. Or hit no-one so they ended up rounding us all up."
"But a quick reaction," said Rowan adding her own rarer-than-Peter's approval. "All that bowling practice paying off obviously."
"The best bit," said Lawrie, who felt that Nicola had now had her fair share of acclamation, "was coming back to the island on the police launch and showing the police where the dungeons were with Rodney Stone and Klonski in. They were so respectful and admiring of us for catching them - "
Nicola and Peter couldn't let that pass.
"Which part of the catching were you involved in?" asked Peter. "Do tell us."
"And you didn't even have to go and tell the police," said Nicola. "They were already on their way over because of Julian's phone call."
"Actually," said Lawrie haughtily. "It was me that saw them coming in Alf's boat. Even if the others didn't believe me at first."
"I don't know whether we'll ever disentangle what actually happened," said Mrs Marlow. "But I must say I'm extremely surprised Quentin and Fanny left you all on your own like that. Anything could have happened."
"Sounds like anything did," said Rowan. "Who wants this last bit of Shepherds Pie? Not you, Peter, you had a gigantic portion to start with."
"Aunt Fanny always gets torn between looking after George and the others and looking after Uncle Quentin," said Nicola in defence of her newfound relatives. "That's what George told us. Uncle Quentin is awfully absent minded."
"He's like a big three year old complete with temper tantrums," said Peter. "But I must say he was very decent when they got back from London and doled out ten shilling notes all round for taking care of his plans so well."
"I still don't think he actually grasped what had actually happened about the science broadcast," said Nicola. "Even though we explained over and over about how Rodney Stone was an utter crook and never been anywhere near a BBC studio in his life."
"Sad," said Lawrie mournfully. "He was going to get me a job."
"No he wasn't, Lawrie. That's the whole point."
"Yes, I know. I mean if he'd been genuine he was going to."
Peter swivelled a finger against his temple.
"You and Uncle Quentin must have some shared genes for batty thinking," he said sympathetically.
"He certainly sounds round the twist," said Ginty. "What were Dick and Anne like? You haven't mentioned them."
"Anne's domesticated," Nicola said as if that summed up Anne entirely. "And Dick is the most good natured person I've ever met in my life."
"I liked Dick the best," said Peter. "He's not as pompous as Julian. And he's not forever telling you what to do. And Anne's all right. Being domesticated has its uses."
"How perfectly lovely to hear you admit it," said Rowan. "So we can expect wholesale enthusiasm for washing up now, can we?"
"Anne has wholesale enthusiasm for washing up," said Nicola. "And making beds and packing picnics and just being helpful and kind."
"She sounds rather nice," said Ann. "Yes, you can all laugh, but someone has to do the donkey work so you might as well be cheerful about it. I'd like to meet cousin Anne."
"Yes, well," said Nicola into the brief silence that greeted this. "But the most interesting person was George - "
"Oh no, Nick, she was awful!" interrupted Lawrie. "And fancy wanting to dress up like a boy all the time and be called Master George! She's crackers."
"Not the easiest of people," agreed Peter. "But Nick's right. She was sort of interesting - when she wasn't scowling at someone or just being generally scathing. Poor old Anne only had to open her mouth and George slapped her down."
"Anne told me she didn't mind," said Lawrie. "That she was used to it. And she didn't seem to mind, did she?"
"Perhaps she was just putting up with it," said Ann. "Like some people just do. I must say, George doesn't sound very nice at all."
"She wasn't," said Nicola honestly. "But she could be kind. Even to Anne."
"Can't say I noticed her being particularly kind to anyone," said Peter. "Unless it was to Timmy, of course. Gosh, he was quite a dog wasn't he, the way he went for Klonski and Rodney Stone? He could have killed them. I wouldn't mind a dog like Tim. In fact out of all of them I think I liked him the best. What do you think, Nick?"
Nicola thought.
"I liked them all," she said. "It was a - different experience. But I do think it's nice to be home again."
And tomorrow, she thought, she would visit Patrick.